A few days ago Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy for president with a video that explained her values and policies — pro forma for such an event. Donald Trump responded, also pro forma, which a childish insult, and the media went to town covering Trump’s insult, and burying Warren’s, and the Democrats, message. Former Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook says that this is a replay of 2016 and a dark portend for the future.
Last 24 hours shows Trump’s 2020 path to victory:
-Dem candidate releases video that explains her background, values, vision and policies-it never mentions Trump;
-Trump responds with childish insult;
-Media only covers insult.All process, all on Trump’s terms. No Dem message.
— Robby Mook (@RobbyMook) January 1, 2019
We complain we don’t know what Democrats stand for, but when someone tries to articulate it, the media lets Trump smother it with name calling.
— Robby Mook (@RobbyMook) January 1, 2019
Voters have a right to hear about a candidate’s substantive ideas unencumbered by Trump’s nonsense.
Especially on their announcement day.
Especially when she didn’t even mention his name in her video.— Robby Mook (@RobbyMook) January 1, 2019
NYU Journalism professor and media critic Jay Rosen substantively agrees with Mook’s assessment.
Without intervention or some counter movement, the savvy press are going to do a number on us in 2020. (Even though I don't believe the "media only covers insult" statement is true. ) https://t.co/LHVg7x6yHu
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) January 2, 2019
I doubt this would ever happen. But in 2015 I attended a conference on how to cover the 2016 campaign. https://t.co/gBGADVHC4Y They flat out refused to put me on the program. It was the only time in my career when I demanded to speak. No go. Chuck Todd, Mark Halperin were there.
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) January 2, 2019
This is very sobering that Rosen wasn’t allowed to speak at this conference. Both Mook and Rosen make solid points. Rosen has written a book, “What Are Journalists For?” and it sounds like he has a real handle on this topic. Here’s a portion of the description from Amazon:
American journalists in the 1990s confronted disturbing trends—an erosion of trust in the news media, weakening demand for serious news, flagging interest in politics and civic affairs, and a discouraging public climate that seemed to be getting worse. In response, some news professionals sought to breach the growing gap between press and public with an experimental approach—public journalism.
Trump played the media’s false balance and both sider-ism to absolute perfection in 2016 and he will do it again — unless they change the rules of engagement to not pander to him and his perversity. And that will take a lot, because Trump’s perversity gets ratings. Plus, Trump is a genius at pushing all the buttons on institutional sexism and racism, and he’s already been doing this with Warren. 2020 could conceivably become a replay of 2016, if Warren is the candidate.
Politics has become entertainment in this country and however Trump reviles the media and calls them “the enemy of the people” they are basically in his pocket and his best friends, always driving his demented narrative, because it is the circus and it sells. You remember Les Moonve’s comment about Trump, “It may not be good for America but it’s damn good for CBS.” The media put him where he is. And they could do it again.
