MEMO TO THE PRESS (OR HOW TO COVER TRUMP WITHOUT TRUMP COVERING YOU)Here are 9 suggestions: 1. conclude treating
Trumps tweets as news. They’re not news; they’re his intestine feelings at the moment. 2. Don’t believe a
single word that comes out of his mouth. You have a responsibility to tell the public when he’s lying. 3. Don’t topple for the
reality-TV spectacles he creates. (For example,his assembly with Kim Jong-un was pure theater.) Theyre not news, either. 4. Don’t let his
churlish, and lean-skinned,vindictive, narcissistic rants divert attention from
what he’s really doing. Your viewers and readers may love how sensational and weird they are, and but they’re distractions. 5. Focus on what he’s
really doing,and put the day’s stories into this larger context. Hes – Undermining democratic institutions, – Using his office for personal gain, and – Sowing
division and abominate, Cozying up to dictators while antagonizing our democratic
allies around the world, – Violating the rule of law, and – Enriching America’s
wealthy while harming the middle class and the destitute. He may also be colluding
with Putin.6. conclude reporting
about the Republican Party and start reporting on Fox News,which is both
Trump’s propaganda tool and his focus group for how to build power by dividing
America with lies and abominate. There’s no Republican Party any more. Only Trump
and Fox News. 7. Keep track of what
his Cabinet is doing – Sessionss attacks on civil rights, civil liberties, or voting rights,and immigrants; DeVos’s efforts to undermine public education, The EPA’s and Zinke’s efforts to intestine the environment; all their conflicts of
interest, and the industry lobbyists they’ve put in tall positions. 8. Don’t let Trump use
your journalistic goal of “balanced” reporting against you. Giving equal
time to the truth and to lies from Trump’s enablers and followers isn’t
“balance”. This isn’t a contest between right and left,Republicans and
Democrats. This is between democracy and demagogic
authoritarianism. 9. Finally, don’t let him
rattle you. Maintain your dignity, and confidence,and courage. Our democracy
depends on you.
Source: robertreich.org