Boycott Trump. His ego gets fed every time you give him a photo op. Report the facts; not Trump propaganda. Do not cover WH press conferences till Acosta gets his credentials back. Ray Sipe
5
Have the media continue to cover the White House. But send the most junior reporters they have with press credentials. When Sarah can’t spar with a “Name” reporter, and Trump has no idea who these people are, his attention span, alreadynthat of a gnat, will disappear.
4
So the press should run into a hidey hole while Trump verbally abuses them individually and collectively. The office of the presidency is not a separate thing from the person occupying it. Trump is both childish and cruel and impossible to respect. Being called names is not something the press should have to put up with. I say don't set yourself up for mistreatment when there's nothing to be gained. You know he's not going to answer anything of consequence truthfully. Form a rotating press pool and let him give his little proclamations to it. For the rallies one or two reporters should be enough coverage.
7
I think you all should walk out the next time he bullies one of you. Just once. He us not speaking truth anyway and the American people would have your back for standing up to him. I'm in Ukraine now serving with the Peace Corps his behaviour is embarrassing.
7
It is the Congressional Dems that need to turn this around by not adding oxygen (press coverage) to Trump's bombast.
For the last two days we have been treated to Chuck Schumer making threats of adding Mueller protection as part of an end of year spending bill. Please, Chuck (and like minded colleagues), stop the continual pontificating in front of press and television cameras.
At the end of the day, it matters what people do...not what they say. Let Trump do his thing. Most Americans don't approve of it. When his actions warrant it, respond on the floor of the Senate and the House...not on camera.
In the meantime the media - who have been complicit in this event - is frozen out. Press releases rule...or, they can go do their jobs the old fashioned way and read the Congressional Record.
1
Maybe the press should only publish verified, factual statements from anyone in the White House. Ignore the rest.
6
@aristotlegluteusmaximus If the president is going to use words like "invading" to discribe a large group of unarmed poor people walking thousands of miles, if he uses words like "nationalists", a word rife with meaning and heavy with historical context he should get challenged. There are many ways to describe a large group of people walking thousands of miles to reach a goal. He says they are invading us. How? Why? What is his factual evidence? Has he talked to them? I want answers to my questions. There are many words to use to describe those who support an America first, America above all, agenda including nationalist. But nationalists is a word already used by groups to describe the superiority of their group including White Supremacists and Nazis. Those are not groups I want to be allied with. Trump should be called on using such a loaded term no matter how he defines it personally. I am offended by Trump and I need the press to convey that. I, an American citizen, am offended by his words. I can not tell him. I can not talk to him so the press is my surrogate. They need to challenge him because I can not. How Trump will answer my questions as conveyed through the press is the essence of News.
Considering that Trump and his minions treat most of the press, with the obvious exception of Fox, like they are beneath his contempt, I am astounded the press are as retrained and respectful as they are when speaking to Trump. It speaks to their professionalism.
8
One, the media is obsessively reporting and commenting everything Trump, making news where none actually exists, and leaving so much out that would serve the public interest better. Wind it down, please.
Two, Trump is Trump, no need to dig deeper; but I would expect better from reporters like Jim Acosta: he matched a typical Trumpian rudeness with a rudeness of his own.
Three, in the age of social media walking away in protest is not a viable option for journalists. Media houses and professional media association can issue protest statements.
Four, members of the White House press corps should limit their questions to matters of policy, and administration of justice; and ignore the antics of the president that win him publicity and trivialize the media. Stop playing by his rules.
3
The National Press SHOULD ignore Trump. He makes false claims because he knows that it will make he front pages of the national news. He says the most outrageous things and all of you run to publish it. If you did not, he might think twice about saying some of the things that he says. When he was running, all the press did was cover him without once making him prove anything that he said. Even now, none of you will say that he is lying when he is. Stand by your fellow reporters. If he continues to lie to people, don't cover him. Don't put Conway or Sanders front and center. It is appalling that this imbecile and his staff is leading our country with lies and falsehoods.
8
Quite apart from Mr. Acosta, there is a popular magazine in New York, which I shall not dignify by naming it, though it is read by many New Yorkers. that insists on putting Mr. T. on the cover time and time again.Though the magazinepetends to take a critical view it actually does him an enormous service by fcussing such attention on him. And anyone with an IQ of 15 (or perhaps make that 18) or above knows that the attention, good or bad, is what he wants. And gets.
1
Stop attending the ostensible "press briefings," which are either attempts by Sarah Huckabee Sanders to make her boss appear sane and rational, or publicity stunts by the boss man himself to allow him to engage in junior high name calling and histrionic lying without being slapped down. The media should either stay away or walk out at the first blatant lie from the podium. All Trump really wants is attention, and if the media stop giving it to him, he will implode. And the sooner the better.
6
When Trump does not want to talk about something, he will create an instant story by acting inappropriately or otherwise saying crazy stuff. We are familiar with the subjects and behaviors, they are boorish, ugly, low brow and inaccurate - but they make it really easy to write something people will read, like in the Enquirer. We know there are no talking dogs but we still read the story. How can the press ignore the crazy, non-important, but shiny and titillating stuff, and still paint an accurate picture of what the POTUS, as acted by Trump, is about? Calling Acosta an actor is also partly correct, he wears makeup and no doubt has even practiced asking certain questions, but his job is the asking of questions to keep the public informed as to the intentions of our leaders, not to be the flag bearer for a free press. Keep asking the questions, but always respectfully to emphasize the contrast between legitimate discourse and what Trump does. If the President decides to insult people, it is news, but since 2015 or so, it is also old news - everyone knows he is a jerk by now, so mention without commenting, unless it is to add new facts: "This is the first time a President has ever used that word in this context", for example. Or, "today he said this, yesterday he said this"; no real opinion is necessary. Don't buy into the show, don't play a part, don't let Trump direct the action, just hoist him on his own petard in the nicest possible way.
2
I think a full boycott is in order. Trump and his Administration have zero regard for facts evident to everyone but themselves. Their lies only gain weight when covered by the media. Stop reporting every nonsensical Tweet and stop showing up for "press conferences" that are little more than carefully staged scrums meant to show Trumps base their leader is "tough on the fake news media."
2
Trump is not only a sociopathic liar and bully, he's a walking diplomatic incident. Calling his public behavior an "embarrassment" is a gross understatement. Substitute "humiliation" or "mortification." The fake "enemy of the people" should just stop reporting on the real enemy of the people. He'd have a fit if they declared a moratorium on White House coverage for even a day. Which strikes me as a great idea: "A Day without Trump." No mention of him on news or social media! What would be an appropriate date for it? How about January 30, the day of the next State of the Union Address?
5
“If you’re going to catch hell anyway, do the right thing,” said Mr. Weaver.
In fact, take it a step further... do the right thing without any consideration whatsoever for what Trump may do and create a foil of your own. Will Trump scream betrayal? Sure, but who's listening? There's no need to show up at a WH press briefing to get Trump's ridiculous quotes. He self-publishes those all the time anyway.
Continue to concentrate on investigative reporting into Trump's abuses of power and other matters of substance. Let Trump live tweet his campaign rallies if he wants it on the air. No more standing in cages while he whips his base into a rage. Let them enjoy each other's company in private. Maybe Fox will agree to carry his nationalist propaganda over the airwaves.
Imagine this... Trump is walking to Air Force One upset about some negative (but observably truthful) coverage the night before. He's got a string of bigoted, dog-whistle insults to level before he takes off. But while there are some photographers, there are no journalists asking him for comment on anything. His rage finds no outlet.
Let Trump speak his lies to "real" journalists like Hannity and those he's vouched for like Alex Jones. If the president needs a platform to bully the nation, let him now be restricted to abusing social media like any other juvenile delinquent. And meanwhile, let him wonder who in his administration reporters are speaking with, if not him.
4
The coverage of Donald Trump has gotten out of control. The more he answers questions from reporters the worse he looks. I don't need to see anymore from him until he starts acting like a serious, thoughtful leader. I certainly don't need someone to show me what he says on Twitter. I'm not sure if it would work, but possibly the press could put him in time out for a while. A week or so during the holidays would be a nice gift to us all.
1
The profit motive is ruining the media.
Stories of value and individuals of insight are ignored because Trump delivers higher ratings.
The dramatic contrast between the expected behavior of a president and the behavior of a shock-jock entertainer allows Trump to lead the media by the nose.
When profit is the engine that drives life, it creates a world devoid of morality, common sense, and taste.
People observing this decline call for remedies based on their values: the religious seek regulation by religion, the scientific seek regulation by reason, and the judicial seek regulation by law.
But profit scoffs at the religious, the scientific, and the judicious. Profit exalts the golden calf as the one arbiter of civic life.
Imagine parents who determine what to serve at mealtime based on what is most popular. If the children give cookies high ratings, the parents cut the veggies and provide more cookies until eventually the dinner table holds only dessert.
That is what the media is doing: providing junk news. Press conferences resemble episodes of the Jerry Springer show.
The only way to escape the junk news spiral is self-regulation. Editors must seek out stories that are neglected, promote information of value and avoid the seduction of click-bait.
Do not boycott press conferences and do not use press conferences as opportunities to sensationalize.
The United States will be here long after today's politicians are gone. IF we have a responsible free press.
2
It doesn't really matter what the "progressive" media does, they have lost any and all credibility with their attempts to undermine Trump.
1
Attention is Mr. Trump’s oxygen. The networks free coverage is what got Mr. Trump elected in the first place. The press needs to stop treating everything he says and does as newsworthy. This includes the tweets, rallies and rants. It broke my heart to see CNN & MSNBC still carrying on about Mr. Trump’s bratty behavior in France while fire ravages people’s lives in California.
These days, I find myself reading newspapers or watching PBS (Newshour / BBC News) to find out what is happening in the world. Unfortunately, most networks are not covering these important stories.
3
The underlying question here seems to be: what do reporters have to do to help America getting rid of a constantly lying president who shows blatant disrespect for the Constitution's freedom of the press, knowing that both that freedom and not lying are vital to keep/obtain a thriving democracy?
Why isn't this question formulated explicitly? Because opposing a president seems to be "partial", in other words not objective, and objectively (= in a verifiable way) reporting the news is precisely one of journalists' core businesses.
I'm afraid we do will have to debate this question explicitly before we can find a real answer though.
Journalism is part of the human sciences. In this kind of truth production practices, the type of questions you ask inevitably co-determine the outcome. That means that in order to allow people to know the truth, you HAVE to mention how and why you asked this or that question.
Trump claims that all journalism that doesn't agree with him, is not objective. THAT is true of course. But it suggest that there is something such as objective journalism, which is false, and even worse, it suggests that he himself is NOT proposing a subjective perspective. And worse still, it suggests that verifying facts is impossible, and that respect for the presidency means accepting the subjective perspective of the president.
THIS is where journalists can and have to fight back. All these claims are false. Address them head on, and he can't do you anything!
1
Stop publishing any photo of Trump...
5
I wish the press would focus on real news instead of the tRump show. It is difficult to find out what is going on around the nation & the rest of the world. I don't want to see tRump's face one more time - when it comes up I quickly change channels or turn on music. Yes, report on what is actually being done. Not what he says or tweets. The White House press briefings are a waste of everyone's time. I long for a 24-hour news channel, with real around the world reporting, no panels, no analysts or strategists, just the facts. For instance: what is going on at Fukushima? Why did we rarely get any reporting about what's going on in Central or South America until everything is a crisis? I used to watch Telemundo to try to see what was going on even though I don't speak Spanish. It shouldn't be this hard. And the press yelling, badgering with questions that won't be answered, does not seem to be reporting to me.
5
Only one pool reporter at all/any Trump and WH events/briefings. You dont need more than that. Cover Congress more, cover the State Dept more, cover the Judiciary more, cover climate change more..... the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the CDC, NASA, gun control, state houses, etc. There is a TON of stuff you could be covering more. And of many neglected topics, covering finally. The ratings on Trump's reality show is tanking. Just count the votes. Time to upgrade the content.
8
There is no 'Catch 22' until you buy into it.
Reporters are professional journalists and what they report is what happened.
Truth must be included.
Time to double-up, be thorough and dispassionate. Challenge the false assertions.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT!
KEEP IT UP!
1
Trump's head would explode if he was totally ignored; something I'd like to see.
4
Whether we like it or not, when a US president lies or deliberately spreads fake news or uses inappropriate language, it IS news. So it will always be the media's job to report it.
Of course, that also means spreading his words. It's an advantage that comes with being the president.
The problem isn't that the media help Trump firing up his base, the problem is that they limit fighting back to debunking the GOP's lies.
You can never bring all of the truth, you necessarily have to make a selection. And once you selected your issues of the day, you have to decide how you will approach them, which questions you'll ask, and what kind of context you'll provide. All those choices inevitably determine what people believe just happened. And like all work in human sciences, those choices are based on specific values.
If, on top of that, you're a private sector company, the value "making money" is a main value too.
Things ONLY go wrong (= people don't know why or how to vote anymore, in a democracy, so that a minority ends up controlling DC, the courts etc.) when ONE specific value does not belong to the top five priorities: explaining how legislative progress is made.
The NYT for instance is doing a wonderful job systematically reporting on and debunking Trump's lies. But articles about politicians mostly discuss what influence this or that action/statement will have on that person's career as a politician. We need more info about the impact on the American people instead!
2
I find it interesting that the press is so hesitant to stand up and keep asking the tough questions. It is really hard to deal with the endless lies and bombast, but we desperately need to have the lies challenged and the bombast shown for what it is. As a country, we need to expect our press to tell us when the emperor has no clothes. I think Jim Acosta is doing the job we should want him to do and deserves the support of the rest of the press corps. Separating themselves from him is cowardly and a poor excuse for not supporting him. What will they do when it is their turn to lose their credentials if and when they ask the tough questions. Worrying about respecting the office is lost on a president who does not respect the office or anyone else.
3
"He [Mr. Acosta] was showing that reporting without a license is not a crime. At least for now."
With that little fill-up of hyperbole, it makes it difficult to credit the NYT with perspective. Curious if the NYT went back to its archives and had similar reactions to Harry Truman and other polarizing political figures over the last 150 years.
The argument that the press cannot simply walk away from the White House, refuse to attend briefings, not report on Twitter twaddle, or not cover the Red Wagon Bund Rallies goes like this -- he is the president of the USA, and the press has the responsibility to cover the president.
In normal times, they’d be right, but here's the catch - as we all know, only 2% of what Trump does or says is as the president. 98% of what he does and says is nothing but Trump being Trump. If it were anyone else spouting nonstop hooey, hatred, and inflammatory garbage, the press would pay no attention except for the occasional mention on page 6 of the Post ("Doofus Don Does It Again!"). The press isn't “covering the President", it's addicted to providing 24/7 airtime to the DT Show. Stop it!
I am beginning to think that perhaps the press actually IS the enemy of the American people at this moment; not for the reasons the Orange Baby says, but because of the twin curse of news corporations getting filthy click-rich by all this coverage, and their talking heads having fallen in love with the spotlight as Trump's dance partner. America doesn't need another “Entertainment Tonight”. It needs another Edward R. Murrow.
The press would have the everlasting gratitude of the American people if it would only stop reporting this endless chatter. Please -- stick to the real news ONLY. Forget the Daily Drivel from Don, and let Fox broadcast Acosta and Trump on ‘Dancing with the Stars’.
2
@Dan Fannon Press coverage can be done by a single "pool" reporter plus cspan
Stick to objectively reporting the news. That is indeed what Trump tells the media to do and blames them for not doing.
Here's the problem though: journalism is part of human sciences. That means that there is NO way to obtain the objectivity of a physics lab experiment, for instance.
Instead, journalists have to constantly make CHOICES. When two things happen simultaneously, which is the most important to cover? And by describing what happened, what context to provide so that people who aren't taking part in the event do get an idea of what is at stake?
Reporting when a president lies and debunking those lies, for instance, has always been part of the core business of any self-respecting journalist.
Moreover, journalists need ways to obtain people's attention. Some politicians do the work for them, by using controversial statements. Trump is one of them. Others refuse to do so. And some journalists deliberately ask tough questions in such a way that people notice - such as Jim Acosta for instance. Here too, it's impossible to ask the media to change.
All that they can do to counter to firing up of the GOP's base each time reporters report Trump statements, is to look at what information those who disagree with him are lacking to be motivated enough to start voting, and to focus on those things at least as much as on Trump or on wondering whether a statement will help or hurt a politician's chances to win the next elections. And THAT is what they've never done before...
What the media should do is ask the questions and if he doesn't answer, changes the subject or gets abusive just report that he did not answer the question. Don't go into details, just say there was no answer.
Please remember to limit his TV exposure because that is what he craves. If he doesn't see himself on TV he will try to bait you in other ways. Don't fall for his tricks.
Do not cover his rallies, they are just propaganda for his base and nothing of earth shattering importance is said. If something important is mentioned at them you can get the details later from his staff anyway.
3
I think that the media should report only on the facts of the issues - and starve Trump for what he wants most -- attention. Report the updates, the actions and issues - but keep his showboating out of it. When he tries to divert attention with histrionics - focus on the issue -- he's getting what he wants. For example:
"The President stated today that this was the most victorious mid-term election since they monitoring began." In fact research shows....
"President used hurled demeaning insults at reporters when asked about... and deflected the questions and answer...."
He has gone on the record saying that he likes chaos -- it's his management style. Well he's getting it and the media needs to counter that chaos by remaining objective - despite his rhetoric, ignorance and insults. We need media to help reshape the narrative but providing a contrast to the misinformation and hysteria with calm and objective facts. .
For the record - I am appalled at his treatment of the office, the media, women, people of color, history, government policy -- virtually everything - but we need to get back to reporting the facts- and correcting the record - in a way that the public can trust and decipher so that we can all be more informed.
3
All this free coverage guarantees his win in 2020 and ad profits for media. A win win for them and a big loss for us.
I, for one, would be happy to see Trump's face, name and wild declarations only once/week, say in the Saturday edition. And keep it to no more than 1/4 page, right after the gossip and advice columns. Had this been the procedure in 2015-2016 Trump would still be in his 5th Ave penthouse and out of public sight and mind.
3
Report what this administration does not what they say. Make it easy to follow and create a app to categorize the wrongs. Stay focused on policy.
2
Just stop covering him altogether. Full stop across all media. There is other news.
1
Since Trump lies all the time any media who report his actions stands accused of fake news through association. Deal with it by NOT dwelling on his coverage 24 hours a day. Put your ad profits aside for once and stop giving him a platform to toot.
2
I am all for solidarity when it comes to the broader issue of freedom of the press. I would push for the press to be way less polite and a lot more challenging, as they are in other countries. I am appalled that you are all so willing to be cowed and intimidated. But take it on as a larger issue, not a one-off one.
You "feed the beast" every time you cover him. At as basic level, that can't be helped. But you should not report every tweet and speech, even if it is idiotic, a lie, a deliberate attack. We can see them for ourselves if we choose. He is more emboldened by the coverage.
How about being a little more selective and judicious about what what is reported and how often? Put the man on a diet. Give him less attention (positive or negative makes no difference, though negative makes him surly and vindictive and it becomes a downward spiral).
Report on issues without using his name. Discuss other people.
Not everything is about Trump but he thinks it is and the media reinforces that. Report on Syria even if he hasn't done anything lately. Tell us what else is going on in the world.
An article that summarizes his bad behavior would be fine when it's needed, especially when the public hadn't the chance to view it themselves. But a video on the nightly news or posted in a paper can stand on its own without the media telling us what happened and putting their slant on it.
Take away at least some of his power by ignoring him when you can.
3
The "lack of a call to action" is because reporters are too weak to resist any opportunity to be in the spotlight. They all want their 15 minutes no matter who suffers. There are never any real responses from the administration to their questions, but reporters are hooked on their own advancement. Otherwise one of them would have called Trump a loser (or worse) to his face after being insulted. None of them have even, when called on after an insult to another, said, "I think you should answer her question before mine".
2
Trump is so easily disliked that the correspondents have let him get under their skin. In the meantime, the news people have forgotten what is truly news.
2
I was asked what should the press do if Acosta is grandstanding? They should listen for the question and support the question. Jim Acosta asked legitimate, important questions. The questions need answers. He was shut off. Rudely.
3
What is so important about a White House press briefing? You will have either Trump lying his head off or Sarah lying her head off. Skip the press briefing and go do some real reporting about what is going on inside our government.
The best piece of reporting I saw all year was done by Michael Lewis when he wrote the book called 'The Fifth Risk". That is the kind of information that the public needs not this reality show nonsense that Trump puts out (and the press amplifies).
