Wednesday, April 05, 2017

Four Won't Do It? LA Times Editorial, Part IV


Today is Day Four of the Los Angeles Times' four part editorial on Donald Trump. It began on Sunday with "Our Dishonest President," then on Monday it was "Why Trump Lies." Yesterday's installment was "Trump's Authoritarian Vision" and today it's "Trump's War on Journalism." All four parts can be accessed from the given link.

Only today something's different. Now it appears the LAT editorial board has chosen to add a Part V tomorrow and a Part VI on Friday. Seems four isn't enough for what they've got to say.

Trump’s strategy is pretty clear: By branding reporters as liars, he apparently hopes to discredit, disrupt or bully into silence anyone who challenges his version of reality. By undermining trust in news organizations and delegitimizing journalism and muddling the facts so that Americans no longer know who to believe, he can deny and distract and help push his administration’s far-fetched storyline.

It’s a cynical strategy, with some creepy overtones. For instance, when he calls journalists “enemies of the people,” Trump (whether he knows it or not) echoes Josef Stalin and other despots.

... 

To do the best possible job, and to hold the confidence of the public in turbulent times, requires constant self-examination and evolution. Soul-searching moments — such as those that occurred after the New York Times was criticized for its coverage of the Bush administration and the Iraq war or, more recently, when the media failed to take Trump’s candidacy seriously enough in the early days of his campaign — can help us do a better job for readers. Even if we are not faultless, the news media remain an essential component in the democratic process and should not be undermined by the president.
...

Given the very real dangers posed by this administration, we should be indefatigable in covering Trump, but shouldn’t let his bullying attitude persuade us to be anything other than objective, fair, open-minded and dogged.

The fundamentals of journalism are more important than ever. With the president of the United States launching a direct assault on the integrity of the mainstream media, news organizations, including The Times, must be courageous in our reporting and resolute in our pursuit of the truth.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The Mound of Sound said...


No, Anon, I have no appetite for trolls who pop up to yell "fake news." You've had your nose up Trump's ass for far too long. Adios.

Anonymous said...

"must be courageous in our reporting and resolute in our pursuit of the truth."

Corporations are always in pursuit of the truth. That's how they create all the jobs. It takes truth to create jobs! Along with tax cuts and free trade. Not to mention truth-seeking politicians, economists, technocrats and journalists! (My guess is that the judges are starting to get in on the 'truth-seeking' action.)

Anonymous said...

He, he, he...
"Soul-searching moments — such as those that occurred after the New York Times was criticized for its coverage of the Bush administration and the Iraq war or, more recently, when the media failed to take Trump’s candidacy seriously enough in the early days of his campaign — can help us do a better job of confusing, befuddling and disorienting readers.
Anyone who relies on getting critical information about establishment a.k.a. deep state and its policies from the mass media controlled by a cartel of few men need to have his head... fixed.
A..non

The Mound of Sound said...

Well, I suppose it's back to the Facebook News channel for you, A..non. I hear their coverage of chem-trails is unbeatable.