Arguably, the media long ago lost all credibility with its fawning coverage of the Obama White House. Faced with the task of covering a president who shared all their favorite progressive narratives, biases, and priorities, the press abdicated its responsibility to hold political leaders accountable.
From the collapse of Obamacare to the ginned-up narrative undergirding the Iran deal, the Washington media establishment balked every time it should have held the Obama administration’s feet to the fire.
We do need someone to hold Donald Trump's feet to the fire. But do you imagine the MSM is up to the task? Back to Davidson:
Now that the tables have turned, we have a somewhat different problem on our hands. Instead of enforcing progressive orthodoxy and towing the White House line, the media will be tempted to cover Trump the way they have been since November 8, with feigned outrage, hysteria, and condescension. In both cases, the media are abdicating their duty.Davidson suggests the job could fall to conservative media, who are not necessarily all on board the Trump Train. But will they be effective? I doubt it. We get in line, too. I've been watching Trump greet the parade of mendicants who appear at Trump Tower with bemusement, as erstwhile ferocious critics like Mitt Romney head through the glitz to meet the President-elect.
For a media establishment with only slightly better approval ratings than Congress, that’s a problem for all of us. If Americans don’t believe the press because journalists automatically denounce everything Trump does in the misguided belief that it’s their duty, then who will be able to credibly report on the Trump administration’s actual mistakes and abuses of power?
I'm going to keep my powder dry for now. I am doing my best to avoid the siren song. As we move forward, the din from the Left will grow more shrill and less effective. As that noise starts to subside, bad things could happen. Stay vigilant.
6 comments:
i was saying this months ago. we need Trump because we cant afford Hillary being unaccountable. the media may just blow this too. if the current coverage continues, nobody will believe them anyway.
i guess journalism really is dead. and with it, the Republic.
I am reminded of the comment--contested origins if I remember right--about our form of government being suitable only for a moral people. Without honest reporting, the voters are more or less blinded and cannot make good choices.
One almost wonders if it's intentional. Do they desire a society led by Pravda, Izvestia, or Granma? Can't see why they would, no matter what their politics, but it's at least compatible with the evidence.
I think the big danger here is an attempt by conservative-leaning media (or objective, if you can find one) to push Trump's feet too close to that fire. Republicans tend to do that, you know. Your guy takes 2,000 votes in Congress, but he makes two of them "wrong" in YOUR view, and "I can't vote for that guy." And in my experience, the objection is often founded in a misunderstanding of the vote or of the underlying legislation. Sorry, but as Reagan said, "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally - not a 20 percent traitor." In short, be vigilant, but don't jump at shadows. 80% is good enough and IMHO Trump is beating that pretty well so far.
The ol’ 80/20 rule cuts both ways, though, Jerry. And it’s possible, even likely, that the 20% Trump gets wrong will have major implications.
Yah, but it sure beats the 1/99 we've had the past 8 years.....
Right now, I'm thinking Trump may be closer to "right" on more issues than the Republicans in Congress. We can still be hopeful about Trump, but the GOP in Congress already has a record. I don't care who pushes whom to the right, but...
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