1
There are some good, actionable suggestions here, heard before but not heeded, alas. I'm partial to keeping him below the fold. Also, why not bury his photo so it's not the first thing we see at the top of an article [online]?
Here's another thought: Perhaps the press corps can do as students did at Middlebury College for Charles Murray: turn their backs on him. They'd still be in attendance but showing their distaste for his style of briefing.
5
I think that White House reporters can do a better job with their questions.
One example--preface the question with a short factoid that grounds it in reality. As in: "Hate crimes and attacks by white nationalists have increased by...% since you took office. Do you think there is anything you can do to stem this rising tide of violence against American citizens."
And for god's sake ask him about the 12 year window to catastrophe that climate scientists have laid out--along with the extinction crisis.
I realize he'll lie and babble--but at least some facts will get out in the process.
5
1. Fill the Press Room with either a) newbie cub reporters or b) female black reporters. Either would drive Mr. Trump crazy. (not a long journey).
2. Film the pressers and rallies in the off chance Mr. Trump might say something important, like "I am resigning the Presidency". Otherwise, offer them as an online event only should anyone wish to see them.
“You can't hold a man down without staying down with him.”
-- Booker T. Washington
"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."
-- Robert A. Heinlein
3
SHS doesn't even hold daily press conferences anymore and when she decides to attend one she rarely gives a straight answer. On top of being evasive she's condescending. I say dump the entire charade. Including the daily front lawn gaggle that DJT loves so much, since all he does is lie.
3
Send one pool reporter to his press conferences and Sanders briefings and then televise it non stop 24/7. That would make him apoplectic.
3
The press should not attend trump's campaign trips to talk to his base. He's not representing the US Presidency. trump is representing himself and/or the Republican party. Fox (Faux) News will be there to cover it. Let them talk to each other in their own echo chamber. The rest of us, who are in the majority, don't need to hear his campaign speeches until a few months before the 2020 election.
The press should cover the news when it is about policy; otherwise, attend but don't repeat trump's falsehoods and outright lies.
4
Not sure I agree that boycotting Trump's propaganda sessions isn't the right thing to do.
Trump thrives in an atmosphere of chaos and commotion, which he generates and which the press corps dutifully reports and so helps perpetuate. Starving him of his microphone prevents his non-stop "me, me, me".
(And by "him", I mean his trolls and minions and fellow liars, like Sanders, of course.)
It's not at all clear that the press acting mature while Trump continues to act out like a 2 year old throwing a tantrum is the best path. My guess is that there's no way he'll ever calm down and that ignoring his tantrums will just lead to bigger and bigger tantrums. Paying attention to his and Sanders' lies, similarly, just reinforces their impact.
There's no easy solution. If the fight is about press coverage (rather than Acosta's credentials), the matter should be straightforward: ignore his and Sandrers' lies and drama and focus on the news.
I skip most of the Trump stories or change the channel when he is on. Can't stand the man...
2
The only press coverage from here on in is when he and his family are hauled off to prison
1
I agree with the comments below that advocate for limiting the coverage of Presidential Press Conferences or Briefings by Sanders. Don’t keep spreading or attacking his lies on the front page leave that to the comedians. Send a pool reporter and crew. Put a small story on page 10. Front page Cover issues such as jobs, healthcare, education, Cover other officials. Cover investigation into security of databases, power grid, voting....
1
He craves the attention that his mother and father withheld from him. So he acts out to be the center of attention by being outrageous. Then he gets the attention he desires which reinforces the cycle. Easy fix. Only cover policy, stop covering his rants, tweets and rallies. They are only a distraction. Let the second and third string websites cover them. Focus on policy!
2
This is all about power: Back in the day, the MSM fancied itself as " kingmakers". Trump has successfully neutered that role for them, instead, they're now puppets on his string as they can't resist the prospect of coming up with the ultimate "gotcha" moment. Meanwhile,when he wants to reach the people, he bypasses the MSM on Twitter. Particularly ironic is MSM's whining about Trump's alleged abridgement of free speech; the MSM has demonstrated that free speech matters only as it applies to their speech. In their world, their utterances are meant to be the coin of the realm and the president is supposed to pay homage to them and not push back. Well , we see how that's working out
1
He's played the media for a fool. legitimate news organizations have no need to attend Sarah Huckabee's vile press briefings. Acosta should file a lawsuit. Let the AP attend the WH briefings, even the news conferences he gives. STOP ENABLING HIM and get serious about serious stories!
2
The press should have banded together and boycotted this Trump individual's propaganda sessions as soon as it became apparent that the man is a pathological liar.
1
Any unanswered press conference questions should be kept for the next adult in the white house.
So you really are going on with it? Did you ever read what Jim Jones told his faithful followers when he convinced them all to commit suicide, willingly. I think you all don't even know who he is.
“....a man who flummoxed rivals with catchy sobriquets like Low Energy Jeb, Lyin’ Ted and Crooked Hillary.”
You writers still don’t get it (and I say this as s writer). A good start might be dropping the fancy words and directly describing behavior. Thus the above should change to: “....a man who flummoxed rivals with demeaning slurs like Low Energy Jeb, Lyin’ Ted and Crooked Hillary.”
See the difference? The former makes his behavior seem insignificant and almost charming. Not the latter.
You are all gutless cowards if you have to stop and ponder what measured reaction, if any, you need to take when the so-called President takes away a reporters mic, just for doing his job, calls him "an enemy of the state" (quite a threat coming from the President), and then strips him of his press credentials, threatening to do the same to others if they don't "show him respect".
What are you debating? He declared war on you, all of you. What will it take to get you to act? Him ordering his thugs on you, beating you, arresting you?
Start by, the next so-called press conference he attends, standing up, all of you, and turning your backs to him. And let the cameras roll as he rails and shouts and gets furious. Then, after a while, just walk out. Before he throws you out.
Then, immediately afterwards, have a complete media black out. Tell your viewers/readers - "the President does not respect the freedom of the press guaranteed in the Constitution. He is threatening us. Some of us have already died as a result. He is a dangerously unhinged man. This is not his so-called "fake news". It is reality. Furthermore, almost everything he says is a lie or a falsehood. We will no longer give what he says the journalistic benefit of the doubt, by reporting it or analyzing it. He's a pathological liar and nothing he says, that we report, should be believed. Therefore, effective immediately, we will not report anything he says."
Try that
1
Yes, the press is under assault from Pres. Trump. But keep in mind that he is only continuing Pres. Obama's policy, as the NY Times reported. See:
"If Donald Trump Targets Journalists, Thank Obama" By James Risen
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/opinion/sunday/if-donald-trump-targets-journalists-thank-obama.html?_r=0
Where was the public outrage then? The Times only ran Mr. Risen's piece after the election.
The public silence clearly emboldened Trump.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
3
Let's face it, the press has a conflict of interest: Follow every little stupidity of the President and get ratings, or cover substantive issues and see ratings fall. Jim Acosta knew he'd outrage Trump, and did. Trump knew he'd outrage the press, and did. It's all getting very boring. Nothing gets done in D.C., nothing interesting or good happens. Blah blah blah.
1
The media should flight fire with fire! The NYT should always reference SCOTUS and POTUS as illegitimate because the are! Wash, rinse and repeat! That's how the GOP does it!
1
Surely there is a vast gap between boycotting Pres. Trump and reporting his every utterance and tweet as some sort of gospel.
Remember what he said when he considered his run:
"I know how to work the media in a way that they will never take the lights off of me."
Those are the most important words Trump ever spoke.
With his inane comments he always hijacks the news-cycle, aided and abetted by an all too willing press.
One silly tweet about alleged California forest mismanagement and it's off to the races. That becomes the story.
He's been playing the press for suckers since the election.
He must giggle at this...
"I said the STUPIDEST thing today! Get this: I said, Seagulls cause global warming and EVERYONE is yapping about it. Right now, ornithologists are on MSNBC and CNN denouncing me! The Audubon Society just called a press conference and everyone is going to air it live, just like they covered me in the campaign. This is beautiful! Now we can get down to work completely unobserved."
This is classic diversion. He learned it from Reagan. Remember these:
"Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do."
"Fascism was really the basis for the New Deal."
"We were told four years ago that 17 million people went to bed hungry every night. Well, that was probably true. They were all on a diet."
As with Reagan, Trump couldn't do this without a complicit press. Show a little discernment, folks.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
3
Boycott...boycott ...let Faux news and it’s right winged media cohorts report on Trump alone.The less exposure Trump receives the less power he can exert.
I wish all of the "fake news" outlets like CNN, The Times, The Post, etc. would take a day off. Let Sarah Sanders talk just to the "fair and balanced" outlets like Fox, Newsmax, Sinclair, and Salem. They can ask her serious questions like "Are the seats in Marine One leather or fabric?" or "Will the President be creating a new federal holiday honoring his birthday?" or "Will the President being giving himself the Medal of Freedom in 2019 or 2020?"
Only Trump's base believes the lies. The rest of us really don't care to hear or read them.
1
"Will the President be creating a new federal holiday honoring his birthday?" Please don't give him any ideas.
1
Finally, the first sensible idea I've heard related to the media's coverage of Trump. He is like an addiction: the more it is fed, the more it grows. If the media had fed less into Trump's massive ego from the beginning, he (and we) may not be in this situation now. It's basic Pavlovian conditioning 101 that the only way to end a behavior is to remove reinforcements of it.
If there is one thing Trump is right about, it's that the media IS the problem. Yes, media, boycott Trump.
1
After reading all the comments, there are a lot of good ideas. Here are some I’d like to throw out. First - stop covering Trump’s rallies! Second - stop fielding questions at the White House drive or when Trump is boarding Marine One. Third - this would FUN, all major news media assign only black women (I’m sure there are many qualified reporters and it would nice to see new faces), to cover the White House. And fourth - just stop going to the briefings staged by Huckabee-Sanders. She LIES, and then LIES again, gives wrong information, or refuses to answer the questions.
3
From my days as editor of a daily newspaper to now, I consider myself a political junkie. But the media coverage of a president who is obviously deranged is not good for the country. I can no longer watch or read what is going on and must retire my junkie badge until the Mueller investigation is finished.
1
The media seem to have learned little since Trump distracted and preempted them with what some refer to as "shiny objects" -- his lies and humiliating antics during the campaign in 2015-16.
Indeed, 2016 still hangs over us. Two years after Trump's election, the media continue to lavish him with air time and ink, though it's true that his lies, bigotry, and ignorance are now more directly exposed. Trump is merely continuing to campaign, being the monkey in the cage amusing the public at the zoo. Can the media explain why his rally buffoonery get so much attention from them? Is is ad dollars, perhaps? His performances are very seldom substantive in nature, and certainly do not present to us a man of integrity, governing our nation thoughtfully and acting like the President of all Americans.
The media must do more critically to triage his actions and statements so as to identify those that *require* citizens' attention, and then relegate the remainder to the political funny pages. We need better balanced coverage between issues of substance and Trump's lies, self-promotion, and puerile tantrums.
2
Trump can be inflammatory but in this case Mr. Acosta was wrong. He was directly engaging the President of the United States of America and ignored him to his face. The media should be boycotting Mr. Acosta and CNN if it chooses to stand behind him.
1
I would love for the press to skip one day of any white house coverage and not even step onto the grounds. Of course some "conservative" Trump-Pravda "reporters" will still come. But make a point for a day. Or as someone on cable news suggested over the weekend - everyone send only minority reporters in for a day.
The comments are better than this article. Here are my thoughts, for what they're worth --
(1) One problem with Trump's press conferences is that he never answers the question. That leads to a whiny exchange with the questioning reporter, which is a waste of everyone's time. …
(2) There's too much coverage of what Trump says and tweets. This helps Trump to feed his base. …
(3) There's way too much analysis of what Trump says and tweets, on the left and on the right. I assume that this happens because it makes money for the media. But in the process, news/facts have drifted into commentary, which is not a good thing …
(4) Related to all of this is the fact that it's very not expensive for the media to cover news in Washington. Coverage of news in other cities and towns is weak and getting worse. Coverage of overseas news is laughably poor. Perhaps this flows inevitably from the economics facing the news business in the US. … One corollary of this is that publications like the NYT has more pages (with several low-cost extra sections) while its news coverage deteriorates. … It also leads to increasing audiences for more news-focused enterprises like the FT, the BBC, the Economist, and Bloomberg …
(5) A final point: In today's world, the typical reporter would like to build her or her own "brand". That leads to performers like Jim Acosta ...
1
This is amazing to watch. It's incredible, a wonder of civilized society.
The author of this article doesn't even have the self awareness to realize that by consulting with political strategists on how to deal with Trump he is completely invalidating any claim he might have to being a journalist. If this were war time, like during WW2 or WW1 such a "reporter" could legitimately be considered an enemy, by either, or any, side to the conflict. He has become a propagandist for the self declared opposition, like Lord Haw Haw or Tokyo Rose.
1
Whether or not the press pool at the WH wants to be in the middle of this story, or not, is irrelevant. The press has already BEEN attacked. Time to find some backbone.
2
There may be a middle ground here. Have a 60-second delay on the television stations. Cut any nonsense out of the “live”airings, noting that you are doing that, then package the nonsense for later under “fake news.”
1
Since Fox has more audience than CNN MSNBC combined, Trump will speak to Fox, and CNN will become increasingly shrill and irrelevant.
Those in the WHPC sold their souls the minute they cozied up to the podium in order to “gain access” to what is a essentially - and you know this - a theatrical event that has always been staged by whatever party is in office. The WHPC has become part of this performance. The WH disseminates the information it sees fit to disseminate through them. And they have pretty much dutifully parroted the status quo for decades without much of a fuss.
Just look at old press conferences with Ronald Reagan. It’s almost an embarrassment to watch the press fawn all over the guy and let him get away with the whoppers he told and the “aw-shucks cowpoke” act he performed. Now the WHPC wants to pick and choose between the lines that have been written for them and the truth? Good luck with that.
1
yes, yes and yes, the media should boycott. Not only that the media should force Mr. Trump and WH to correct all lies so far made. Respects, civilities and dignities are two way streets. Because Mr. Trump is in power he should get away with deceptions.
Yes, certainly the TV media should boycott him. People who only speak with forked tongue should get no air time. People who incite violence should ESPECIALLY get no air time. The press has a duty to boycott his speech, it's dangerous and people are getting threatened and killed because of it. Let him spew and vomit his lies and threats in a vacuum so that they land back in his own face. I know that the ratings are great when the audience is transfixed on his bilious ranting but so are they when people get mowed down and murdered. Media, have a think about what you are complicit in.
It's important that when this whole Trump nightmare is over, he and he alone can be said to have violated the principles of the American system -- not the press, not the rest of us. Then we can put this vile man and his thuggish acolytes in the trash can of history and get on with the American democracy. Tempting as it is, do not boycott. Revile the man personally, but respect the Presidency.
Starve the beast. His lifeblood is publicity. It would both wound his ego and diminish his power to cut out the visual. Summarize his position and point out his errors in fact and logic.
Count on consumers of news to come to their own conclusions.
I truly wish all media would stop using his name. You should report worthwhile news but refer to it as the "White House administration" instead of Trump this, Trump that. If you can't substitute White House administration with the word Trump, then it's not not worth reporting.
The press news to explain to the American people exactly what Trump is doing, why he is doing it, and the implications; e.g. why that threatens democratic institutions and democracy itself, with clear historical examples.
Read "How Fascism Works" for a primer on how to write this story:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/15/how-fascism-works-jason-stanley-review-trump
I beg of you, NYT and the rest: Realize that Trump is quite literally our first Presidential Troll and get smarter. Just like trolls online, he - and many of his his followers also following the trolling playbook - absolutely want you, and us, to respond with outrage. Just like online, it’s not an easy problem to solve. Online trolls and a presidential troll, impervious to shame, are new problems for us all.
Online, what works? Ignoring the troll. Or, ignore the troll’s trolling attitude and respond genuinely: “I’m curious more about why you think that. I’m really interested to hear your point of view.”
How might that translate to the presidency?
Stay calm in the press room. Don’t fight over yourselves to ask questions - it looks like a “hysterical” feeding frenzy and feeds his ego. Seem professional, and if you have to show emotion, lean towards boredom. Keep the number of questions minimal; experiment with ending the questioning even before the administration does. Don’t look so hungry. Don’t be a foil for him. Let yourselves slide into the background, let his (and her) extremism be “the show.” Yes, if they say lies, calmly refute them.
Don’t think the WH press room is the “front line” of the battle against a tyrannical president. It’s not. It’s essentially PR for him. You can still cover him truthfully and critically as needed without verbally jousting with him (and her) in person.
3
Big News is happy to have an insane man spouting insane jibber jabber to use as news headlines; it's easy money for Big News.
And while we're at it, how about we stop interviewing Kellyanne Conway, too?
4
The so-called Media is in collusion with Trump.
Why? Because collusion is good for business. Trump has been a bonanza of ad clicks for three years.
Ka-Ching. Ka-Ching.
And, it's not just the so-called Free Press that has profited handsomely from Trump. Saturday Night Live had lost whatever tenuous grip it had on comedy long ago. Late night "comedians" were wallowing in low ratings. Annual award shows were tuned out, turned off.
Then, along came Trump.
Soon enough, lots of Trump attention suckers will be getting pink slips because his replacement will never generate the Golden Egg animosity that Trump generates every day.
Enjoy your paydays while they last, folks.
Ka-Ching! Ka-Ching! Ka-Plop!
I think if the credible news such as the NY Times started ignoring Trump, we'd all be better off. Let Alex Jones and Breitbart cover him. Give his absurd tweets no further coverage. Refuse to cover WH press conferences and eliminate the forum for Huckabee Sanders' rants. Eliminate his daily presence in your news coverage and our lives. Run a short weekly summary of WH items of interest. He's an addict for coverage and the more you cover him, the more he wants. So, stop providing him the fuel to feed his addictions. Maybe, then, he will simply shrivel up from lack of attention and abdicate- oh yes, he is not a king!
Thinking aloud: yes, pay much less attention to the self-aggrandizing buffoon himself and focus much more on the critical issues which directly impact us all. Period! That should push the monster the mass media has created back into his hole.
I think that to avoid covering his lies is to politicize the reporting process. Stay objective; and ensure that there is a clear line between fact (there were fewer people at his inauguration than there were at Obama's) and opinion (this fact, and the fact that he disputes this, tell us something important about his then-nascent presidency). I would love to see CNN and NBC and WaPo and NYT mount a lawsuit against his constant accusations of fake news because after all companies have brand book value and there is a real dollar impact to his insults. But that's the business side of reporting which has to stay independent of the product. In the meantime continue reporting as you have done: a majority of us (thin, but still a majority) recognize a lie and I suspect (hope?) that that majority will improve as time goes on.
1
Any form of group action in response to Trump's
demands for favorable media coverage would be futile.
Where wold the line be drawn--and by whom?
The government propagandists--Fox, Limbaugh and their many clones-- would continue unabated.
This approach would include:
--Instant fact checking with results reflected in headlines and broadcast leads
--Context that provides a full, accurate account of the action/at issue. (The media consistently use the term "deregulation" without citing that much of it involves the elimination of environmental, consumer and other protections. And their references to "tax cuts" failly to specify that the government is financing them with substantial borrowing plus interest. Media accounts should recognize these gaping holes)
--Publication of the specific questions addressed to an individual who has not responded to a request for comment on a development/issue.
--Realize that a person's rank as a source is in direct proportion to his or hers ability to influence the outcome of public policies.
---Revisit previous statements of public officials pledging various actions to assess whether they have followed through.
And these steps are just for starters.
Why not just report on his comments? No need to show footage - Fox will do that. Quote him, but don't show him on TV. It'll drive him crazy. He's a publicity hound. Also, no need for reprinting his tweets (why quote the tweet and then show it in a graphic? Anyone could independently check his feed. Again, don't cover him in such detail.
OF COURSE the press should boycott trump! That doesn't mean no coverage, but trump is a master of tossing shiny objects and he's also really desperate for attention. He should be denied the attention - no photos. Reporting should be on issues and "the White House" and the Republicans and what's going on in politics. Don't even print or say his name!
2
Frankly, Trump has no clue how much the media helped elect him. I searched in vain for a national story about how over 10,000 people waited outside a Bernie Sanders rally in Seattle because the venue was overflowing, and there was no mention of it anywhere except locally. (I was not a Sanders supporter, but you see my point.) But Trump's every burp and hiccup was reported for website clicks, his behavior being so outrageous it gave him outsize exposure that would have been better spent on candidates with actual political experience.
