In 2019, The Media Has to Do Better in Calling Out Trump's Shit

[babylonsister]

In 2019, The Media Has to Do Better in Calling Out Trump's Shit
Being objective doesn't mean letting liars lie.
By Dan Sinker
Jan 5, 2019


In the light of a brand new year, I have one simple wish: Big news organizations need to do a better job treating the President like the liar that he is.

That he’s a liar isn’t a revelation, I know. News organizations have done an amazing job at tracking his lies (the Washington Post clocks him at 7,645 (!!!) since he took office, though it’s probably higher since this was published), at fact checking his lies (Politifact ranks only 5 percent of his statements as true), at debating whether they should call them lies (“intent is key” decided NPR), and at inventing ranking systems to describe the volume of his lies (meet the “bottomless Pinnochio”). That’s all good stuff.

But then there’s stuff like the New York Times' headline:
No Chaos in White House, Trump Says, 'Only Great Energy.'

(There is, of course, a lot of chaos in the White House)

And Politico's:
'I don't believe it': Trump dismisses grim government report on climate change.

(He should believe it—it’s true.)

Or the Associated Press's:
The Latest: White House says court filings show nothing new.

(This court filing literally named the president as “Individual-1” in the Stormy Daniels payoff.)

Sure, “Jackhole McWhiteguy Says Some Bullshit” is headline construction 101, but this particular jackhole is 7,000 lies and two years deep in a four-year presidency, and simply foregrounding what he says as if that’s enough is undermining otherwise good work.

“Jackhole McWhiteguy Says Some Bullshit”

I know there’s a built-in deference for the office, but when the holder of this particular office sends a series of unhinged tweets spouting laughably untrue fuckery, or takes questions outside Marine One and just spouts nonsense, or goes on a half-truth ramblefest at a cabinet meeting and the initial headlines and tweets that get sent out more often than not just follow traditionally “Jackhole Says” structure? Well, everyone gets screwed over. Especially the reporters doing good work because they get jackholes like me yelling at them on Twitter.

more...

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a25741262/media-trump-lies-2019/?utm_campaign=socialflowFBESQ&utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0Pd8ZfwqrENZT2rSOqRwgffSNv_MmwYK-9YJ3YGZgS5EYwhiU4PvHdpr0

[thegoose]

1. Don't call him president

He's a criminal squatting in the White House.

[KPN]

2. Might I add "illegitimately"?

[thegoose]

3. Please do!

[saidsimplesimon]

4. squatting with a golden toliet

showing from under that fat suit, ill-fitting frock jacket.

[theaocp]

5. What incentive do they have to do that?

Morality? That doesn't pay them. Ethics? That doesn't pay them. Professionalism? Again, who pays them?

[Hoyt]

6. As long as media keeps saying "Trump/WH says" things are fine or whatever, they are doing their job.

Everyone -- but those who want an ignorant racist in WH -- knows he's lying.

I think most people are smart enough to get he's full of crud, but some just don't care. The media can't change that.

[dalton99a]

7. Great article

It’s time, this year, in 2019—as we gear up for another godforsaken presidential election next year—to get this right. There aren’t “both sides” when one side can’t stop lying. There aren’t “differences of opinions” when one opinion is repeatedly, provably false. And there’s not “debate” when the thing you’re debating is built on lies.

Because not calling a liar a liar is how we got here in the first place (I mean someone did and she got called "unlikable" for it—thank God we’re not going to repeat that) and we’re going to end up here again unless we all learn from our mistakes and change it up this time. It’s a new year! How about a fresh start?

[pecosbob]

8. They won't...it's not on their agenda

If you're waiting on crusading investigative journalists to save the nation...it's not gonna happen.

[FakeNoose]

9. I want somebody with impeccable credentials to call them out

I'm thinking of somebody like Rachel Maddow, but the NBC bosses probably wouldn't let her do it. Somebody who's beyond reproach needs to point out how complicit the media were in 2016, and most of 2017. By 2018 they started getting on Cheeto's case a little more, they started pointing out "errors" but rarely called them lies.

Point is that the national news/pundit/journo media gave Trump a walk during his campaign and it was completely obvious to us, but not to the dumb hicks in 'Murrica. For shame!