The Media Finally Cracks Down on Trump

[CajunBlazer]

I am a political and news junkie and I watch CNN many hours a day. Often have it on in background while I do chores around the house and then pay attention when something interesting comes on. I think that CNN has always tried to be fair during this election season although I can almost guarantee that most if not all of their anchors will be voting for Hillary.

For much of its earlier coverage of the race I truly believe the media didn't know how to deal with Trump because they have never encountered a candidate like him, one that lies 70% of the time and then usually lies about lying.

The media is used to being even handed with Presidential candidates; especially networks like CNN. They simply can't afford to have half of the country mad at them because one candidate's supporters correctly believe they are not give him/her a fair shake. Early on they tried to give equal emphasis to calling out both candidates' flaws. However, that gave rise to what is commonly referred to as "false equivalency" - the notion that both candidates are equally flawed which is obviously not true.

I believe that the turning point was the Commander and Chief Forum when Matt Lauer's performance as moderator was widely panned by journalists. It became obvious that the news channels that care about being balanced decided that they can no longer afford to treat Trump like a regular candidate that that he is not. Since then I have seen the media get increasingly aggressive in handling Trump's outrageous behavior and the continual lies by his surrogates.

(snip)

Rest of article here: The Media Finally Cracks Down on Trump

[jorae28]

1. Point // Counter Point

I don't understand why the News hasn't just started doing news with that old fashion 'Truth in Broadcasting' method. Trump says this...then show clips where he said something else...end the piece with something "CNN believes journalism should show both sides"

It use to be a law....when Trump declares Hillary brought up Birthers back in 2008, It should not be left by the News station without some factual corrections. The News can't keep just repeating the propaganda without pointing out the story has other aspects. It's not a complete News story unless the Media starts doing this on their own. Yes, they will get attacked for doing it...but if all the actual News stations start 'finishing' the stories, it will be pretty easy to see who doesn't like it.

Propaganda not corrected by the media only helps the spreading deceitful corruption.

[CajunBlazer]

3. I couldn't agree more!

In the latter part of the article it says that CNN is starting to do something similar to your suggestion. I think that in previous election cycles they, and rest of the media, tended to depend on the other campaign to contest false statements. (Print and internet editorials being the exceptions.) And I guess that worked okay for normal candidates whose campaigns tended to push only an occasional gross exaggeration and usually shied away from the "pants on fire" type of lies. There were exceptions, but nothing the opposing campaigns could handle.

However, it didn't work for Donald Trump who says outrageous things every day to stay in the news cycle or his surrogates who routinely rattle of four or five lies in a row without taking a breath. The pure volume of lies tends to overwhelm attempts to contradict them and those in the TV audience who haven't been paying close attention are left with the impression that they are hearing the truth.

I like the analogy of a basketball team that plays a hands on, in your face defense under the assumption that the referees can't call every file. The only way to stop that nonsense is for the host to interrupt and challenge the first lie immediately, before the surrogate can move on the next one.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I suspect CNN and MSNBC's viewers lean left while FOX's viewers lean right...

You can see visual evidence of it when MSNBC does their Pulse Polls.

[Demsrule86]

6. This is why MSNBC's lurch to the right is basically suicidal.

Last edited Sun Sep 18, 2016, 07:21 AM - Edit history (1)

Ideology or trying for right wing Fox ratings?

[CajunBlazer]

7. Lurch to the left?

[Demsrule86]

14. typo...meant lurch to the right

Never post when high on meds! Just got home from a four-day hospital stay on Friday...(partial blockage and gall stones). They gave me pain meds...never take more than an aspirin...makes me loopy. Sorry.

[bettyellen]

9. What lurch to the left? Even GOPers hate Trump. And they have often been too kind to him.

[CajunBlazer]

10. I think the poster meant MSNBC's "lurch to the right"

[Demsrule86]

13. I meant lurch to the right...typo.

[CajunBlazer]

18. Yea, I thought so.

[JHB]

20. Because the only people who do that anymore...

...who will juxtapose what was said today with what was said previously -- sometimes just hours before -- are comedians.

Jon Stewart
John Oliver
Samantha Bee

Stewart's off to other projects, and Oliver & Bee don't have daily shows.

[CajunBlazer]

24. Dang, I miss Jon Stewart

He picked a hell of a time to retire

[unblock]

2. hillary's pneumonia helped as well, i think

the crap she got over soldiering through an illness contrasted sharply with the "meh" that trump got when he clearly lied repeatedly about his own health and medical history.

false equivalency is a hard concept to get journalists to recognize, never mind actually do anything about it, particularly on policy matters.

but when it's not a policy matter, it's rather easier. so, hey, why are we saying hillary is secretive and untrustworthy when trump is the most secretive candidate (health records, taxes, etc.) and the biggest liar possibly ever in the history of presidential elections?