1
I totally support the press and media discontinuing any coverage of his rallies and his Tweets. Just report the actions taken, policies put forward. He is playing the press like a violin and he is in control and loving it. No coverage and the air goes out of him like a balloon. Give us all a break and try it out . The silence would be beautiful.
4
Boycotting press conferences and daily briefings only makes the press look bad, as if it's at war with the president.
Better, however, would be for reporters to more frequently follow up on other reporters' questions - especially when the president refuses to answer a follow-up question.
That's the kind of press solidarity that serves the public - getting the news out in a hostile environment.
3
The press has done a good job transitioning from straightforward reporting on the administration's irrational statements and initiatives to prefacing, even headlining, stories with the fact that the Trump oligarchy's positions are based on lies. The next step should not be total withdrawal, but the press could make the lies the story. Ignore any so-called substance of what the administration spews out and report only its misuse of information.
2
If Mr. Acosta's credentials aren't restored by year's end or, if the White House takes away any other reporter's credentials, then I think that the White House press corps should boycott. It needs to be done with no previous announcements or fanfare and ideally it should be done at a time when the White House wants to get a message out. The press should also refuse to Trump and White House tweets for a week.
Trump is an immature narcissist, starve him of attention for a news cycle or two and he'll go crazy.
3
The press should stop moaning and gnashing their collective teeth. Have the White House pool of rotating reporters follow the silly and usually false utterances of the president and his staff, and use other reporters to investigate his administration's policies and activities and their impact on our lives and environment. Will the press forego the work of doing their part to preserve our democracy to boost their profits--despite claims to the contrary about their holy mission?
3
I would welcome a daily Trump-Free time zone...23 out of 24 hours daily. I avoid seeing him and hearing him, which means that I have to do much duck and covering.
Those that follow his tweets...you have only yourselves to blame.
2
The press should definitely boycott the White House press briefings if for no other reason than that Sanders lies repeatedly. Also, it should not cover trump rallies. Yes, report news, but do not engage in the fights that trump wants to ignite. Keep the video of trump to an absolute minimum then when compelled to show him, please put his lies in context. Call him out on lies contemporaneously.
Yes, the news media is self promotional and more than occasionally annoyingly so. Come on, how can CNN announce breathlessly "Breaking News" every five minutes when it is clearly not breaking hours later and barely is even news? Its duty is to inform the public and to hold government accountable. Do not take trump's daily bait, just ignore the dotard.
1
Trump is a showboating looser. The press needs to work a little harder and dig a little deeper. Trump is leading the press around by the nose. Do the public a real service. Dig into cabinet, advisors, and his business. In depth, daily updates of every element of his corruption. Keep it the front page - everyday.
1
Keep asking the hard questions until all the press passes have been revoked. Then stand outside the White Hose and ask the questions. No more softballs, no more accepting and distributing lies, no more allowing distractions to replace the real news. If trump won’t answer the questions, ask them of the people who answer to him. If they don’t answer the questions, move down the line.
But, first and foremost, keep asking the hard questions.
4
Major error. If they do so Trump will only be covered by people who support him. Very foolish idea.
1
@Mike Livingston you’re right, of course. A walkout would have to be a one-off to make a statement only.
1
@Mike Livingston you’re right, of course. A walkout would have to be a one-off to make a statement only.
1
As stated by many, Trump is a reality star who is using them media to obtain the public attention he craves.
The problem is that the members of the media are ALSO people who crave more attention toon than the average person, and who have their own desire for a daily fifteen minutes of fame fix.
Watch them. There often isn’t serious, substantive “journalism” happening g at those cattle calls. They have become preening and pretentious performances, a series of pas de deux between the White House press person (typically Huckabee-Sanders)and the media representative holding the mic.
What was most telling was the degree to which the press laughed at the president’s joke about Acosta’s defender at the recent presser.
This is typical bully schtick and it would appear that the television “journalists” remain mostly happy to be in the room- I.e.,viewed as popular and worthy by the more powerful.
3
I agree. The best wasy to handle a bully is to ignore him. Take away his megaphone. Devote no more than five minutes per hour to substantive Trump news and spend tbe rest of the hour informong the public about all the national and world real news.
3
Trump is addicted to press coverage like a drug. The press should stop being co-dependent. We’ve been saying this over and over! Cover the essentials and stop putting him on display. The Jim Acosta episode was the last straw.
3
No. Just focus on what he does not what he says.
4
Yes, I think the press should boycott Trump. And, the media should as well. As an individual, I feel under assault every day with the ridiculous quotes, lies and rhetoric that the press and media report. To what end? Report what is going on...not what Trump SAYS is going on. You aid and abet his agenda and he is a master at getting you to do that. I would love to see the press corps turn their backs...not be waiting when he boards a plane...not cover press conferences when they NEVER get the truth. Yes, boycott please.
1
Everyone would save money if they did away with the daily press briefing. The government, i.e. taxpayer, would save money and the news networks would save massive dollars on ridiculous salaries for their personality "journalists". If there was a press conference the "News" corporations could just send interns or cub reporters to pick up the copy.
"Show the office of the president the respect it deserves"? Isn't that exactly what the fractious Press Gallery is doing?
1
It takes 2 to tango: The press should limit the PDAC (Presidential Daily Amount of Coverage—)to say, 5 minutes per day. And allocate more time and importance to other issues essential for the public. For any toddler, setting limits and not reacting so emotionally will make them modify their behavior. Our press should illuminate—for instance—what is going on in the courts, in electoral systems, poverty in our own country, and world issues. No matter how huge a cash cow the president is for the media, we consumers must put ourselves on a diet—the less attention he gets the more our press gets the upper hand in behalf of tbe people it serves.
3
What if the press corp agreed to have one "pool reporter" at all future "Presidential" press briefings. CSPAN coverage should be enough to provide audio and video, and one "fake news" reporter can ask questions, presumably along with Fox etc. With a smaller audience we're likely to have fewer and shorter events, so less time for the President to rant and rave, making up stuff for everyone to get worked up about
1
On a much much smaller scale, I'm a newspaper person for 40-plus years. You get badgered and bullied every day. It's part of the job of finding and reporting the news. I am no Trump fan, but when your job to cover news becomes the news, that's crossing lines. Seems obvious national news outlets are playing games. People out here see this stuff. They're not stupid. Mr. Acosta is just a voice, another reporter whose job is to share the news and let us figure out what is what. Playing ringmaster in someone else's circus makes the rest of us, even little hometown reporters, look foolish and our job of gaining trust with an already wary public much more difficult. He should take up calling football games or film reviews, something where opinion truly counts, and leave the news to serious journalists.
1
I truly wish the press (especially broadcast media) would cease rewarding Trump by responding to his dog whistle tactics. Frankly, we’re as weary of it as reporters are frustrated by it. Please stop making the lead story whatever advertisement he wants to spin out. We all get by now what his message is and will continue to be so it should be a sidebar. We want the features of the day to be the important stories you cover so well. After Trump (words almost like the start to a prayer) we’ll have to get back to the rewarding work of building our country. Let’s not wait till then.
3
A friendly reminder that when the Obama administration considered denying Fox News a press pass, the White House press corps showed some backbone and threatened to collectively boycott press briefings. It would be nice if WHCA could at least live up to the Obama-era precedent.
1
Russia's influence on the 2016 election and Comey's continued Clinton investigation at the end of the 2016 campaign were the final blow in getting Trump elected. However, Trump should never have even sniffed being the GOP candidate if not for the constant attention that the media brought him in 2015-2016 (and the 30 years prior). A large share of the blame for Trump being President lies squarely with the media.
Even the racially-charged birther movement led by Trump should never have happened if the media would have not paid much attention to that nonsense. Suggestion to the MSM: leave the TMZ "news" to TMZ, and focus on news that is newsworthy for the general masses. No rally or tweet coverage from Trump, or those scrums before hopping on his helicopter from the WH lawn - please. When will most of the MSM ever learn? Unfortunately, the reality is ratings/subscriptions are more important than the greater good.
Please please please have a moratorium - Trump and Huckabee's interview sessions are just so bereft of addressing anything of substance that their responses are beyond trite and exasperating.
It's like coddling a child having a temper tantrum. Enough.
Walk out.
I would really enjoy reading interviews of the fresh faces we will be seeing in our newly elected Congress.
And put Trump on page 10 or just side-step him for at least 3 weeks.
In any event, let's have more news about plans for January. It would remind us all of what a breath of fresh air smells like.
2
Unfortunately, the horse is long since out of the barn.
The time to boycott (or simply ignore) Trump was back when he rode down the escalator ranting about Mexican rapists.
The Huffington Post vowed to leave reports about Trump in the entertainment section. I'm not a reader, so I have no idea how long that idea lasted...
1
While the press cannot ignore a presidential presser, they surely can boycott Sarah Sanders' briefings, consisting of no real news, lots of lies and half-truths, denials of obvious conclusions to be drawn from the facts and the lady herself oozing contempt and condescension toward the press. That would leave the Press Room to Fox News and a handful of bloggers -- exposing it as the irrelevancy it is.
6
The press is in the business of getting eyeballs to read or watch their story. If they boycott, then there go the eyeballs. They lose.
If they make 45 the center of the story, they also lose, because all 45 wants is to win.
He has been controlling the news cycle for two and a half years, and unfortunately will continue to do it for the next two years, at least.
If the press took the microphone away from Trump, we would see the true power of the press, and the true weakness of Trump.
3
The massive free press coverage during the Trump campaign helped him enormously, and he played them like a fiddle. He still does. However, with his constant discrediting of the truth, and rants of fake news, he is working as hard as he can to ruin the free press, and increase his own power and invincibility. We are on a dangerous, direct path to authoritarianism - directed by Trump. People need to speak loud and clear against what is going on. Silence is the one thing we don't need.
1
There are two reasons to cover him less.
One is that it allows him to continue his campaign for the hearts and minds of those whose only policy expectations from government are that their guy 'own the libs' -- free advertising for the Public 'Bad' just like you did in 2016, making him harder to beat in 2020, which he is campaigning for.
Two. There are very big stories going uncovered.
a. Humanity is entering the perilous years of climate destruction for the first time in our ~200,000 year history this is news.
Hurricanes and floods and town-killing wildfires aren't over in a week. All of these wrecked lives are news, they are just the beginning of lives with no insurance, no shelter. Are they staying with friends? What is happening to the children? What is their mental health of those who lost everything after year 1? Year 5, year 10? This is unknown, swept under the rug.
b. 21st century voters still have no idea that there ARE alternatives to the fossil fuels still driving this historic change.
Both sides of this need far more coverage for voters to understand why we must and CAN ban all gas cars by 2030 like China, France and Germany have done. And require utilities ramp up solar and wind from todays Renewable Energy Standards of just 20% in most states to 100% by 2030.
1
The Press won't boycott Trump since they have made millions covering every lie, every Tweet and will continue to do so.
2
Surely it would be possible to arrange for minimal coverage both of a Sanders press briefing and the president taking questions. Send one reporter or two with questions prepared by some overseeing group to represent major newspapers and cable networks; smaller outlets will either send their people or if they agree not to, be allowed to share any material gathered by the "bigs." Since Trump and Sanders both perform off-off-Broadway shows, one way to respond to them is with lots of empty seats.
4
Most of the press has had a bias against Republicans and conservatives for as long as I can remember. And the press also has overtly favored many Democrats, among them the Kennedys, Clintons, and lately Obama. As a conservative I need not tell you what I think about the press. I have no sympathy for them.
I agree with the commenter who said the press simply enables Trump’s behaviour by reporting on every little thing he does. And he loves it! Trump’s an attention hound if there ever was one. I’ve often thought to myself, “What if, at least for a day, no news agency reported anything about Trump?” I also imagine how infuriating it would be to the WH for journalists to attend a WH press briefing and ask zero questions. Zero.
Honestly, not every day at the WH or everything DT does is newsworthy. There are so many things going on in the world and plenty of other political leaders in the US to report on without even mentioning his name. He’s already showing himself to be unhinged (perhaps even suffering from mental illness) maybe his temper tantrums at not being the center of attention would show his base his megalomania. They may not even care but what a brilliant experiment.
2
I'm glad to see some thinking going into covering the president. Thinking of him as a patient on a psych unit helps me. Following a treatment plan is paramount. Documentation must be dry and factual. Reacting to dramatic provocations is a no-no. I want the press to report the facts, without embellishment or pictures, below the fold or on an inside page. Reporters needn't insist on answers to their questions. If the president refuses to answer, simply report it. It is essential that the media avoid being part of the problem if we are to preserve our democracy.
2
If Mr. Macron, Ms. Merkel and other foreign leaders can turn their back on Mr. Trump, then so can--and should--the American press. Okay, so he is not president of the world, but of the US; I fully get that. What I'm arguing for is for the press to no longer pay attention to Mr. Trumps tweets or other statements that have absolutely nothing to do with actual policy, including those involving withholding funds from California because of that state's forest management policy, his ranting and raving about the outcomes of the 2018 midterm elections, or his comments about Ms. Pelosi or Mr. Schumer. Those are mere smokes and mirrors. Rather, follow the policies being considered and/or implemented by his cabinet. That's where it's at, to use an expression of the late 60s/early70s. If we don't, two--or, God forbid--six years from now, when Mr. Trump will have (finally!!) exited the political stage, we will be looking around and wonder what happened while we were sleeping, i.e., while the press and the rest of us were so fixated on Mr. Trumps tweets.
2
So one reporter lost his press pass. And by the lights of this retired (and privately liberal) reporter, he is a bit of a showboat. But the hullabaloo that went on and on in hour after hour of cable talk is way beyond the sidelines role of the journalist. So stick to the work. Show up, show respect, don't get clever, just be direct and truthful and knowing and relentless. Most of the folks in the press room are doing that. The president will do what he does. It's not the press's job to change him. Only to get the truth out. Don't complain. Do the work. It will stand the test of time.
1
Journalists should be consulting journalists who study the issue of not being played; they should not be consulting with politic strategists. My personal view is that there is a lot of real news in the US - including the real actions of agencies and agency heads - and in the world, that we don't need to cover the minute-to-minute rants of someone who's an expert on media manipulation. And deciding what goes on p. 1 or what is a short note on p. 22 is worth considering.
I have always believed a journalist's job is to tell or report a story. A journalist is also a real-time historian. A journalist is supposed to keep the facts straight. And based on those facts, make an informed analysis or opinion.
And by doing so, a journalist helps keep those in power accountable by keeping the public informed.
Ideally, a journalist is supposed to tell the story, not be the story. The challenge today, I think, is to keep from crossing that line.
@Filemon Elefante
If they banned the Pulitzer Prize it would do wonders to keep them honest.
1
@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus, that’s funny. Introducing someone on MSNBC as a Pulitzer Prize winner seems as if it’s code for telling them to go ahead and say whatever pops into their head and we’ll take it as gospel so long as it’s negative about Trump.
Boycott the press conferences? Walking away from a man who so loves attention is an excellent choice.
Here's a quote from the 1500's, from a book entitled,
THE POLITICS OF
OBEDIENCE:
THE DISCOURSE OF
VOLUNTARY SERVITUDE
By Etienne de La Boetie
"Obviously there is no need of fighting to
overcome this single tyrant, for he is automatically defeated if
the country refuses consent to its own enslavement: it is not
necessary to deprive him of anything, but simply to give him
nothing; there is no need that the country make an effort to do
anything for itself provided it does nothing against itself. It is
therefore the inhabitants themselves who permit, or, rather, bring
about, their own subjection, since by ceasing to submit they
would put an end to their servitude."
2
The author suggestions that the only two solutions are to ignore the presidents attacks on the press (or give them subdued coverage) or to engage with the president on them and stage a boycott. I would posit that there is another option.
The media should start covering the office without covering the personality. Write about what the administration is doing but don't get drawn into the antics or the quote at length the president by name. Describe the decisions and the actions but don't give him the satisfaction of personal acknowledgement. The administration said, the administration did should be enough to starve the narcissism of oxygen.
4
Objective reporting? Now there's an old-fashioned idea that just might work.
1
Silencing an outrageously lying president/party is never a solution, in a democracy.
It would never have come this far, however, IF the media would have done their job in the first place. Trump and the GOP are merely exploiting a massive failure of the US media system, which existed long before he became a candidate already.
In a democracy, the media have to report on what a president says and does, and to debunk lies. THAT most media are doing quite well today, except for Fox News.
But much more than that is needed in order to obtain well-informed citizens, and that's where things are systematically going wrong.
The way the media tend to report on politics is by focusing on controversies on the one hand, and by seeing everything through the lens of the career of this or that politician or the potential effect on the next elections for this or that political party. And THAT is how they actively turn DC into a circus where what really matters gets relegated to page ten and remains mostly unknown.
What really matters is lawmaking, and the effect of laws on the American people. Without clear understanding of how laws are made, of how compromises are made, of why compromising is crucial, and of who is doing what in order to get a bill written and then signed into law, people are watching a reality tv contest between celebrities, and completely ignore that legislative change is step by step change, obtained only when they engage. And THAT's when lies control the media/country
How sad to watch the pending demise of both free speech and freedom of the press guaranteed to all in the Constitution. The viewing of a respected reporter being "Acosta-ed" by an emotionally challenged and ego-maniacal president, made me shudder at the prospects of the continuation of democracy. Where is this going to stop? The HOW and WHEN don't even seem possible through our election system which is also being assaulted by childish playground behaviour on the part of losers.
1
skip the trump. alltogether. the times covered him up to his eyeballs even before the election.
thank you!
3
Well, if the press had boycotted Trump when they should have, he wouldn't be sitting in the oval office!
7
Yes, boycott Trump. Why give air time to someone who only spews lies – why keep rewarding this abhorrent behavior?
3
@andrew yavelow, rather than boycott, the media should send only their African-American women journalists to cover the White House, especially any news conferences where Trump appears.
1
Are you kidding? Ha ha
The press is absolutely addicted to Trump, they couldn't stop if they tried.....
1
Its no longer America first, its trump first.
2
Go on, boycott the president of the United States. Reporting on the government is a citizens right, or duty, if you see it that way. Just like all rights, they are not mandates that you exercise them in a certain way. Let the major American "news" corporations boycott the president. Other less centrally controlled journalists will take over the role of accurately informing the American public of the news.
I have a better question, who exactly is telling these mass media corporations, reporters how to report the "news"? The main stream media all say the same thing at the same time. They even have the same opinion within hours from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles, in unison, and what's so betraying to their professed objectivity and devotion to reporting the facts is that they all tell the same lies on matters that are easily disproven. But they are acting on orders from on high. Who is this Rev. Jim Jones that is leading the masses of once professional journalists to commit professional suicide?
Two recent examples.
John Brennan violated the terms of his security clearance. It's in the regulations. Look it up. EO 12968.
Jim Acosta did shove that intern's arm. Watch the video. Focus your gaze on her shoulder, her hair along her back, (inertia) how she is forced forward. Watch his jacket lapel, and the point where his collar meets his neck in back at the hair line. Stare at it and loop the video as needed.
The media (NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, BBC, et al) have to get together as a group and decide how to handle this. Today it was Costa's of CNN that was revoked, tomorrow it could be someone else's.
1
Should the Press Boycott Trump?
YES
3
yes! stop covering trump! Cover actions and results!
4
No self respecting news organization should cover the laughable white house press "briefings".
5
By all means press...follow this republican strategist's advice and take the high road...treating the president with the respect he doesn't deserve.
His base will still hate you for it.
How about you don't cover his press conferences, but limit your reporting to his ACTIONS and restatements of his comments. No face time for that ugly bloated orange.
He loses his foil. This guy feeds on rage and conflict. Best to give him no outlet. Leave him howling at the moon and his base. Complaining there is no coverage of his 'great works'. Even better, send only print reporters to his rallies.
Dry words alone for a weak minded fool.
1
Just don’t cover the President on TV. Trump would have a holy freak out. Attention is his drug.
2
I find this article to be a bit insulting to the intelligence. CNN, the NYT, Washington Post, MSNBC, etc., have all benefitted financially from Trump’s presidency and no needs the clicks more than CNN, hence Acosta, who you seem to think is a reporter. I think he’s an actor, and a particularly dramatic one at that. The press is not going to change its ways anymore than Trump, and will not, of course, take the good advice emanating from South Dakota. Why pretend? Because it pays so well. Whether it serves the reader or viewer seems to be beside the point.
24
@Kim Young Reading this contribution makes me sick. I have to go out, although it is raining outside, but I need the fresh air to forget human idiocy.
10
@Kim Young: You think Acosta is an actor? Who was the bloviating and arrogant actor on his own "reality" show for 14 seasons? Who ran as a celebrity actor with no political experience? Don't you think that celebrity actors should stick to New York and Hollywood instead of politics?
20
@Kim Young
He's not an actor. He's an activist posing as a reporter.
4
I feel ALL White House Correspondents should ban together and become a unified group as mentioned in other comments. Once unified, I think the group should agree on what questions are most important to ask at each press conference, briefing, event, etc. However, I think ALL questions should be asked by (as long as they're willing) April Ryan, Yamiche Alcindor & Abby Phillips, the three black women the President has disparaged. Having all questions asked only by black women would be outstanding, and I for one would be interested to see how the White House would handle that!
1
We all know there will be plenty of great movies about Trump's presidency a few years up the road. I think the influential media should start thinking about how they want to see themselves being depicted by the future looking back. Jim Acosta might have been self-serving, stubborn and in general annoying, but that scene could have played out very differently if "responsible" media had a common strategy. A "rule book" how to act when Trump attacks one of them, how to act when Trump tells a lie and how to act when Trump clearly avoid to answer a question. One simple start would be "question of the day," or "the selected lie we won't let him get away with". A question that all will ask until Trump answers. Same strategy would work for Sarah Huckabe Sanders. It is so frustrating to see them succeed, time after time, to get away with being playing the indignation card and then direct the blame on someone else.
Hold them accountable. Do not fall for all the misdirection tricks over and over. There is a truth.
When a child acts out, often the best response is to ignore the bad behavior rather than giving it any attention. There are other ways to cover stories without relying on the falsehoods coming from Trump and Sanders.
You can still cover the stories; there just might be a little more work involved. Perhaps people will start to pay more attention to the actual issues when there's no bickering to distract them.
When the president demands respect for the office of president, then the press & the country should demand respect from him for the citizens. Pediatricians are now claiming time outs & ignoring the misbehaving child work better than spanking. Well the press & media should give trump time outs & ignore him for a while. If he cannot show respect to Everyone then he does not deserve to be given the reward of face time. He got put in his place in France when there were no interviews & the press covered the other world leaders coming together in the rain to honor the thousands of dead from their countries in the world wars. The press did not go looking for him. They just did what they were sent to do...cover the honoring of the end of WWI & the remembrance of the honored dead. Isolate this hateful angry child & do not reward him with press coverage until he can show respect & humility & leadership qualities that don't make a mockery of the United States of America.
2
We are all heartily sick of the tweets.
Every print media org. should have a White House Twitter File. No headlines touting the latest concoction of ignorance/ racism/ hate. No file photo of the president. People who really want to read today's poppycock can access the file as often as they like.
When a tweet has been verified as policy by admin staff- then it merits top story billing.
It is useless for reputable news organizations to cover Trump’s or Sanders’ press conferences. They lie, evade, or hustle to the next questioner. It serves no public good.
A public official is to serve the public and they need to be accountable. This means answering hard questions. If Trump or Sanders cannot handle the heat, they should quit.
A greater problem for the media is routinely passing along and repeating what are known at the time with certainty to be flat out Trump lies. Passing along lies and fact checking later just doesn’t work. “Notice of omitted lie” or “notice of lie in italics” or some such vehicle would deal with the worst of the worst right at the time.
2
NO! boycott the trashing...there's plenty wrong with the realities that might be better plumbed if NYT has anyone on duty who can remember past the '16 giveaway...there's lots of failure in our history (to make good on the promises of promoting the "general Welfare" or the pledge of "justice for all") not to mention the definition and responsibilities of citizenship itself to keep the editorial desk and the op-eds busy, constructively...and maybe help in the development of the "informed electorate" that jefferson said was necessary to preserve the republic.
guarantee: an informed electorate would not have elected trump or allowed wall street agent h(r)c to hijack the democratic nomination...nor, likely, would it tolerate the continued talent-choking oxygen deficit at the top caused by pelosi and schumer.
It seems foolish to go to the briefings. You cover countries everywhere without doing it. Insist that radical, feminist, gay, trans, anarchist, socialist etc press be included at any press conferences or you won't go back.
When the White House releases press releases ask questions and print computer generated responses. Identify them as such and go on to other things.
1
I could not be more disjointed in the press corps. They should stand up and walk out of the very next SHS presser. Leave just Fox/Pravda as an audience.
The next time The Donald saunters past from Marine 1 to the WHITE House, they should all turn their backs and walk away.
You starve the reality show star of attention and he will die.
Don't give him the free pub that he desires - starve the beast.
1
Almost to a post, the general sentiment is to limit coverage of this infantile mob boss.
And this very sentiment has been a consistent comment for the past three years - end coverage of his every non-policy changing move.
No one cares about trump moping at the commemoration - but every MSM had the photo and the coverage.
Dear MSM, if you ask your customer what they want and they tell you - why does nothing change?
1
While I can’t claim to have the insights of any political strategists, I do know that part of the pogroms involved the harassment, and eventual murder of journalists, until all dissent was silenced.
I think the more relevant question at this point might be, “what is money worth to you?”
Trump is not very good at many things but one thing he is good at is manipulating press. When he was running for office CNN would routinely play a two hour rally he was holding from beginning to end - they thought it was funny. Then they would say, "oh and Hillary said something too." You guys are giving him too much oxygen. Cutter is 100% correct. Go to the press briefings, ask questions, get lies, report them as lies and move on. Turn OFF the cameras. At times I feel like - why go to a press briefing and let Sanders give you her spin on things? It's all garbage. Take control of the narrative. Acosta was wrong to fight with him - you cannot win that battle, no matter how frustrating. Try to realize that he uses you to speak to his base. Let Fox do that. When he says something, give it very little air. STOP making the story about him and make it about the issue he talked about. Then, in the story, mention that he said something nonsensical and drop it at that. Instead of the story being about the fight between Acosta and Trump it should have been about immigration. Then in the story "Trump has called it an invasion, but of course that's idiotic, it's not" and move on. Remember, he is a showman. What's the old show biz line, "I don't care what you say about me so long as you spell my name correctly."
My only problem with the press is that many of them cover the some stories and only a few go deeper to inform the public. How many articles about Trump's lies & Sara H's lies do we have to read each day? Give us more insights!
1
Even the press corps is divided. The WH passes out credentials to any loyal supporters with a PO Box and a pulse. So the incendiary trivia gets covered, but those who already suffer from living in an information desert will only be fed more hyperpartisan swill or worse.
The press corps say not to the toxic catnip Trump dangles. But there is no collective sense of collective interest--back to the division--a situation in which journalism, and by extension, democracy, are the big losers. Not a new development, but definitely on steroids in the age of social media.
But Trump obviously learned nothing from his incitement of violence to his shock troops last week. This week he's claiming 'massive electoral fraud' where no evidence exists of such. And when he spouts dangerous nonsense, it is like yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater--there is no justification, when maybe it should rise to the level of a criminal act--irresponsible speech likely to incite violence. Why not create criteria to decide if a tweet is newsworthy or not? Because so many are deceptive in the extreme, designed simply to deflect, attack, distract . . . why give the POTUS a platform to lie?
Alas, Acosta occasionally hams it up and behaves like a dork. That doesn't stop Trump! It's sad to see Acosta's colleagues watch him take a public flogging, meekly waiting for their moment.
Press Conferences should not be controlled by the WH. That's why they're toxic and so rare with Trump and Sanders.
This is what happens when the news media repeatedly and willfully fails to call a lie a lie coming out of this administration. Same during the 2016 election campaign.
The for profit news media might get much better ratings if they concentrated on what is happening in all the cabinet departments. Want public outrage? Cover government actions, not rhetoric.
Not nearly enough coverage has been given to the dismantling of the V.A. for the sole purpose of funneling millions of taxpayer $$$ into the hands of 'health business' corporations rather than getting medical care to active duty service members and veterans.
Suzanne Gordon's report yesterday was wonderful; NYT should keep this coverage going. Did you know that all veterans under Tri-care lost their dental coverage as of 12-31-18? Where's that story?
1
BE WARE- That press conference were my president berated several news reporters ...... That was nothing. That was the president displaying good behavior. Personally, I thought he was off the rails, though it's hard to notice because daily similar antics by him have caused many of us to dismiss his actions as just another day of blustering. But that said, you ain't seen nothing yet. He's chomping at the bit to really let everyone have it. And I mean Everyone. He'll start with his usual targets and work his way through everyone one in this country, right on through his supporters, leaving Eric, Pence, Melania, Jr, and Ivanka for his final assaults. "Last Man Standing" He wins!
1
The press did their share of promoting his candidacy and they should change their policies. I would suggest not running campaign commercials during news hours. Refusing to air blatant lies without a warning message. Covering Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders with the same air time they give Mr. Trump.
2
They could all make a pact to not cover ANY of DJTs tweets. This president has made Twitter his by-pass of the traditional, professional news media. Let him see how that works. How many Twitter followers does he actually have? Piddle, compared to millions who tune into CNN and other mainstream broadcasts for their daily dose of national news. After a month of not getting his tweets reported to a mass audience, two things would happen: First, he would start having more regular, in-house press conferences, and second, he would start treating those journalists with more respect and answer their questions. But most beneficial of all, a blackout of tweet coverage would lower the temperature of public discourse because his tweeting is where he sets fires with his uncivil and dishonest rhetoric. The professional news media are under no obligation to report what a president says that is not addressed to all the citizens of the country but to only the few who have Twitter accounts. When he bypasses the mainstream media, he is bypassing the people he is supposed to represent. Stop letting him.
2
Finally the press needs to realize that Trump plays them like a fiddle. In the immortal words of Ronald Reagan: Starve the beast. A megalomaniac feeds on media coverage, when it's all about him. Cover state of the union, major policies, and the obvious provable lies, but not his carnival side show.
7
Acosta definitely is a polarizing figure, but it seems to me that the two worst aspects of this whole unseemly mess aren't getting as much attention as they deserve. One of them is Trump's horrific and dehumanizing rudeness to three African American women who are quite legitimate journalists; does anyone seriously believe that his contempt for women and for people of color wasn't being deliberately showcased here? Is this acceptable behavior now?
The other aspect that most concerns me is the faked video that purported to show a physical assault by Mr. Acosta. Are we going to decide that it's OK for the White House to resort to fakery like this?
And what would we miss if the press corps boycotted at least one session with Trump, and at least one with Sanders, who released that fake video ? It's not as if they actually answer questions. And the press doesn't have to give them more opportunities for staged assaults on the truth and bizarre performances to delight their "base." Failure to register outrage at these insults would serve no useful purpose, and would even signal that the press has given up on even trying to do the job the American people need for them to do, now more than ever.
3
While no purpose is served by "the press" walking out, I'm not sure there is much purpose served by the press staying.
A litany of prevarications and out-right lies litter most press conferences and "gaggles".
Perhaps, a la The Mueller Investigation, the press should submit questions in advance and get their answers that way.
Of course there would be no follow-up nor "gotcha" questions but those rarely receive straight answers anyhow.
1
The White House press briefings are empty of substance now. The media editors should send their reporters to investigate the Trump Administration scandals and make that the focus of their stories. Leave the President to Fox Cable and some third level people who attend any Presidential press conferences to monitor.
The media free access in 2016 is what made his campaign. Leave him off the air or simply describe what he did with only a picture and he will discover it is better to have the media in the White House rather than in the Agencies doing real investigative reporting. Sunshine is lethal to this political vampire.
5
I believe there are too many seats filled in those briefings. Why so much press investment for a venue that is most likely to produce falsehoods, but break no news? So cut back on attendance, but some presence is needed. Do it little by little. Then, reassign these reporters to do some investigative reporting on what’s going on outside the walled garden.
6
Shooting pheasants. Toad for the WH. Boycott the briefing. As a reader it gives me no info at all.
2
I think that the entire press corps should send black women to his next press conference.
10
In wheelchairs!
1
Considering that the majority of the things he says are "to put it mildly" falsehoods, perhaps we simply need to stop doing Trump a huge favor and the country an immense disservice and have some standards. The reality is, they are not simply false statements, they are statements known to be lies that have INTENT. So broadcasting them serves a malicious purpose.
This is my question - do we actually gain anything by this that could possibly be offsetting the harm? The calculus seems pretty basic. Plus side, probably barely more than zero. Negative of spreading lies, incalculably harmful and surely enormous.
Why is it so hard to realize you need to stop?!
Yes. Airtime is fuel for their fire. And Trump is such a narcissist he will not know what to do without all the uproar and attention.
2
The White House Press Corps could try not asking questions, except to clarify statements. Then write up the briefing with corroboration of those statements or proof of their inaccuracy, like any news story.
2
There’s coverage and then, ‘Petey Repeat’ reporting, which seems to be too common with most news these days...although the other extreme of inventing stuff to fit a preconceived idea is all too common as well...we shouldn’t be ruled by meme (what ever happening to flip-flopping?) I like the idea of real journalistic standards...find and tell the truth.so whom ever the ‘White House’ puts up there should be subject to context, fact-checking and this should be clearly marketed as something different than chasing eyeballs on social media. So no I don’t think there needs to be more than three people at the daily briefing...really just a tape recorder. And journalism should live on the street, with real news, and facts that are verified. We now know that the N. Koreans have bamboozled the administration — this is one of the best stories where you’all reported things at face value that were demonstrably go wrong, from the get go. Petey Repeat isn’t Reporting!
2
Absolutely stop hyperventilating over every outrageous Trump action or misdeed. He wants attention just as a small child does. Ignore him. Let him tweet his little heart out and anything else he wants the public to know. We need to move on with or without him.
2
To characterize even remotely that our President somehow dupes a hysterical, narcissistic press into being part of the problem is reminiscent of Flip Wilson’s famous “devil made me do it “ gags. I can see Flip rolling his eyes now, and very likely over in his grave.
The fractional toehold the Democrat Party now maintains throughout American governments has strangely enough emboldened the press to behave even more shrilly than before November 6: objectivity has all but vanished and attack is the new MO.
Nothing new about “attack.” Trump has been using it for three years
1
It's obvious that the White House press briefings by Ms. Sanders serve no purpose, nor do President Trump's infrequent, belligerent press conferences. But what's the press to do? Ignore it when the President of the United States makes racist comments? Ignore his intimidation of the Justice Department and free press? It's easy to say that the media should only stick to policy pronouncements, but like everything with this White House, it's not that simple.
And here's the other not-so-secret secret: President Trump is great business for media outlets. How many more subscribers did the NY Times get after 2016? How many more views did CNN get because of the Acosta's story? And, of course, President Trump profits because he can blame the "fake media," which in turn fires up his base.
The whole situation is sick and twisted.
2
What journalistic value do lies have? Isn't someone who passes on damaged goods also culpable?
What would this country look like if there press focused more on investigative journalism and less on being a propaganda mouthpiece (filtered or unfiltered, hapless or not).
3
Don't ignore him. Just give him 2nd or 3rd rated coverage behind other Dem leaders. He will come begging to you for coverage.
Since most, if not all that is said at these briefings are lies, it would be reasonable for all true journalists to stop attending (no boycotting) because they cannot fulfill their duty to properly inform the public. If these ridiculous encounters don’t offer facts, simply tell your audience that you need to go elsewhere. Nothing personal. Just doing our job, Mr. President. Have a nice day.
1
I've been saying this for a year. I don't want to hear anything he has to say as it always turns out to be a lie. I trust the media 1000% more than anything he has to say. If he wants to blame the media, and ban the media, then just stop covering him altogether. If someone else, responsible/respectable in the White House (if there is such a person/department) wants to make an official statement, let them do it instead.
2
@JR
I totally agree with you. I don't believe a word you-know-who says. (I can't even say his or type his name) He lies, he's ignorant and he's bullying the press. Totally unacceptable behavior for a U.S. president and his While House.
I have curtailed my TV news watching because there is too much coverage of his abhorrent behavior and speech. I'd like to see more news coverage about good behavior, good deeds and more positive news about the rest of us, it's got to be out there.
I listen to more music which makes me feel better than watching and hearing about you-know-who.
To the New York Times -
So many times over the past 3-4 years we've bemoaned your large front page coverage. Most of the news, often just political attention-getting, and its analysis would do fine as a few lines on an inner page, if at all.
Time to dial back.
1
He needs to be ignored. He is a showboat and in the quest of ratings the press gives him a forum and his crazy supporters. We need to hear less.
3
Trump-centric reporting acts as censorship of other reports since there is limited space for reporting the news of the day. I would suggest publishing a short digest, once a week with links to analysis. The Right loves to print the Democrats' reactions to Trump in the Washington Post, CNN, and the NYT and it creates the image in the minds of the Right that Democrats are as thin skinned and a bunch of screaming ninnies. End Trump-centric policies. Cover real stories. As long as Trump-centric reporting is going on, the news will be as fake as Trump makes it.
1
If the media wants "what's his name" to win, please continue to provide all the free publicity he wants; OTOH, if the media has any sense left, they will totally ignore "what's his name"!!! Starting NOW.
I realize it will reduce the revenue from advertising over the short term but, in the larger picture, it will be worth it. If the media cannot find anything else worth covering, then the media needs to get back to work... The last two-three years have been a "what's his name" gravy train for most the media that still exists.
2
The press is under assault for doing their constitutionally protected job. Trump's behavior is wildly inappropriate. That you all are essentially doing nothing is outrageous. The press must join together. Forget that you are reporters from X or Y news outlet and become a single voice of a free press to combat this terrible threat open and factual reporting of the news. If a question is dismissed or a reporter is disparaged, the next reporter should insist the question be answered. Either repeat the question or pass the turn back to the reporter who was dismissed. Do this consistently. Every time. Until the question is answered. But this requires that you unify. This requires that you have each other's backs. You abandoned your colleagues Jim Acosta, Abby Phillip, April Ryan and Yamiche Alcindor. Shame on you. How inspiring it would be if every news agency, dispite editorial stance, could rise in defense of a free press. Because with out that we are not a democracy, we are not a free society. Your job is monumentally important to maintaining the very essence of who we are as a democracy. It's time to put aside the belief that you have the perfect question. It is time stand up to Trump and his petty name calling. It is time to do your job: being the eyes and the ears for the American people. Without you we can not do our job as an educated citizenry.
155
@Jo Trafford
This was a NYT pick!
What should they do when people like Acosta just use the TV time to grandstand and not actually report any news?
@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus
Acosta asked Trump whether he thought that his way of talking incited White Nationalists to use more violence.
That is a question that all sociologists and reporters have always asked. And if you know the history of the 20th century, you know it's a VERY important question to ask.
No president of a free country should ever be so afraid of answering this kind of questions that instead he denies journalists who do access to the White House.
Journalists do NOT only report facts objectively. They also have to make choices, provide context, and most of all, ask politicians critical questions. All these things are part of a basic course in journalism.
As to NYT picks: they don't reflect the opinion of the editorial board, remember? They are selected because they formulate an opinion in a particularly clear way and/or have an opinion that is original/unique and/or have an opinion that many other comments adhere to too.
8
@Ana Luisa Almost exactly my idea in an earlier post! It would require putting truth, democracy, freedom of the press before egos and money concerns.
2
I tuned out Trump a long time ago. Since all he offers is, to put it politely, fertilizer - what Trump says isn't worth the price of a cup of coffee.
One can still fully absorb what's going on - and I feel the media still can do an excellent job at reporting the actual news - even if Trump's voice is completely absent. Given that Trump simply lies so much ("I don't even know Whitaker." for example) – he is indeed, a" president on the periphery" for the majority of us.
To put it another way - if the news media simply said "the White House" or "the administration" – that would be fine with me. If I never saw the five letters t-r-u-m-p again - I'd be a lot happier and just as informed.
2
Consumers should boycott newscasts of Trump by changing channels, etc. Advertisers will notice.
4
Stop giving him what he wants and start giving the voters what they want -- actual policy statements and actions.
10
The First Amendment of the constitution mentions the protection of the freedom of the press from laws enacted to inhibit this freedom. It will, if necessary, prevent the Government from embarking in a systematically obstruction the Press. If evidence exists that the Executive branch has embarked on a premeditated effort to do so, the laws will come down swiftly, and harshly, on those intent in preventing the Press from doing their job.
Having said that, Members of the Press have the responsibility to hold government accountable. They also have the privilege and responsibility to report the news, without any taint of bias or personal preferences, to the citizens whose loyalty they want to maintain.
It is every reporter’s responsibility to maintain a professional attitude in relation to the privilege and responsibility afforded to them. They should endure the slings and arrows that come their way as they report the events they encounter. As professional members of the “institution” of the Press, they need to maintain a firm, educated, and respectful relationship with the subjects whose actions they’re there to report.
In this-day-and-age, perhaps due to the technological, real-time nature of technology, members of the Press have become somewhat solipsistic, they have developed a tendency to insert themselves into the events they report, as if they were an integral part of the stories they cover, live!