[molova]

4. How long will it last, though?

How many days or hours before they jump on the next fake Clinton scandal?

[CajunBlazer]

8. I think it will last through the rest of the election cycle

On CNN it was like someone flipped a switch; suddenly all of the hosts were pushing back hard on Trump surrogates and calling Trumps falsehoods lies for a change.

The decision to turn their hosts loose had to have been made at the executive level.

[KewlKat]

11. I've watched some today on CNN and MSNBC and thought the same thing

like what the heck happened and hoped it was here to stay. I think the infomercial scam yesterday may have really pissed off some of the MSM. Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back?

[CajunBlazer]

12. CNN and MSNBC seem to be riled up and I hope they stay that

I think the the anchors on both network were straining at the leash and the network executives at last turned the dogs loose on the fox that has been taunting them.

[Vinca]

15. I'm like you. I almost always have CNN or MSNBC on in the background.

I don't think the turning point really arrived until the hotel promo the other day. Trump invited the media in for a big announcement about his birtherism bullshit, then turned the event into an infomercial for his new hotel. I noticed a distinct media flip after that.

[CajunBlazer]

21. Not sure, but that really ticked them off

I saw ample evidence fo rnew tactics on CNN before that evernt, but boy did they that taken big time on the information - 30 minutes of free Trump TV time - but that on them - they could of cut away at anytime until trump started his non apology. I imagine the producer on duty who made the decision not to cut away caught hell.

I can guarantee being made to look like fools did nothing but further justify their earlier decisions to go after Trump.

[Fast Walker 52]

16. unless they all, in unison, in every story on Trump, tell people he is unfit to be president

they aren't doing their jobs.

[greymattermom]

17. They probably finally realized

that the Trump campaign wasn't going to spend anything on ads and was going to rely on them giving it away for nothing. Also, many people got tired of watching the Trump channel. The hotel infomercial confirmed that, and now the Trump channel may negative. If it's free, you don't get to say what it is, right? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[CajunBlazer]

22. The TV news media have been played like a fiddle and they are just figuring it out

But don't forget the demand side of the equation - plenty of people wanted to know what outlandish, bigoted and/or stupid comment said that day. The cable news networks were playing the ratings game. They had a symbiotic relationship with the Trump craziness.

[CajunBlazer]

19. CNN's Reliable Sources program spent almost the entire hour on this subject

For those who don't watch CNN - Reliable Sources is a the Sunday morning program on CNN hosted by Brian Stelter which focuses back on the media and its coverage of recent events. It explores whether the media has covered those events effectively and fairly.

The main takeaways in my opinion from the program - both said and unsaid:

The media is sick and tired of Trump and his manipulations; the infomercial incident was embarrassing to them an they are pissed. Look for individual reporters who cover Trump directly to be much more aggressive in there dealings with Trump.

For all his complaints against Hillary, Trump hasn't given a real news conference in 51 days.

There was much talk about "false equivalency" and how the new media, especially the cable news channels can quit insinuating that a "misdemeanor is equal to a felony".

Trust of the media has dropped to 30% in recent polls, the lowest ever, and Trump is taking credit for that. I have news for him - his supporters never trusted the media. The drop is due to Hillary's supporters losing faith in the press' ability to cover the election fairly.

Washing Post reporter David Fahrenthold was interviewed about his extensive probe into Trump's lies about his charitable giving. Since Trump won't furnish any proof that he "gave tens of millions to charity", Fahrenthold has been going to the charities themselves. After an extensive investigative search which he is continuing, other than the gift to veteran groups which he was shamed in to finally providing and which really was his money, David has found evidence that Trump has only contributed $10,000 over the last few years.

Carl Bernstein was interviewed for an extended period of during which he essentially called Trump a fraud over and over again. He said that CNN should air a two hour documentary comparing the lives and work of the two candidates every night until the election so that the public understands the real Donald Trump.

Bernstein deplored the cable news channels false equivalency coverage of the two candidates. However, I can remember very early on that he fell in the same trap when he gave interviews, talking about both candidates with equal disdain.

In my opinion what we need the current corp of Bernsteins and Woodwards to work like hell on exposing Trump and for the cable news network and internet sources to cover that the results of that work 24/7 until the election.

[LeftRant]

23. The media are quite used to lies and spin.

The problem is that Donald Goddamn Trump was put forth as a viable candidate for our leader. The media felt compelled to cover him seriously. But the more nuts he has been, the more the whole situation has been stressed. Just... HOW seriously, do they need to cover him again?

I'll be shocked if his coverage changes appreciably or gets reduced. It's just too profitable.

[Persondem]

25. He is pissing the media off more and more

He mocks them for being stuck on a plane ... A plane he forced them to ride in.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-mocks-press-pool-after-ditching-them

And he played them the other day with his non statement about Obama's birth.

They are getting pissed and they are starting to even the score.