It is perhaps time for the Press to sit back, reassess, and redeploy.
4
@OAJ
Any concrete example of "inserting themselves into the events they report" ... ?
@OAJ
There is no 1st amendment right to have daily press briefings on the grounds of the White House. Such entertainments are done as a courtesy of the White House, at government expense.
Anybody else remember I.F. ‘Izzy’ Stone? Access can be overrated.
2
Exactly. I've wondered for a long time now why the Press continues to play in his show. Why they allow themselves to be caged, literally, while his notoriety - a good thing to his fans - increases because of it. The Press are repeatedly exploited and belittled; he is not credible; there is little consistency between what he says publicly and what he does privately, and all the while many celebrate his contentious behavior. Why do we try to analyze his every word when we know they are whimsical and without reflection? The Press needs to demonstrate self respect and professionalism while reporting what is actually newsworthy. A tricky balance these days. And, we, the audience, have become voyeurs, flinching and outraged daily, but continually participating. We are part of it.
10
What if they go to the briefing but don't ask any questions. Silent audience there to watch the money dance.
7
@Some Dude
Trump wanted to stop the daily press briefings and just distribute the information the press secretary is told to say. Watch a press conference, even old ones from other administrations. All of the press secretaries just read from what they are given and nothing more. They don't know what's really going on. They repeat what they are told to say.
1
The major news organizations, other than Fox, should absolutely avoid covering his tweets and the rest of the worlds reactions to his tweets. Period.
If the president wants to announce that he's sending troops to a border or firing a cabinet member, let him do it through an official briefing or White House communication.
@realDonaldTrump is Trump's way of "speaking directly to the people" and getting around any mediation of his message by the press. Fine. Let him do that. There is no reason for the press to then amplify the reach of that message. This is just doing his work for him.
Oh, and another thing. Do not broadcast the press conferences live. Make a gentle-persons agreement about the length of the delay. This will allow time for fact-checkers to scrutinize what he or Sarah say. And then *immediately* after the briefing, the news channel can remark on the veracity of the statements.
11
A presidential tweet is part of the official record, so I don't see how in a democracy the media could/should ignore them.
People who want the media to turn away from the president are understandably fed up with his lies, but in a democracy you cannot just wish a president/party to go away, citizens have to KNOW what they're doing/saying, so that they can act when they disagree, and then vote in a well-informed way.
"Well-informed" does mean, however, that the media clearly explain who's doing what in DC, on a daily basis, and what that means for ordinary citizens, rather than focusing on the most controversial and spectacular statements alone. And THAT is something that they haven't been doing for decades.
As always, the problem here isn't Trump himself, but a failure in the way this country tends to do things - in this case, the way the media handle politics.
All too often, they filter actions/statements by politicians in a VERY specific way, focusing mainly on what consequences such it will have on the career of that politician and his and his party's chances to win elections.
That turns politics into an extremely cynical game, where most of the time people don't see anymore what is really at stake.
We URGENTLY need media that focus on both parties equally and celebrate each step forward rather than waiting for big change to happen overnight and in the meanwhile imagining that their job is to discuss politicians' careers rather than concrete policy making!
2
@NA Expat- Yikes. I can't believe you only got one 'like' so far. I'll be the second.
No kidding. The only way I hear about this guy's tweets is through the different news sources. It's pathetic. During the campaign, I heard one person say (a panelist on WAMC) that the only people following this guy's tweets were the news media people (not absolutely, but mostly).
So I absolutely agree with you, however the media can not stop themselves. And I believe it is lazy behavior on their part, although I believe that they are hard working people trying to be good at their jobs. They acting like the tweets are a treasure box of gold, when really these tweets are a trap to fall into.
Sadly, with best intentions considered secondary in reporting the news, I feel decisions are being made that are governed by ratings and readership and therefore money.
2
@Ana Luisa
As far as I know, there is no law, administrative policy of an agency of the U.S. government, or a legal precedent that says that tweets from @realDonaldTrump are "official".
Sure. Let the Library of Congress archive them. They archive all kinds of things which are not official government business.
If Trump wants to tweet things from the @POTUS account, fine. But that has different semantics. I view his tweets from @realDonaldTrump as the tweets of a candidate. And he uses it as such. He wants his name attached to the tweets, not his office. He wants the tweet attached to his personal brand.
Because of this, I truly doubt that he would ever move all of his tweets to @POTUS even if the press stopped covering @realDonaldTrump. Force him to decide: use my name but not have it covered, or use the moniker of the office of the president and have it covered. Let's make him work harder.
1
A reporter asking Trump If he thought Robert Mueller was out to get him did seem like kind of a stupid question when the answer is obvious and that is what he’s paid to do, perhaps Trump did slightly overreact because he’s always on camera, but isn’t that what professional entertainers are trained to do? It’s only a show with an audience present, otherwise it’s just some crazy person talking to themselves. But it’s hard to know anymore who exactly which one that is is.
1
I have begun to attend Trump Followers Anonymous meetings due to my sick addiction to the daily bloviating of this monster. I owe this addiction to the media--the pushers in my electronic neighborhood. Much like actual drug dealers, they have profited from my weakness and now I am in their thrall. I hope to end this addiction--one day at a time. But I would like to point out the most successful tactic my overlords use: Breaking news, says CNN. The Wolf is at my door and I am powerless. I hope I can find some other things to replace my addiction.
4
I have been pulling my hair out wondering why the media have given the Campaigner-in-Chief such free advertising for years now. I can't watch cable entertainment "news" anymore. It's just Trump Press, Inc. 24/7.
Trump has manipulated the news cycle masterfully. As long as the media takes his constant bait, so much bad policy making goes unnoticed. Social Program cuts, EPA, climate change, wage stagnation, companies making record profits while the line worker gets hammered by rising costs? These are all news worthy subjects that get voters to the polls.
Enough about Stormy Daniels, et al. Give us facts and stop covering every single rally or tweet from Trump. No one cares except Trump...he can't get enough of himself!
6
Obama was not covered ad nauseum. In fact, there were days where there was no news coverage of the previous president.
Trump's rallies are not newsworthy. His attacks on the press are demeaning, bullying, insulting, and downright dangerous. They are not newsworthy and should be shut down the minute he goes into attack dog mode.
His tweets like-wise. Please cover his policies and actions and give up reporting every temper tantrum, all the lies, and the sickening and snide remarks.
The world will be a better place for all of us.
9
@Shelley B Its because he pushes the envelope daily. We need to know what outrageous things he is up to...today, for example, he says the florida recount should be shut down. That is beyond the pale, even for him...and we all need to know!
I would at least like to see the press skip Trump's rallies. It's absurd that they subject themselves to being penned into an enclosure, and then have Trump point at them at some point in his speech and call them the "enemy of the people, etc.", goading the crowd in to hurling insults and vitriol toward them.
This is all an act by Trump. He LOVES the press attention. The press operates on the principle that anything the President says/does is news. But Trump has changed the rules, and the press should do the same. Stay away when you're only a prop.
9
YES! Boycott him.
Respecting the presidency and respecting the president are tow entirely different things. How do you respect a president that shows utter disrespect to the office of the presidency as trump has?
Indeed, trump has shown his disrespect for our military heroes who died for their country yesterday. How is it that all other leaders made it to the memorial but the draft dodger didn't? Even previous commanders in chief have flown into Afghanistan and Iraq in the middle of the conflict. Is trump's security and life more important than all of the other leaders? Hopefully our military will also boycott him and turn their backs on him rather than salute.
The press can cover the facts at the White House without giving trump, Sara and Kellyanne a platform to insult the intelligence of the population while spewing hateful misinformation.
3
What advice can I, as a retired therapist, provide here?
Number 1 is that a sociopath, unless you are one yourself, can always beat your game. For severe character disorders I would always tell them they would have to learn to play on my turf because I didn’t play hardball; I play softball. So I’d leave it in their court. Some did the hard work. Some left. I made it clear that it was their life that would be affected but whatever the outcome, not mine.
Number 2 is that I was always prepared to forego an income rather than be bamboozled. So, I sometimes told people: I cannot provide what you need.
There is no one way to cope with a sociopathic, passive aggressive severely character disorder person like Trump. So the press should save itself. Reporters have a right to save themselves. No one should be penalized from asserting strong values or trying a variety of methods for coping with the impossible sociopath they are trying to cover. Don’t burn through your talent!!! Don’t kowtow either. Better to forgo access, if that’s what it means, than to betray your principles.
There is no one way.
Best wishes!!!
6
Some think it foolish to suggest The Media stop attending or seeking White House briefings. But these briefings are not a check on Trump's governance or any other president's. Little of value, at least as it relates to the Fourth Estate's check on government, is to be found in White House press briefings. Outside of the "We Got Bin Laden" moments, there's seldom anything terribly revealing. The art of growing mushrooms commercially applies to these White House sideshows: Keep them (mushrooms and reporters) in the dark and feed them manure. The real stories that check governmental abuse are written or aired by reporters working sources other than Trump flaks whose job is to stand behind a podium and lie. The Media goes on and on with these follies (reference to the Five O'clock Follies of Vietnam war coverage), yet they do little but feed the 24-hour news cycle, a Beast which has been the bane of journalism since its inception. The endless chatter dilutes the power of any meaningful news story. This endless and breathless corruption of journalism seeks to drive ratings and profit more than serve as a check on government. And while The Media continues to indulge The Donald in White House press conferences, they lend him a bullhorn, free of charge, to spew his propaganda. I'm guessing Woodward and Bernstein never set foot in the White House press briefing room.
3
By respect, Trump means bending the knee before "his eminence." Kudos to CNN, for refusing to play the president's game.
5
The only way a bully understands you mean business is to stand up to him.
So here are couple of things the press can do - (1) start boycotting press briefings. The way to do it is to all be present at the start and as soon as Sarah Huckabee or Trump starts talking everybody (except Fox News, of course) walk out. Silently.
(2). Don’t cover the WH. Cover the issues but not personalities especially don’t mention The Name.
3) Cover others in the country and in the world - Obama, Hillary, the Congress, world leaders’ achievements (other than Trump). Basically shame him.
This “stand down” nonsense will not work. Turning the other cheek will not work. Bullies need to be beaten up. People have to gang up and say, “Enough is Enough”.
7
These daily Headings would sum it up for me:
Trump Poppycock - Lies & date of lies
Trump Revolving Door: Original people | Replacement people
Trump legislation & Executive orders signed (with links to those overturned.
Spend time covering meaningful legislation by congress.
1
In my quest to stop spreading false news, I employ a simple strategy. When I hear rumor of something outrageous, I run a search to see which news sources are covering it. I agree wholeheartedly that the press should stop covering tweets.
But what if this idea went further? What if the Times and other responsible sources simply stopped reporting on statements from the White House that are demonstrably false? In other words, what if the Times employed the same journalistic standards that it uses for other stories (multiple sources, confirmation, etc) in its coverage of what the president says? This might have two positive outcomes: 1) denying the president the spotlight he clearly craves when he says outrageous things, and 2) placing the news sources that continue to spread his lies in the company of those who spread falsehoods rather than in the company of respectable journalists.
I understand that the fact that what the president says is its own news, but I am also reminded of what our pediatrician told me ages ago: "Your attention is currency." Seems to me it is time for our entire country to begin spending that currency more wisely.
3
Shifting the focus of White House reporting from DJT to the Presidency is long overdue. The entire CNN staff assigned to the WH constitute a small fraction of WH assigned reporters and media staff. Any reduction in WH reporting from Mr. Acosta's absence will be noticed by his fans but is inconsequential to the total content and quality of WH reporting. A WH press corps boycott, walkout and the like would surely result in a significant loss in content and bringing to light WH changes and initiatives in policy, and conduct of the Executive branch.
1
Since nothing tangentially factually correct emanates from his press conferences and he simply can’t get through a day without either revoking credentials, speculating on revoking credentials and/or demonizing the press...what’s the point of having them in the first place????
1
The first and most telling step will be for all the reporters to IGNORE the press conference led by Sara... do not attend any of her press releases by keeping the room empty, from here on.
All she does is parrot Trumps lies and half truths...why waste precious time by listening to her meaningless press releases...
4
Trump makes more noise than news. Eliminate the noise (the real fake news) and make room for intelligent discourse.
3
Trump is an unreliable, non-credible news source -- treat him like one.
3
US media, please ignore Trump. Write instead about victims and underdogs and puppies and transgenders. It will make it more difficult to maintain the false narratives, but I think we will do just fine. Trump can keep us informed via twitter.
Thanks!
3
The press should preface every question to DJT with:
"With all due respect Mr. President...."
and then let Trump have it.
CNN and all other news media:
Never ever back down. The American people want you fighting for transparency and TRUTH.
Thank you Jim Acosta, you took one for the team.
3
A boycott would be a waste of time and would only make Trump dig in more. And it can’t be sustained. The reality is that Acosta has no need to be physically inside the White House to provide solid coverage. All releases and transcripts are online. Daily briefings are televised and those that are backgrounders can be staffed by other CNN reporters. He can work the phones. He can use public documents to get information and official access requests to dig into other stuff. In fact, he may actually be a better journalist by doing stories not tied to WH handouts. My advice to CNN would be to staff up with some good investigative staff producers and dig away. Start breaking real stories instead of regurgitating stories from print. Start looking across the whole government for stories and tie them back to Trump. Have Acosta break them from a perch outside. “This is Jim Acosta, reporting from outside the White House fence.” Have other CNN staff request response to “the story Jim Acosta broke today about blah, blah.” Other press corps members could do the same. CNN should spend more money on reporting and wear the White House press office down with good, solid journalism. That’s the way to beat them at their game.
2
YES!
The American people should not be subjected to the propaganda, the lies, the spewing of nonsense, and the personal attacks and petty name calling that are Donald J. Trump.
Any network that edits out Trump will become the #1 news source in America.
2
Mr. Trump went beyond mere rhetoric by taking away Mr. Acosta’s White House press pass and threatening to do the same for anyone else who failed to show “respect.”
The press should not show "respect" for any liar, especially if the liar is the President of the United States.
2
The Press should STOP USING HIS NAME! Just use "the President" or "the White House". Trump is a narcissist who loves hearing about himself, and denigrating others.
1
there will come a day when we will hear on the evening news, "the president tweeted today, and in other news".
3
If the press boycotted those briefings then the only ones left would be the right wing and another echo chamber.
The less attention we give to Trump the better for us. He relishes in the limelight. He needs it because he can not sustain himself without being the center of "his" world. Infamy and fame are his go-to modus operandi. He has no soul or conscience to speak of so he can not discern the difference between good and evil. Indeed, the evil has become the good for him and his most rabid of followers...that includes the equally malicious McConnell et al in Congress.
Instead, the media should focus on the factual results of his untoward actions rather than hone in on his vitriol and hate-mongering rants. It serves no purpose. It seems as if many if not most of his supporters actually thrive on it, giving them more reason to embrace nativism and sadly bigotry. That is certainly counter-productive to a thriving and progressive 21st Century democracy.
3
I am amazed (but shouldn't be) that the press did not walk out back in the good old days of Sean Spicer.
The press has gone from watch dogs to enablers. Trump doesn't know how to be President, but he knows how to manipulate the media. The media has not figured out how to stop him, or even slow him down.
Donald Trump has exposed our media for what it is, and what it should be. Trump is nothing more than a weakling with a big mouth, and he has taken over everything. The media has been almost as much a disappointment in dealing with Trump as the Republican party.
106
@Gerry
I always thought, that in he time of Spicer, everyone was flabbergasted by his over the top, squirrelly irritability and by how easy it was to set him off.
Then amused by the SNL take on it.
That was eons ago. Now the press seems to be played by the same antics from the President.
3
@cheryl hido I blame Trump? Yes.
Do I fault the media " funders" who won't allow the Free press first amendment chroniclers to do it's thing - YES!
Newspapers - allow the chips to fall where they may!
3
During the last presidential cycle, CNN’s Jeff Zucker thought Trump made for good television. Now, the monster he helped create has turned on him. Zucker should have read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein first.
The best approach to neutralize Trump? Focus on his policies and ignore everything else.
1
Trump has what he wants now - a guaranteed spotlight. How can any news source ignore the President of the United States? A partial blackout would be welcome, say, by not reporting his tweets. So would be collective resistance by the press, of the kind suggested here.
I'd love to see these things happen, but what happens when Trump notices the loss of his "covfefe"? What bizarre thing will he do to get it back?
It's a balancing act. Be careful what you wish for.
The Press should not, must not, boycott Trump. It is the responsibility of the Press to get articulate questions answered. By retreating in this, the void will be filled by other organizations that will spread false information.
The Press should ask questions but work together to get the asked question answered. Too often, the questions are brushed off by non-speak and every one walks away with no information, no answers. Each questioner should continue with the previous question, digging deeper, and more precisely until the Oval Office answers the question or walks out from embarrassment. We must know if the White House and staff are capable of responding in any intelligent way; we must know their fund of knowledge. If this is limited and shallow, the Press must discover it. If they lie, the Press must uncover it and discover the depth of the lie.
The Press must not give up their responsibility but the Press must act as one; in numbers they have strength, we have strength. May God help America endure this storm
3
When donald ran for the Presidency it was obvious he was raising the ratings on different shows and that was why he was on 24/7. Well, at this point, he is supposed to be POTUS and not still campaigning, so at the least shut off the coverage of his rallies, they are not news worthy, they are purely entertainment for the base. As far as the lawn briefings, just stop already. he loves the attention and it is enough already.
4
In a democracy, what a president says will always be newsworthy, and when he's using lies and making up fake news, it's precisely the job of the media to call him out on it and debunk those lies.
That means that I strongly disagree with those who claim that the media should stop reporting those controversies, or should spend less time doing so.
"We the people" need to know what he's doing and saying, no matter WHAT he's doing and saying, because that's a conditio sine qua non to know HOW to vote (or not vote) in order to turn the country into the direction we want.
Moreover, Trump's decision to say or do something controversial day after day has as a side effect that people are more tuned in to politics than ever, AND that the media are making more money. That too is a good thing, in a democracy.
However, if that's ALL that the media do, as is mostly the case today, we will still end up with governments that only represent a small minority of citizens. That's because you HAVE to also inform citizens, as media, of what opponents do and say, rather than limit your coverage to controversies and lies alone. And THAT's where the media got lost, even before Trump became a candidate already.
People need to know who's doing what in DC, HOW legislative progress is made, why a small step forward is something to celebrate etc.
Instead, media tend to report "politics" as mere comments on the careers of politicians and parties, and THAT's when someone like Trump becomes toxic.
1
Since you cannot believe anything that comes out of his (pathologically lying) mouth anyways, why even ask? Talk to everyone else in government and leave Trump to stew in being ignored. Cover issues and do your best to avoid using the words "President Trump".
6
Under this presidency, there is no reason to even attend a White House briefing. There is no news. There are no facts. Only lies. There is also no reason to cover Trump's rallies. Same old same old. Just a pep rally like high schools use to get everyone ready for the big game. Maybe Trump should start hiring gladiators and throw the Democrats or all the brown immigrant terrorists to the lions for his blood-thirsty minions after the rally. To me, to continue to cover this as "news" is like sending a NY Times reporter out to go stand on the corner of Lexington Ave and 57th St and report every day and every night that there's a lot of traffic in NYC. That's about as news-worthy as anything coming out of the White House. Each news outlet should stop reporting and simply explain to their readers/watchers that reporting will resume under a new presidency, when there can information to be had and questions can be answered. We all get a break. You all get a break. And we stop feeding these monsters.
6
@porcamiseria I agree with your assessment. The press is getting lazy by only wanting to cover the same new (and old) lies and write stories about them. Trump doesn't read or listen, all we hear from him is new nonsense, made up stuff, lies, insults, etc. The press needs to spend more time shaming the GOP for not providing oversight. How is possible that a Mitch McConnell can hide under a rock while any reasonable person knows that Trump is a great danger to this country, its people, and our democracy? Trump won't fire himself; his supporters won't go away; so it has to be the Congress who finally does its job.
1
@MichaelW yes. To those who say we must continue to cover these briefings, I say "Why?" They are accomplishing nothing other than more fuel for the fire. This is a radical presidency. So it calls for radical responses and solutions. Cover real news.
Suggestion for print media: fewer photos of the president.
4
After reading the article and coments do I detect a semblence of sanity forming in dealing with this dangerous lunitic we call president.? In war when a comrade falls others rush in to fill the breach. This guy is thin skinned and journalists should keep his feet to the fire and let him self distruct. He is his own worst enemy and the press fails to allow that to happen.
My suggestion. Protest in this manner.
Send in interns to take notes and 'report' on what Trump says.
Fact check and report.
Ask no questions at all.
4
@Bob Kanegis, I agree and it would be useful experience for tomorrow’s mainstream journalists in objective reporting as opposed to creating stories based solely on baited provocative gotcha questions and the indignant responses they illicit which then take on a life of their own, completely leaving any actual news entirely overlooked.
He fills dozens of hours of TV time for free. Every week.
The newspapers and broadcasters can quit him, but CNN, Fox Newstalk, and MSNBC can't afford to.
@Lorem Ipsum, to their own peril, I might add. Before Trump I used to really enjoy Rachel and Lawrence’s pithy, somewhat intellectually colorful and offbeat take on political excesses, but since he’s come to power it’s like every night is off the hysterical and sanctimonious deep end with them. I can only imagine what Keith Olberman would have turned into.
Totally agree with Mr. Dyke. Respect the Office and thus Democracy. A media outlet's White House coverage that overwhelmingly tries to delegitimise the President and the Office automatically delegitimises the media outlet and well as the democratic process and very much leads to a divided country. The tone of 'your words matter'. Seek first to listen and genuinely try to understand the President and his supporters. At least try to portray some balance (currently missing and very obvious).
do not broadcast his insults..ever...if there is nothing to report than report that... "there was nothing to report today from the wh press conference" and if there is something to report back it up with facts if it is a blatant lie
1
One of our favorite reporters fell on his own sword to test the limits of tension - now we all know. Attend the press conferences and report what he says, but STOP reporting every burp, hiccup or under-arm fart he throws out to his red-meat base in order to see his name in lights.
Keep the nation in front of our eyes, not the Republican Nationalist Party leader. How's that healthcare coming? Are preexisting conditions being billed at higher premiums?
I can read Twitter, I don't have to read the twit - so stop covering his vile illiterate tweets. How's that infrastructure coming? Have any projects started anywhere in the US?
His rallies are all the same. We've heard it all before and for the last three years. ENOUGH already. Attend, capture footage, save it for a rainy day, a quick blurb, but STOP reporting them.
Stop reporting on trump's photo-op meetings with CEOs that support isolationist trade tactics in the here-and-now. What does the future look like when China and the EU become the primary trade partners, ignoring the US?
What are the long-term impacts of DeVos education policies?
What are the long-term impacts of selling National Park lands?
What are the long-term impacts of a rising Federal debt?
In comparison to previous administrations, how much does this administration charge the US taxpayer per day?
Keep the Nation in front of our eyes, not the Republican Nationalist Party and its leader.
10
To livingwithinterest,
I couldn't agree with you more. These issues and what all politicians are or are not working on toward these issue needs to be presented far more often. Theses issues need to be part of the daily news to reach public.
1
Should the press boycott Trump? In a word, no.
The Acosta incident has been reported on, we all know about it, it is outrageous, but we don't need to have it further beat into our heads by making a big issue out of it. I think the press is a vital part of democracy in this country but you have to know when to move on.
For better or worse, the White House gets to set the rules of engagement and the press has to play within those rules. You will have to find other ways than confrontation to ferret out the truth. You are not likely to win a battle with Trump over this.
I'd be thrilled if press accounts re The White House became measured and low-key, not above-the-fold headlines. (It is possible to present such news from a mature perspective.) Mr Trump seems to feed on publicity, including "bad" publicity. I've had a surfeit and would prefer news.
2
@Biscuit
I'd love it if the media in general went back to covering 'just the facts' and stopped putting a spin/emotional quota into each story.
I believe Mr. Dyke and Mr Alexander have the better approach here. The media, wherever possible, should avoid putting itself in the center of the story, and becoming Trump's foil and troll victim. If legal action might restore Acosta's credentials, they should take it. Otherwise, report the story professionally: the WH asserts that Mr. Acosta inappropriately touched a WH aide who was attempting to wrest the microphone from him, and the video does not support the WH assertions. Period. Trump is exactly as Bill Maher portrays him--no more, maybe less. Good reporting will show that.
2
The press must defend their 1st amendment rights. One strategy is to nominate a single rotating pool reporter to attend White House briefings who would ask questions submitted to him/her by other reporters not present that could include CNN's Jim Acosta. The media also needs to stop giving Donald Trump the bullying pulpit for all his outrageous, untruthful remarks either by not reporting them or using their pool capacity for a fact-checked rapid response that would accompany them. They also need to start bleeping out all the hateful names Trump calls his opponents so it would be *** Hillary, ****Maxine Waters etc. We've had enough human degradation from Trump to last us a lifetime. It's time for the media to clean up his act by cleaning up theirs.
3
@Paul Wortman
Covering the White House from the inside isn't a 'right'. Acosta can say whatever he wants and no one is stopping him.
Boycott Trump; cover The President.
When the President does or says something of import to the American people, cover it dispassionately and tell us the facts.
When Trump tweets something outrageous, or says something designed to keep him on the front page, all-Trump-all-the-time, ignore it. Or give it the equivalent of a couple of column inches, a passing mention in a broadcast, and leave it at that. Bury it on page B3, whatever.
Getting into pissing matches with Trump or his lying mouthpiece Sanders only gives them what they want. Acosta does showboat, because broadcast journalism has sadly become "infotainment". It might boost ratings to have a star reporter arguing with Trump or Sanders, but it doesn't provide the people with what we need to know.
Badgering these people does not produce the truth. They WANT to be badgered, because it distracts from the truth. That's Trump's M.O. He's been doing it from the start. Unceasing press coverage is part of what elected him.
Report the facts. When they lie, please dispassionately report it as a lie, and provide us with the truth.
That's your job. Yes, it's outrageous for a journalist's credentials to be pulled like this. But we need to know important information, and the WH press corps is necessary. Boycotting, as appealing as it may seem, would provide this pathetic circus with yet another sideshow.
Don't become the story. Don't feed the troll.
13
I recall that at the beginning of his GOP primary run the HuffPost relegated his campaign to its Entertainment section. For better or worse, not the approach taken by this or the rest of mainstream journalism at the opportune time. Too late now.
1
The byline for the NYT has, at least for the printed version, has always been "All The News That's Fit to Print." Regarding Trump Administration press briefings, very little of their content qualifies as news, and virtually none of it is fit to print.
4
YES! Over two years of a reality show is more than enough! The attack on Jim Acosta was TOO much! As Donald attacked Acosta, ALL the journalists should have walked away!
The so-called-president is a bully Nd a liar! STOP giving him the attention he craves!!!! He hates, disrespects, and called the MSM "fake"....STOP giving him camera time!
There is NO law that says you must cover the POTUS! Stop!
3
@Mari
Yes Trump was acting like a jerk but so was Acosta. Acosta has been in near histarics many times during the daily press conference. If he wouldn't take the bait and instead stay calm it would work better for him. Many just see him as a clown now.
In order to be effective, a boycott would have to be near 100%. Won't work. The press is "scoop oriented".
Besides, the public needs to continue to hear the liar in chief to further diminish his credibility before 2020!
The Democrats should work on a recorded acknowledgment of every declaration of Trump and use it systematically.
1
This is certainly a conundrum. It is easy to say ignore Trump but he is the reason newspaper readership has increased. It probably has energised reporters into not just excitement, but diligent research and tracking down information. I say while difficult, swallow ego and go with the flow of news. Keep publishing as you were, tell reporters, they may suffer at the hands of the White House, their reputations may be tarnished, but most of us readers are not brainless puppets wielded by white house press reports. We want forensic news by observant reporters who tease away their personal feelings from what they see and write. The only exception is if the President picks his nose, keep it out of the front page......none of us should really care.
Keep covering the President. We need to know every dumb things he says. Stop covering his hateful, mean spirited, lying press staff - Sarah Hucklebee Sanders and Kelly Ann Conway to name two. The press should keep asking tough questions. If he keeps pulling press credentials then maybe it will get through to people. The First Amendment and a free press are too important to bow down to this President. I, along with many of your readers, skip over a lot of coverage because of his hatefulness and lies. I definitely do not read or listen to anything Kelly Ann and Sarah have to say due to their loyalty to him and not the United States of America. Also, if I were a reporter when he calls me stupid or incompetent I would take that as a compliment.
1
Just once I would like to see a reporter respond with the same rude and sarcastic attitude that he uses when facing the press.
Just once. When he says " That's a stupid question! " I want to see and hear the questioner reply " Well, look who I'm asking! "
Even if it meant having your pass pulled.
Being polite and professional, " respecting The Office ", give me a break. You've been doing it for at least 2 years now and I see no difference. Press conferences in the White House are nothing but an exercise in tension, frustration and most of all mendacity!
3
YES! Stop reporting what he says and we all know why. If something he says causes something to happen, that is news that should be reported. What he says is bluster and blather and is not newsworthy.
1
I think every media outlet should report on the actual issues and nothing more. As far as the buffoonery that emanates from the White House on an hourly basis and at virtually every one of those ludicrous press briefing goes? All the media outlets should run a “Lies of the Day” column and list them all, without editorial comment, and provide links to the actual facts that debunk them. And the tweets? A “Ridiculous Tweet Storm of the Day” or “...of the Week” column with all of them listed in a single article, without comment. We don’t need any help figuring out how outrageously false and stupid they are with very, very few exceptions. The less attention drawn to them, the better.
3
YES!! Doesn't anyone remember what happened with the press when the national newspapers got together to NOT boycott the Daniel Ellsberg papers? Go see the film "The Post."
2
The Free Press should not give Trump an open-mic amplifier for his ridiculous, unhinged, uninformed, and often false pronouncements. And when they do quote 4-O (the Orange Occupant of the Oval Office) they should be sure to print all of the confirmed truths that contradict Trump's lies.
1
He has already told his staff that every day in office is like an episode of a TV show, and his goal is to “win” every day, no matter what it takes. When I scan headlines and see the word “trump” in more than half, he has won.
The only thing he could do to lose a single member of his base would be to suddenly start writing executive orders for gun control, so just stop trying. Stop it now. He holds the football and you run to kick it every time, astonished every time when he pulls it away and you are, again, flat on your back looking up at the sky. Stop putting his NAME in headlines and see what happens.
3
The press should borrow a tactic of the labor movement. Strike. It can be respectful, with one demand. Restore press credentials to Jim Acosta.
1
Boycott Trump tweets and press conferences
He is starving for attention,so let’s deny him that
Right now he is getting free exposure
3
He shouldn't be given the 'time of day' - by the Press or Citizens. Why put in print when ANYTHING and EVERYTHING Trump says or does he continues (since early life) to live a life of LIES! He's not a President - he's a 'quacker box" - he won't stop his madness, it's up to the Press/all MEDIA to STOP IT.
3
Here’s what I wish the press would do instead of a boycott: attend the press conference. Sarah gives an opening statement of some sort. She ends, and no hands are raised for questions. Silence. Crickets. Then the reporters ramble out and file two paragraphs on what Sarah said, page 7.
2
@Susan Kennedy
Brilliant!
Sarah H Sanders should be holding another press conference before Thanksgiving.
Last year Sanders instructed each reporters' question be prefaced with a statement of what that reporter was "grateful for".
I loved it when one of the reporters (think April Ryan) responded, "Why I'm grateful for you Sarah!" lol
Hopefully the press are ready with some good zingers this year.
We need to start with the basics-what are often considered the most famous seven words in American Journalism- "All the news that's fit to print." A gift from the New York Times to the American people.
The question isn't about whether to show up or boycott, but whether to offer a platform for lies and deceit or just the truth. Our nation began with the simple premise that "We hold these truths to be self-evident. Lacking a recognition of the value of truth itself, nothing else has has value or meaning. We need to hold the President accountable to the truth and not give his falsehoods an unwarranted life.
It is no longer news when our President lies. It is news when he tells the truth. Cover only that. Leave it to political rallies to serve as his formum for lying. Swift boating cannot occur unless the lies are covered in the first place.
2
The Press needs to delay their on-air tape and heavily edit for facts.
1. I don't want to see his face, hear his voice any more than I have to, he makes me sick.
2. We need to deprive him of publicity. Don't feed the monster.
3. Do include things like when he called Jim, "Jim O'Costa" as some sort of insult. So Republicans can see that he hates the Irish too. Who else does he hate?
I suggest that from now on you will no longer consider a tweet to be a bit of news, and that you stop to reproduce tweets, be it only to comment them.
The president did fire Mr. Sessions? Well, that won‘t be news, until proclaimed by the official channels of government.
I propose, that you extend this practice to all kind of tweets - otherwise Mr. T. ( he who‘s name must not be mentioned so often ) wold cry out „very VERY unfair !!!“
Once you begin with that practice, you might try to convince other media sources to do the same, to establish it as a code of conduct for good journalism.
with kind regards
Stephen Kienhoefer
2
Part of not covering Trump, is what would the lack of attention trigger Trump to do in order to get back into the spotlight? We have all seen what he does or says just to change the subject
1
The advice for the press to ignore Trump’s latest provocation makes sense and yet it just doesn’t seem right that any President can arbitrarily bar a reporter he doesn’t like, or at least acts like he doesn’t like. I favor a one day symbolic boycott of the press room. Sarah Huckabee Sanders never says anything other than the grossest most obvious propaganda anyway. We won’t be missing anything. I also think CNN needs to hold that position open and not replace Acosta with someone else.
2
First step, just stop showing him. No pictures
As example, the pic in this story: crop him out. Show the White House, its gardens, the guards
Report announcements from the press secretary in as bland a way possible: “WH press secretary (no names) today released a statement that the sun is blue, without evidence to support it”
Stop “interviewing” Mr Trump. His answers are either false or digressive.
Don’t know if its intentional or not, but the video media needs to follow the NYT and WP example of avoiding asking questions at prez meet and greets, including press conferences— it just gives him exposure.
Doubt Fox (or CBN, Breitbart, etc) will join in these efforts, but the limitation of his showtime should be enough to hurt the ego.
2
@Chuck
I support your suggestion to stop showing him.
I change stations everytime DJT's face is on screen. This is bad, but I must finally say it,
he reminds me of a lizard.
The press should cover the Trump administration. Boycotting would only let the Trump Ministry of Propaganda aka Fox Snooze and Walk Street Journey control the mythology.
2
One, get a pool reporter to cover Trump’s rallies. That’s it.
Two, in press conferences, if Trump or Sanders insult/demean any reporter, they all leave except the pool reporter and whoever works for FOX.
Attention is like oxygen to this president; don’t give it to him.
2
It seems to me ignoring this sick narcissist by the press and shutting down his Twitter account would be the best response to his mental disease. But that would not reduce the peoples' appetite for his daily dose of grotesque utterances - on either side of the isle. The more troubling question actually is why Americans and the GOP even elevated this clearly demented figure to the office of the President. I am afraid we have conditioned ourselves to more and more clown show and eye candy, be it on Fox News, CNN or The NY Times.
Can we learn to appreciate 'boring' politics again? I believe so. Let's begin the process in January when reason is coming back to the House.
Boycotting him is not a good idea but collectively responding when he gets abusive is an option.
If everyone who disagreed with an attack on a fellow journalist held out a red card, it would show collective solidarity against abuse.
And US viewers would learn a bit about soccer…
Respect comes from respect. It is earned, not gratuitously given. The press has certainly gone above and beyond in giving deference to the Office of the Presidency, but the man holding the office deserves no respect whatsoever. I am gratified that the NYT seems to have placed Trump stories further down the page than earlier in his occupancy of the office.
How about sending interns to the White House press briefings to spar with Sanders, and have the A team reporters cover more substantive issues in Congress?
2
Is this an early April Fool's Joke? They already boycott him by way under reporting , or just not reporting, any of the good things that have come out of his administration. I'm not a big fan but in two years he has done way more for us as a country than presidents Cheney or Barry did in sixteen years. Congress needs to secure the borders and update the infrastructure before it is too late if it already isn't.
If the reporters went to the press briefings, but didn't air or write the stories, I bet the White House would straighten up pretty fast. Make the WH behavior not newsworthy. Just an idea.
1
The accurate reporting by the free press is what keeps us from becoming a fascist dictatorship. It is only the far-right fascists and the far-left Marxists who want to throttle the free flow of news. CNN should not ignore Trump and his storm troopers but hold a larger magnifying glass up to their actions.
3
Trump didn't have to call on Acosta, rather he specifically CHOSE to, so that he could control the situation and lambaste him ie making it 'news'.
Grow up, press corp, don't take the bait.
2
@EGM
Yes, Why did Trump call on Acosta, the reporter and network he absolutely hates the most?
My first thought is that Trump had planned to blast Acosta no matter what Acosta asked.
Just list his daily actions, including a list of lies. No need to cover rallies. Just the facts ma'am.
Ignore him. The less attention he receives, the less he will thrive. Frankly, I don't care what he says (lies), and I wish I never had to hear his voice or look at his vile face Ever again! Lock him up by ignoring him, and throw away the keys! Write about what good people are doing to repair his wreckage.
You journalist's have gone from reporting the news to making the news. It should come as no surprise that people rank journalist's slightly above snake oil distributors. ( Way lower than Insurance salespeople or used auto sellers).
Especially when you view the commotion over Jim Acosta or even this Khassogi character. Just because they have credentials to the press pool that doesn't entitle them to respect, that is earned.
(1) Report what is actually "news" (and not 'everything' is "Breaking ...." such as CNN does--6 hours after a previous reporting is not 'breaking').
(2) Do not refer to Trump but rather to "the senior Administration official."
(3) Cover his arrival, departures in a 'pool' format and then only report ... only that the "the senior Administration official ...." -- it just gives him a performance platform.
I'm all for the media stepping aside -- they are just being manipulated anyway to assure Trump makes the headlines each and every day. The media no longer serves as a "filter" -- rather it just tacks on its opinion to every news story -- infotainment at best. Moreover, lack of daily coverage will reduce the anxiety of the American people -- most of us with a brain don't pay Trump much attention anyway....
I would just ask the press to please stop covering Trump and get back to covering the issues. I don't want to see live WH press briefings, Trump rallies or Trump press briefings. Just fill me in on the salient points, stop giving oxygen to Trump's fires and help people to understand what is happening in the country because of the Administration's policies.
3
Been advocating a press boycott for weeks. Smply report on him but don't engage. Don't ask questions, take his statements and clazrify with cabinet members or other research. Avoid press briefing except for an occasional private request. If sufficient news organizations truly reduce their contentious coverage, Trump will cfrow for a week and then go crazy.
1
It is natural for members of the press to want to ask their own question their own way - to get airtime, if you will. But when you are interviewing a bully like Trump, a different approach might be more effective.
Whether a PC with Trump or SHS, agree beforehand an order of asking questions. If a question is not answered, agree that either that asker continue to hold the floor or that the next in line will ask the same question. If the whole PC boils down to one unanswered question, so what? You weren't going to learn anything useful at the event anyway.
1
I am partial to an extremely simple solution to the whole Trump/press issue. Ignore him completely.
Tweets are published on the gossip page.
Never, ever mention him by name. He is simply and respectfully referred to as "the President". Terms like Trump, Donald J Trump, etc. should never, ever be used.
Basically, relegate Trump into irrelevance. While he is, unfortunately, the president, simply treat him as "the President", not as a human being worthy of mention.
Do this for one week, and you will see significant change in his attitude and treatment of the press. Do it for a month, and he will resign. No three year old can stand being ignored.
2
Not sure if a total boycott is the answer but I believe for one thing the media can do is stop the equivalency of so much, stop the "both sides do it". What is needed is a total repudiation of the disgusting things Trump has been saying & does.
His no funding for California, cut off any funding for Puerto Rico, his dissing of our WWI Veterans who died in battle & he could not even get out in the rain to honor them after he got 5 deferments & claimed bone spurs to avoid fighting for our country.
The press whatever they do need to do better & absolutely start calling him out for his disgusting behavior.
Several themes come up when reading the comments here. One is to limit coverage of Trump, in general, which seems like a great idea. Some specific suggestions are to no longer cover Trump's tweets or to cover his campaign rallies. I agree that there is no reason to re-post any Trump tweet. Sure, there a lies in those Tweets, but we already know that. As for rallies, just note the place, state there was a rally and that's the end of it, e.g. "Trump held a rally last night in X." End of story. Also, I don't think it's necessary to ever quote Trump using the term "fake news" or "witch hunt" or "Pocahontas". Just summarize Trump's feelings, instead. "Trump disagrees with the Russia investigation." or "Trump had unflattering comments about (fill in the blank)." Cut his hyperbole and lies off at the knees by just generalizing them and boiling them down to the bare essentials. Make him boring because, when it comes to actual policies and results, he really doesn't deliver much. Look at all the grandiose comments about the North Korea meeting, which has amounted to pretty much nothing. The trade war, which is now turning into a meaningless grind. And then we have all the bluster about the terrible events that are going to happen on the Southern border. The news should be: "Everything remains quiet along the Mexican border as US soldiers camp out quietly in the desert." Yawn.
2
My question is, when almost everything Trump says is purposefully or ignorantly untrue, where is the value in covering him? His press conferences have become a charade that disgraces the press and the nation. He is the fake news we all need to shun.
1
Implicitly, or explicitly, Trump knows that we love to watch a train wreck. Of course CNN cannot boycott anything.
It cannot because CNN adds very little value. The more serious sounding the program (like Zakaria), the less likely it is to provide any news - just mention a headline, find a person to say it is indeed a headline, and let it go at that. There is a hurricane, and then there is a caption of someone nailing a sheet of ply across his storefront, and telling the newscaster that he is getting prepared, it is awful. Got it.
I.e., I am made aware of the headline, and nothing else.
The formats are borderline silly. Large panels, everyone's input indistinguishable from equivocated, weak opinions. Not in-depth, not provocative, not entertaining, not anything.
Trump could probably assault the press, physically, and still have them clamor for his attention. CNN shmee enen.
For months I have expressed the view that Mr. Trump should be given no oxygen. Yes, report what he does for the benefit of or the detriment to USA, but making him the news every day when the "news" is down another Trump rabbit hole, is a service to no one save Mr. Trump's ego. Stop the wall to wall coverage, it is depressing and exhausting.
1
Give him one paragraph a day, no photos, no quotes. Deprive him of his reality TV oxygen. I do not know one other adult that behaves like Trump, nor do I want to. He has had two years to read, learn, grow into the job and he fails at each turn. There are plenty of other worthy people, interesting stories. Trump behaves like a spoiled child, which he was.
1
Less coverage of Trump and Huckabee-Sanders would be fine by me. At this point I think it's safe to say they both lie, distort and exaggerate the truth with such frequency we not really missing anything. Focus on the issues, and use the name "Trump" as infrequently as possible. And everyone needs to stop taking the bait and responding to his relentless, self-serving spew on Twitter.
3
I tire of seeing our so-called president on the screen: wide-open mouth, ridiculous comb-over, squinting eyes framed in ecru circles that contrast against orangish flesh that mystifies—does he really think we believe he is that color? I'm tired of hearing his grating voice; his insipid, empty vocabulary; insidious false rants, misleading innuendos, and incredibly sophomoric insults. I’m also tired of Sarah and Kellianne: parroting megaphones of fire and fury signifying idiocy, at best.
We do need to know what is going on in our once-great nation, and I understand the need to show him shouting some of the lies he makes-up because he’ll deny having sputtered them—given the opportunity. We don’t need to see him constantly spouting off, predictable as Old Faithful. If his words aren’t controversial, just summarize and report . . . show concrete examples of the issues being addressed or charts and graphs that explain the issues.
Listening to his inane rhetoric makes me embarrassed: because he represents my country others assume that he represents me and my beliefs, my ethics, my morals. He doesn’t! I did not vote for him and I’m embarrassed, ashamed, and fearful that he "leads" the country I live in.
I feel I’m existing in a purgatory of sorts until Congress or Mueller or God grants us a reprieve.
1
I believe the Press should respect the Office of the President, if not the man.
Show up, ask the questions you need answers to and report the news.
Don’t report on his behavior, his antics or his insulting comments.
Take his personality out of the news. It will drive the narcissist in him crazy because he can’t read about himself and then attack. That’s what he lives for.
1
Of course they should not boycott Trump. America needs to know about his continuous destruction of the nation. Just stop featuring his tweets and daily distractions from the things that matter. His personal insults are irrelevant given how much his actions demean and destroy. The effects are what should be the daily headlines. Leave the fictions and lies to Fox and friends.
Again trump is tasting the water , if everything goes as usual with the press , he will know that he can take away the freedom of the press to ask whatever questions they want simply by intimidating them .
The tv news networks as well as sites like Twitter have participating in the trump shows because it brings traffic and trump knows that .
The only way to make a change is to expose this demagogue by boycotting his press conferences and meetings and the only ones left will be the usual propaganda news organizations like Fox News .
Things needs to start looking drastically different if we want to show that this president is a threat to this country’s democracy and if the media continues to ignore his repeated threats and now actions against the press , then we will make normal something that is not compatible with the constitution of this country.
Yes, the networks and major newspapers and news agencies should boycott the presidential news conferences and Sarah Sanders. These silly rituals are only forums for Trump’s self-serving defenses and Republican propaganda. There is no news there.
1
The press needs to cover Trump. However, they should constantly point out: (1) when, as frequently is the case, his statements are lies, and use that word; always be fact-checking him; (2) that little coming from the administration or its spokespeople can be relied on to be truthful and often is simply ridiculous; (3) that we are laughed at, for good reason, all around the world; (4) that he is not respected; (5) that his efforts to interfere with and stifle the press are un-American, unconstitutional, and anti-patriotic.
Reports of press conferences should include a graphic as to how many time he and SH Sanders has lied that day, and how many times they have done so since his inauguration. They should quote Trump on issues with the press, and compare those comments to statements by Pres. Obama, Pres. Bush, Pres. Reagan, etc. They should constantly be running stories on how much he and his family (and his "Family"!) are costing the US for personal trips, golfing, staying in Trump properties, and in graft and corruption.
Report the news. But the news includes Trump's criminal, ignorant, and idiotic behavior. It also includes such behavior of his henchmen and sycophants (including McConnell, Ryan, and others). Acknowledge that there is an inveterate con-man in the White House.
2
@AM
I'm sorry but you don't get rid of a bully by ignoring him. Respectfully confront the guy about his incessant lies and watch him implode.
"With all due respect, Mr President, your claim that ........, is a lie."
FINALLY!!! I have been saying for months that all reporters should just stop attending his self serving press conferences, and let him talk to himself. Just like with any bully, stop giving that person any attention at all, and the problem stops. If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if the president attacks the press at a press conference, and nobody is around to cover it, is he really bullying them? Hopefully we find out soon!
1
The press should boycott. Stop providing the bully with a pulpit to spread lies and malice. There are other ways to cover the news.
1
The Press aren't an arm of the Democrat party. Asking political operatives what the press should do is absurd. The whole point is that the press are an independent branch of government. They have an excellent way of dealing with Trump. Investigate him, report on him, make him pay for his crimes.
The White House press core has rarely been the engine of journalism. Saying Acosta has a big ego is calling the kettle black. In fact, it wasn't even Acosta's treatment that was most egregious, it was Trump's attacks on black female reporters. If there's a reason for boycott, make that the thing.
But there's another issue. Trump's attacks fuel more than vitriole. It's a recipe for violence, on display at his rallies. The longer he keeps it up, the more likely someone will get hurt.
1
There are so many important stories that are pushed aside by the "Trump Show" that the public is less informed even as it reads and watches more news. Trump coverage is good for advertising revenues so the media continues to publish his outrageous actions and words. However, important international and domestic issues get sidelined. The Taliban's creeping takeover of Afghanistan, the North Korea threat, California's devastation, Brexit, to name a few, are far more important than Trump's latest idiotic musings or attacks on Hollywood celebrities. The media - and the public - needs to get off its addiction to Trump's antics. Yes, he is the president so his words and actions are news. But not everything he says needs to be reported. Most of it is full of sound and fury and signifies nothing.
1
I'm all for a Trump boycott. He's a serial liar. Let the "State News Agency" (Fox) cover him and his cult can watch him there if they have the need. Helen Thomas said it best "I don't think asking a difficult question is being disrespectful."
1
By boycotting him, you are taking away what he wants the most--Attention. Bullies need to be shown that their bad behavior won't be tolerated. Discipline him for what he is--a spoiled 5 year old. I say boycott all news about TRump until he acknowledges his bad behavior and apologizes to the news people he has insulted and treated horribly. Since we all know that he never admits his mistakes or apologizes for anything, this will be a long boycott. His calling people stupid, losers, insulting names, etc. is totally uncalled for. Would you put up with this sort of behavior from another CNN employee or from one of your children? Do what you know is right and boycott him. Our Canadian neighbors think you are crazy to put up with him.
1
Starve the beast. Restrict coverage of him to bare bones. He craves attention...don't give it to him. The press were played during the Kanye/Trump meeting...they should have all walked out.
Starve the beast!
1
The press is part of the story when the press is attacked. They don't like it. Neither do we, the consumers of news. Not being comfortable is not an excuse for allowing the rights of the free press to atrophy. Grow up and fight back.
1
Stop covering Trump’s Tweets! Stop following him. Report on what he’s doing to the country not how he’s behaving. For example, it’s ok to report he didn’t go to the Ceromy because it was raining but then stop don’t report the refurbished excuse. Boycott the lies. He appointed Whittaker then he’s says he doesn’t know him. Show the lie and move on. Don’t show his face! Start covering what the Republicans are doing. Follow what Whittaker does and keep the pressure on him to recuse himself!
Remember the president is the Circus the Republicans use to distract us.
As to showing him respect? What does that even mean? Are reporters supposed to say yes sir.....you’re right even when he’s lying? That is what Trump means by respect. That is what Republicans mean by respect.
1
The press should certainly boycott him they should have done that long ago it's his drug of choice and the constant coverage is what gives him his power. He will implode if the press boycotts him except when he LOSES something then they should call him a loser and watch the fun.
1
Show up for a press conference. Don't ask any questions, sit in silence. Leave quietly. Make THAT the story.
2
Agreed, media, don't make this about you, it's about the first amendment, which is bigger than any president.
This former political reporter has wondered since 2015 why legit media acts as a megaphone for Trump twitter rants. The axiom used to be "Dog bites man is not news. Man bites dog is news." When every day brings another outrage, covering Trump is "dog bites man." Make his actions the story, not his words. Record the words only to show the country how he changes and disavows his own words constantly, so we cannot believe anything he says.
2
@Kilroy71
Yes, perhaps simply printing Trump's daily lies and bizarre incoherent statements in quotes under the headline:
"What the President Stated Today"
1
When we know that the President often lies, conspires with "friendly" journalists and falsely accuses other media of lying, it is time to severely limit his access to MSM. His actions are always suspect and are not meaningful to those seeking only the truth. There are so many newsworthy events occurring daily that I don't think we will be suffering from being informed.
As far as people in South Dakota not caring about Acosta's press credentials, ask them to introduce legislation nullifying the first amendment and then deny them access to Fox news.
1
The press should cover the stories, but not cover Trump or WH press conferences, his or his press staff. It is clear that they are not meant to enlighten or provide answers, but to fuel his propaganda drive.
Most reported stories, anywhere, are not on the basis of direct information from the main participants, but based on announcements or actions by government, and sources who confirm or question the information. Trump can talk to Fox News and other partisan media, as he does. There is no point in deepening the rift, his intention, if anti Trump media confronts him directly.
1
Attend Trump's press conferences.
Reporters should meet before the conference and decide amongst themselves on what questions they want answers and ask those questions.
Trump can not refuse to recognize all the reporters.
2
The American public is heartily sick of the media's incessant coverage of Trump. Every day there is exaggerated outrage and political analysts breathlessly and endlessly dissecting Trumps actions and words, each American news outlet striving to exceed the other's coverage by adding on ever more-remote, as-yet unexplored ramifications.
I look at this paper's coverage of Trump, and it is a minimum of twelve articles a day. By contrast, the BBC seems to limit itself to one a day, at most.
If the American media could exercise a modicum of restraint, dial back the emotion to somewhere below eleven, and limit itself to simple, matter-of-fact coverage of Trump, they would have more time for coverage of other events, and the American public might actually learn what else is going on in their neighborhood, their State, their country, and the world.
251
@NorthernVirginia - I agree. For one Thing, I would think it would be a good idea to totally ignore T's twitter splutters.
33
@NorthernVirginia
The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference. The more you ignore him the more you take away his platform to attack you.
29
@NorthernVirginia
We do want to hear what is happening in the rest of the world We do want way less of DJT's beligerant, uninformed nonsense. I think it is time the press 'colluded' with one another to contain their coverage of him. If he disrespects one reporter, all are disrespected and feet begin their walk out of the room. Quit asking questions at the helicopter. Quit giving him the opportunity, and do it now!
23
"Show the office of the President the respect it deserves... that puts you above him" is the wisest political advice I've seen in a long time. We are dealing with a reality-show performer here; if we become part of his show, we empower him. If we behave with dignity, we demonstrate how out of place he is.
2
Go to the briefings. But STOP covering his rallies. They are not policy speeches, or statements on events of national importance. They are self aggrandizing navel gazing and so tiresome. Tell me about something meaningful.
432
@Susan Alberter
Showing parts of Trump's nauseating, sputtering, incoherent statements at rallies is really damaging to Trump.
7
Susan Alberter: spot on. The media needs to cover only news-worthy events. The rallies are not news, they are propaganda events.
19
@SGuil Definitely agree, the rallies aren't news anymore, no content more advertising from Trump to his base. e.g., see how I can manipulate these stupid networks/newspapers!
10
I agree we all need to respect the office, even while holding our noses. But perhaps credible news organizations could limit his penchant for owning the news cycle 24/7. For the mental well-being of the country, we need other news besides his running commentary.
185
I have no intention of "respecting the office" as long as this traitor to 99.9% of us inhabits it, Mark.
19
Trump has been playing the media expertly since before he was elected. The constant stream of attention being paid to him is exactly the planned result. Rather than devoting so much energy to reporting on every tweet or provocation, the media would serve their audience better by focusing more on big picture issues, less on Trump himself.
267
@Broose I agree completely. He is a reality TV star and he is giving us a reality TV presidency (and the press is playing right in to it). For Trump, media attention is like oxygen to a fire. If you cut off the oxygen, the fire will die. Let's try cutting off the media attention and seeing what happens... With regard to Acosta's pass, how much does it really matter with this administration? As often as not, those press briefings are being used to promulgate "alternative facts" anyway.
4
This article is flawed: It does not address should the press boycott the the White House. instead, he article works to redefine the discussion to one concerning respect for one of the three branches of government. Did the 13 colonies show respect for King George? I don't think so. Starve Trump and his sycophants of the media window the crave.
3
The media should not cover his tweets.
410
@DKS
I agree, I am so sick of his tweets, how in the world can they be regarded as serious communications of any kind? It's ridiculous for him to "speak to the nation" in this childish manner.
7
Strongly agree! Please stop republishing the President's tweets.
4
@DKS
His tweeting is evidence of his arrested development---he's stuck at high school teenager, more accurately, teenage girl.
4
I have been saying for a long time that only Trump’s actual policies and positions are newsworthy. His bragging, showboating, bloviating, blustering, and whining are not news. His complaints about news coverage, celebrities, other politicians, etc. have become stultifying, and the constant reporting about them is dispiriting for the country and bad for young children. His verbal battles with people and his “campaign rallies” are simply not news, only staged tantrums that garner him the attention that is his ego’s lifeblood. Coverage of them does nothing to inform the citizenry of what is happening in their government and serves to obfuscate what is important for citizens to be aware of.
Most of us have no more capacity to take in or care about how Trump FEELS about anything. I don’t care how he feels. I want to know only when he has taken an action or is promoting a policy position that is going to affect my life and the lives of my fellow-Americans. Beyond that, I no longer have space or time in my day or in my life for Trump. Media outlets who have a desire for my attention and my patronage, please take note.
425
@Karen - At the very least, the legitimate press should stop covering Trump's so-called "rallies". No public good is served by broadcasting Trump's lies to the entire nation over and over again. The rallies are such ugly spectacles.
52
How the President of the United States comports himself in public is and has always been ‘newsworthy.’ When that’s no longer the case, we’ll be in far deeper trouble as a democracy than we are today.
7
@ChristopherM I so agree, two more years of rallies hearing how he won but didn't win because of the millions of fraudulent votes. How everything going wrong in his administration & his world is the fault Obama, Clinton, Sessions, Mueller, democrats, republicans who didn't "embrace" him (physical contact should be avoided because you might be accused of sexual assault). I can't stand "praise & worship" tent revivals. Side note of "trump holds 10th rally this week in Indiana" should suffice, if someone really wants to know where he is, but I would like to see the $$ amounts spent traveling to the rallies & golf courses every weekend.
6
Up until now there was no one else to cover. Now the media should cover Nancy Pelosi and give more weight to what she says than what Trump says. Nothing would make him more apoplectic.
514
@Tell the Truth
Yes.
Pelosi, most likely, or whoever they name speaker. Report, but stop the headlines with 45's name.
31
YES! I can't even listen to his voice. I mute the TV or change the channel. Of course, then how would we know about his many lies from his own lips, verbatim. It's a conundrum.
8
@Bethed
Does it really make any difference at this point to hear the lies on a daily basis?
We've heard them all before.
1
@Bethed The mute button brings calm to our home. It diminishes the need to yell at the television.
That this is even a subject for debate tells us how far the country has fallen under trump. A unified walkout seems the only choice when the press and country -at least the thinking part - know that this is 1984, and Orwell was right.
3
What would be the "consequences" if the press attended the briefings and asked no questions. Just sat there, and did not participate in the usual manner?
After the press conference just reported on what was said and its veracity?
In other words lessen the regime's ability to confabulate some distraction from the harm they are doing?
12
the press response should not be by reporters, but by their "editors" and "producers": a partial boycott--ie., report what trump does, not the lies that he speaks. ie., diminish him but don't boycott him.
treat him like a cabinet member lacking particular importance, unless/until he does something (like unconstitutionally appointing an acting a.g.). THEN, focus on trump's illegal behavior. and don't drop coverage of his past illegal behavior, like conspiring to violate campaign finance laws, etc. repeat those facts often.
7
Here's a suggestion. I used to be a newspaper reporter in a city with a mayor who refused to talk to reporters whose stories he did not like. Early on he would call my boss, complain to the publisher and freeze me out by refusing to take my phone calls or answer questions. So I rode with it.
For six months I did stories and would always call him for comment - he would refuse to take my call and would shun me in person. So every story would say "the mayor had no comment" or "the mayor could not be reached for comment."
Everyone else had their chance to speak in my stories, but not the mayor (his choice). Finally, one day I called his office and - surprise - he took the call. I acted like it was nothing unusual. He was furious. "Don't you want to know why I haven't been taking your calls" I answered: "What? I thought you were just busy." He never froze me out again.
Obviously this is more complicated with a president, but the moral of the story is that TRUMP NEEDS THE PRESS MORE THAN THE PRESS NEEDS HIM. Let him take away Acosta's press pass. Let him "freeze you out". Guess who's voice will no longer be front and center in every story? That would be a bigger loss for Trump than it is for anyone else, including the press.
65
@LibertyNY, I couldn't agree more. As for the effect of reducing coverage, to whatever degree, of the President's antic bombast, I am sure I will have more fun reading the news.
12
@LibertyNY
I remember a mayor like that. His favorite freeze-out line was "That's political."
5
The only thing that Trump cares about is how his behavior plays with his devoted supporters. The biggest threat to the MSM comes not from not getting access to Trump/WH press conferences, but from the increasing irrelevancy they have among Trump supporters, who get their news from right wing or alt-right news sources.
In my only family, I have seen the shift rightward as people have replaced the NY Times subscription with the Wall Street Journal, or the Weekly Standard, or the NY Post, or Fox News.
Trump has a long history of working with tabloids to put out phony stories. I would love to see someone questioning him about his past, ask him if he ever called a paper under an alias name, ask him why he used a video from Infowars to begin with, ask him point blank what he thinks about Alex Jones, who in a custody case with his ex wife admitting to lying profusely on his show, question Trump's too cozy relationship with Sean Hannity and Fox and Friends.
The story is not Trump, it is the media that forms the basis of his lies.
4
Maybe it's because we just had Remembrance Day but it's got me thinking about how "the first casualty of war is the truth". Trump and his enablers are at war with the truth.
I think it would be useful to limit responses and just make simple lists of of his casualties. Just like they did with the casualties of WWII.
Everyday it could end with:
President of the United States of America and his administration- MIA
4
Let the press track the new Democratic Congress. There's plenty of news in these new people. They represent a legal foil and Trump can't do much to them (other than bark and snarl, that is).
17
I know I would like very much to see less coverage of him. Seeing the entire first half of news sites all articles with his name in them are tiresome. Let him spin. He loves the attention and in many ways his media attacks are becoming a self fulfilling prophecy, I vote for much less coverage of him.
36
One thing reporters should consider is their apparent, repeated stress on "holding accountable" the current administration (and others). This, it seems to me, bespeaks an overblown and even arrogant sense of their roles and responsibilities. It conveys a sense of having an agenda.
None of this builds public confidence – except among true believers on the political left and right – in the media. "Holding accountable" suggests a built-in adversarial stance, rather than seeking for whole truths. It raises suspicions of selective reporting. It tends to elevate the messenger above the message.
What ever happened to the notion that, even in interpretive pieces, reporters should *report"? How quaint!
2
These are tough times for the Press, but I believe that the Press is up to their task!
4
The response is actually quite clear, if you would just got out of the way of yourselves:
1. Report the truth. If Trump lies, this is news. Report it, along with the truth.
2. Don't play games. Send one pool reporter to each press conference and put one pool reporter on Airforce One.
3. Don't interview Trump apologist for color, only interview for news. This means Ms. Conway should be given no time on air.
4. Do your job: find and tell the truth.
If the Press does decide to boycott press conferences held by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, they should do so at an actual Press Conference. Choose a reporter to make the announcement, state the reasons why, and then every reporter leave in unison. This will be on video and go viral. And it sends a powerful message about the impudence of this administration.
40
@Tom Good idea. There will still be Fox "reporters" along with fringe media such as Breitbart and Infowars. But the mainstream print and TV media can swamp them in the coverage. I never watch Fox (and do not patronize businesses that have them on.) Coverage of Trump's outrageous speech and actions is like gossip, and the adults in the room should stop repeating it.
Trump is his own creation, and starting long ago he used the press to further his idea of himself. He became rich by promoting himself in the press, particularly the tabloid press. There is no bad publicity for him. Everything is on the table, and he learned way back in the 70s that the bigger the lie, the better the press. If he doesn't see himself on television, he's can't be sure he really exists. There is no "RealDonaldTrump." There is only the Donald Trump that he and the press manufactured. He would not exist without it.
22
@Ms. Pea
Well said. It is seeing his name in every headline that keeps him alive. He knows what to do to keep it there.
1
So both a Democrat and a Republican warn against the press responding to Trump, because, as Anita Dunn said, “that puts them in the middle of the story,” and that’s somewhere they should not be. But they ARE in the middle of the story. Trump has placed them there, by declaring them “the enemy of the people.” Only Trump can change that storyline, and he is not going to. To pretend that the press can just do its job as professionals, ignoring Trumps attacks on them as a group, and his insults and rages aimed at individual reporters, is a fantasy. Trump is at war with the press, and they can either stand there and take it, or stand up for themselves. I’d like to see the members of the press admonishing Trump each time he behaves uncivilly towards them—either individually, or as a group—with the next speaker calmly but sternly saying, “that was rude and uncalled for,” or something to that effect. And if Trump follows up with more insults, he must immediately be rebuked again. Every time. He and his supporters will hate that, of course, but outside of Faux News, the majority of viewers will appreciate the pushback against rudeness.
36
@gf I think these are all great steps, but I'd add a few more. When he refuses to answer an important question, or dismisses it as stupid, the next person he calls on should pick up that question, and on and on until it's answered or he storms away. Letting him get away with not answering pointed questions, which the press does all the time, is dereliction of duty. If he throws out a reporter, every other reporter should follow him or her out the door. I don't care whether they think that reporter is a show boat; they cannot allow the press to be bullied in this way. When he takes away a press pass because he doesn't like a reporter, he's got to be challenged in some way. And when the WH uses a doctored video to slander a reporter, there's got to be a forceful response by all the media and the union -- not a rebuke, but real action, perhaps a lawsuit. Another tact would be not showing up at one (or all) of Sarah Sanders' so-called briefings, which are nothing more than showcases for her to attack the press in general and individuals in particular. No news ever comes out of these things, and I don't understand why the press allows itself to be debased by her over and over. I don't think her boss would like a room full of empty chairs. But if outlets feel they must attend these sideshows, then they should just send interns to fill seats and sit on their hands.
4
@gf
There is actually no way not to respond to him - unless no one even shows up. Sittin in a briefing and continuing to ask questions normally after he has targeted someone else is deciding to comply with his rules. Like it or not, they have become active players.
So it behooves the members of the press to at least make a conscious decision as to how to respond. The should consider what behavior they want to reward, and what they would like to see decrease.
He eats up media coverage: starving him a bit, but responding positively to more respectful attention would bring some change.
Unless the current stuff is more fun and gets more readers.
I, for one, could use a day or two a week without any news about Trump, with just an empty space left on page one of the newspapers to remind us of the time not so very long ago when we had a real President.
66
This is such a critical issue. It could literally result in the control of the press by a man who is neither in control of himself or in control of the presidency. Sadly a bully must be confronted, and sometimes on his own terms. Do not debase yourselves as reporters, writers or editors, but challenge what you know to be wrong. Challenge poor judgement. Correct the lies. Continue to be vigilant. Do not let your guard down. Have courage. You are speaking for everyone and are needed more than ever. Speak out.
16
So, what if they held a press conference and nobody showed up? Well, he'd have to rant on Twitter and Fox--but, wait, he does that anyway! So, why do actual journalists show up for these pointless 'press conference' rituals? It would be fun if they all stayed home, at least one time. Imagine the hissy fits!
27
This issue is so multi-layered. Yes ... for the press to boycott the president's briefings would add fuel to his (false) claim that the press is at war against this president. On the other hand, it would serve as a potent reminder that in constantly attacking reporters for doing their job which IS to question the actions of our government and make sure that it is working on behalf of the people. Mr. Trump's attacks thwart their ability to focus on the real issues and that is why he should be boycotted. If he refuses to answer real and serious questions about what is happening in government, the press should remove the spotlight from Mr. Trumps beady, needy eyes and take their questions to other members of the government - senators, congressmen, congresswomen, cabinet members, judges, attorneys, and staffers should prepare to speak about what is happening in our government until the president is ready to lead as opposed to divide. The office of POTUS should be taken very seriously. It is a powerful position to be in, but that doesn't equal using it shamelessly and self-servingly, and then whining that you're being treated unfairly. Respect is earned and unfortunately the current occupant of the esteemed office of POTUS has shown that neither he, nor his office, is currently worthy of that respect or esteem. Trump isn't our only source of information about our government and how it is performing. And until he can tell the truth no one is interested in what he has to say.
17
@Ken: Boycotting press conferences plays right into the hand of the far-right fascism of the Trump Administration. The liberal Press need to hold Trump's feet in the fire everyday by asking questions and reporting accurately. I silent press is not a free press.
This is a complete no-brainer.
He needs to be disciplined in the way he never was as a six-eight year old. When behavior required correcting he was never taught/conditioned how to modify it. So he just internalized bullying, tantrum throwing, and vile meanness as very successful tactics to get what he wanted. His elders in charge caved in too frequently just to get him to shut up or go away. As a result, he never grew out of it.
The electronic press should simply boycott all his press or
public events. To replace the priceless opportunity to listen
to his lies, bad taste idiocies, or ignorance, they should simply have their journalists summarize what the event consisted of, or what he said that may have some constructive content, but they should never actually broadcast what his eminence actually says. Nor should they even quote or cite an utterance that is clearly beneath the dignity of his office or is clearly not verifiable. This is the only reasonable way to maintain the dignity of the office that he so thoroughly has soiled.
A blackout of the cretinism is way overdue.
Our eight year old in charge needs to be taught a lesson, finally, that bad behavior has its price. In his case, a proper form of punishment is a loss of access to the media attention his ego feeds off to reinforce his conviction that he
is just the most important person in the whole entire universe.
37
@bl
Eight year old?
More like two to three, but I am an old guy, so maybe things have changed.
You can't beat crazy. There's no way to win an argument with a fool. Direct confrontation gives Trump what he wants.
Perhaps a symbolic response could be effective. As much as confrontation Trump loves imagery and branding.
Leave a front row seat empty for each press pass taken. Wear lapel pins in the shape of the numeral 1 as a constant reminder of the First Amendment. Lead with compliments or flattering remarks before proceeding with tough questions. Deprive the President his dramatic "Marine 1 at the ready" backdrop by asking questions only during formal briefings - reminding him of just how much he needs the press. He loves the power he holds over his captive audience hanging on his every word. Take some of it back.
25
Suppress the noise.
Be smarter (yes it is low bar). Try a different kids of boycott - send minority women only to the press briefings and make sure they ask only tough questions about tariffs, N. Korea, health care cost, the deficit.
Don't ask him the questions he wants you to ask (corruption, Russia, the elections, immigration - unless it is a democratic authored bill to address real problems with real solutions).
Illuminate his failures by asking serious questions.
Focus on his actions/inactions - not his noise.
29
How about all like-minded reporters getting together ahead of time and picking points that they won't let go of. When Acosta can't get an answer and he calls on someone else let them ask the same thing over and over, civilly, respectfully, rationally, but until there is an answer or he has a fit. If he starts kicking everyone out besides those that agree with him, that will certainly show something. Of course that will take some ego control on reporters' parts.
17
@Carol Reingold Good idea, but that would require a coordination of effort of which the media may not be capable. They are in competition with each other, plus the individual journalists compete to make a name for themselves and get invited to Hardball or Meet the Press.
2
@EJS True, but I thought I’d put it out there nonetheless. Thanks for reading and thinking about it.
The man is a natural clown--very amusing. Treat him as a clown who specializes in fantasy and alternative-fact world. Let him perform his "shtick", then follow with "According to Trump, this was the largest crowd in history!" followed by laughs. Then the voice over follows with "The truth is that this was much smaller than Obama's crowd at his inauguration in 2012." If we realize that this man is a joke, we can enjoy his nonsense.
6
Send one reporter to the WH briefing to ask questions submitted by all. Trump needs the press to breathe life into the hate that keeps his followers in line. Cut him off and he'll change
9
Yes discontinue or make his coverage very limited. He loves his own presence and voice. 2/3 of us are sick and tired of his bulling and nonsense. The man is dangerous to our Country.
26
Absolutely! The best thing in the world would be for people to completely ignore this guy; it would devastate him!
9
Seriously? After nearly two years of lies and bullying and racist rants, we're still asking that question? The answer is yes!
7
The press is obligated to cover newsworthy details about the president's briefings or events, and should do so. The operative word there, of course, is "newsworthy". They need not publish the tweets and otherwise demeaning statements he makes, however. A solution might be to create a separate section of the paper, or in televised broadcasts, a segment at the end of a program, to print his statements ... and beneath each point out untruths. NEVER get them to the front page, or allocate much screen time.
In a news conference, when one reporter asked a question and is sidelined, every other reporter, when called upon, should restate the same question until it is answered. They did this in the Netherlands to our ambassador upon his arrival there, I believe, and it worked very well.
And, finally, end live broadcasts of his interviews entirely. Review them for falsehoods, and when broadcasting the interview, stop to provide background facts ... then explain what is inaccurate in each statement. Now, the president's words get out there first, and inaccuracies published days or even hours later are simply lost, overrun by the next day's news cycle.
A strategy includes more than one tactic, and there are many. The problem, of course, is that each journalist is competing with every other. Change the game!
36
@Diane Palmer -- Absolutely EXCELLENT advice!!! Yes. Changing the game requires cooperation, not competition. Once that issue is solved, then, as you suggest, the press should cover the president on their terms, not his.
11
@Diane Palmer
Brilliant: "In a news conference, when one reporter asked a question and is sidelined, every other reporter, when called upon, should restate the same question until it is answered."
Suggest continuing the same question at each opportunity until it is answered clearly and concisely.
Does the press have enough discipline to carry this out?
1
While all of this is going on, the earth keeps turning, we get up in the morning and go to work, and school and pay our bills and raise our children. And hope for good health for our families. We also pray for a better government. Ask your questions, take his answers. We are smart. We have common sense, we know right from wrong. Don’t get into arguments you can’t win and don’t get the news out. Follow him but don’t engage him. Draw your own conclusions. Confrontation brings you down to a lower level. Keep doing your jobs. We need you. This country needs you.
8
Asking political strategists for journalism advice is wrong on multiple fronts.
Journalists must tell the truth. Lead with the truth, facts and evidence.
Explain, but do not quote, reprint or retweet any lie, falsehood, misleading statement - any thing that doesn't fall squarely on the side of truth, verifiable evidence and fact.
Summarize with the truth in accurate context.
Linguist George Lakoff terms this a truth sandwich. It defangs lies, suffocates them, and provides accuracy in reporting.
We need the truth.
An informed citizen relies on truth and evidence in a democracy.
We deserve the truth.
As NYU Professor Jay Rosen has urged: send only your interns to cover the White House. Investigative journalism doesn't start, rely on or end there. The executive branch can be covered more than adequately from outside the grounds.
15
Half of America and most of your readers have been begging for a reprieve from the always-on Trump reality show. Can you give it all a rest? Call it a boycott, call in sick, whatever. Stop feeding the fire with more coverage. Take a vacation. All of you. You deserve it.
23
My simple answer to the question posed by this article is: yes. Do not repeat every outrageous tweet DJT issues and every outrageous rumor circulated by the White House. That's how they control the media and make it their big publicity outlet. Cover only what DJT does, what he actually signs and whom he actually appoints. End the circus by shutting your ears to the carnival barker.
29
@Wilton Traveler I would go even a bit further, adding don’t play videos of the carnival barker or his minions spreading lies. Just report the truth.
3
@Wilton Traveler
The you can't ignore nor can you control a fascist White House administration. The new Nazi Party(formerly republican party) zombies are dangerous.
The Press doesn't need to boycott White House press briefings on behalf of Jim Acosta. They can simply dismiss the briefings as a complete waste of time. Why would any self-respecting journalist submit themselves to getting lied at for 30 minutes whenever Huckabee Sanders disdains to address them? The White House has already made the ritual a sham. The Press need not participate. They only need to state clearly their reasons why. Jim Acosta doesn't have to be on the list.
23
@Andy
I agree. Let Trump and the press secretary get a taste of their own medicine by having to only answer questions from those in the media who are eager to spread falsehoods.
Instead, those in the press who are seeking the truth should get their information from the leaders of the house and Senate who should also be prepared to brief on what the executive branch is doing. Certainly the democratic leaders should be willing to participate.
2
Yes,
He Should have been ignored years ago, esp during the Presidential Campaign 2016.
The press is just feeding his frenzy.
11
We are all missing the point. Corporate journalism, as stated by Jeff Zucker, is about ratings and profits. True journalism mostly went out the window when the newsroom became a profit center.
9
Trump talks nonsense, and it becomes front page headlines and generates millions of revenue-generating clicks. A large industry now exists fueled entirely by Trump drivel, supported both by people who love everything he says and people who hate everything he says but enjoy reading about how horrible he is. Financially, it's become one of the few bright spots in the media landscape, with ads in Trump-based stories selling for multiples of ads in ordinary stories. If the usual pattern holds, this industry will soon have (or already has) its own lobbyists and entrenched interests making discreet campaign contributions to ensure that the Donald is never muzzled, and that he continues to receive preferential placement. Frankly, I think the only way to stop this Trump juggernaut is to find someone even more insane.
2
I'm surprised that anyone makes getting back Accosta's pass the point of it all. The point is that democracy depends upon the President facing the public and answering for his policies and behavior. In beating down Accosta, Trump is seeking more space to pursue his harmful and sometimes deranged and malevolent behavior without having to answer for it. In the broadest sense, reporters do not belong to a media outlet, they are servants of the public. Trump tried to evade Accosta's questions by verbally shoving and pummeling him. Likely that has already had an intimidating effect on other reporters, who must now fear "getting out of line" according to Trump's tyrannical demands. Look at him standing alone at the WWI events in France. He looks like he is simmering in a quiet tantrum because he is not the center of attention. That's what a tyrant he is. This is not politics and political strategists won't help you. Media is being put on the spot to defend freedom of the press or bow down to tyranny. If there is a basis for multiple news outlets to join onto a lawsuit, they should. All reporters should have walked out when Accosta was treated that way. That doesn't mean there should be a general boycott. It just means applying tit for tat. Talk shows should cease inviting members of the administration. Editors should use big headlines and lengthy, hard-hitting articles to focus on this blow to freedom of the press. Because it is a blow.
8
Attend his briefings. When he tells a lie, respectfully cite the truth and give him an opportunity to correct himself noting that a failure to do so will be interpreted as an intent to deceive. Report his lies within a black bordered box headlined Today's Presidential Lies. Quote him verbatim - then set out the truth with references to sources. Say no more.
As to his insulting, crazy behaviors, report them similarly - briefly set out what he did, its apparent intent whether it be to distract or gin up the base through hysteria or fear and say no more about it.
I personally could do with never hearing his voice broadcast again. I'd much prefer that a calm reporter simply state what he said and identify it as true or false and intended to convey important information to the public or to distract or gin up the base.
5
I would like to see the press, en bloc, refuse to let him (or anyone speaking for the White House) not answer a question. If the first questioner is ignored or - as is more likely - disparaged, then the next reporter should ask the same question. They should continue this ad infinitum or until the question is answered. They can do it politely, but they ought to do it. We need the Fourth Estate!
10
@Judy - I have seen them do that several times, but Trump or Huckabee just repeat the lies, or alternative facts, and cry about "fake news". Anyway, they should continue the same and, eventually, Trump will be gone and some truth may eventually bubble up to the executive branch.
The press SHOULD be at war with Trump, as they should be with anyone who lies as many times as he breathes, let alone one who controls so much (though not as much as he thinks he does: if it involves more than signing his name, Trump is clueless in every political respect). And the best way to win this war is to out every lie, expose every illegal act, and do it all often and loudly. So they don't get invited to Trump's parties? Thank you, Jesus! Win-win!
6
For one week, print nothing about Donald Trump. Not his vicious tweets, not his bigoted policies and statements, nothing. Why is the press reporting his baseless comments about the Florida recount? Why did the press over-cover his comments about the caravan of people marching through Mexico? Why, why, why reprint his tweets? Spend a week commenting about what committees the new House members are joining, or write about weather-related issues, or write about anything. There is news out there that does not include our president.
10
I would suggest that the press Corp attend briefings but walk out en masse with the first falsehood. Say the word,”LIE.” Then walk. Make it clear that lies will get no coverage.
8
When Mr Trump comes on the tv, I mute it. When Sarah Sanders comes on the tv, I mute it. Lindsey Graham, VP Pence, McConnell, all muted in my house. We watch a lot of quiet tv these days. It’s the power I have to end the constant garbage low life lying that is current news.
I suggest to the major news organizations to do the same. These people are no longer newsworthy. Mute them.
11
@Lake Monster
A better idea is just change the channel. The history channel is great. Cooking shows are fun and informative. There are plenty of movies and tv shows to enjoy.
Why waste time watching their ugly faces?
I've been wondering for over a year why the Press shows up for press conferences with Sarah Huckabee Sanders? What's the point? She lies, she offers no helpful information. It's a waste of time. The Press should boycott her press conferences, but there must be a clear statement from the Press as to why they are boycotting. We should not hesitate to state this administration LIES.
16
@Tom
Whatever happened to Thou Shalt Not Lie?
Especially with a preacher for a father!
Oh well, it's only recently that I learned that Evangelicals AKA the " christian" right is not really Christian in the way that most of us understand what it is to be Christian - you know Christ like.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, like her father do not fashion themselves in the mold of Christ.
What I've learned is that Evangelicals are ideological rather than religious.
Cultists. So, treat them as such.
The press should continue attending press conferences, even Sarah Sanders' lie-spewing festivals (record her lies and move on). Don't get into a food fight with Trump because that's what he wants. At his conferences, just ask him pertinent questions, record his answers, say "Thank you, Mr. President," and leave. Keep it strictly business; don't make it personal. And don't cover Trump's tweets; they tend to be sensational nonsense. This way we'll see less of him in the news -- and seeing less of him is something we all need.
2
Yes, cover Trump professionally, but don’t make his antics the lead story, and don’t plaster his photo on every story. Trump theater needs to be starved with media restraint and attention to real issues.
11
During months and months watching Sarah Huckabee Sanders answer press questions with non-answers, I've often wondered why the White House press corps even bothers to be there.
I think a one-day boycott is an excellent way to make a statement that we do, indeed, have a free press and will support any and every effort to hold on to that precious Constitutional provision.
We wouldn't miss much during a day off. Trump tweets everything Sanders says, anyway.
6
Whether they have press conferences or not, none of them should stand silently when insulted personally. They should say something back immediately, as would any self-respecting person. "I don't appreciate your saying that." "That is not true." "That is hurtful and false." Whatever. These folks are getting punked and don't seem to stand up for themselves as individuals. Everyone of them needs to do this. It's a matter of respect toward another human being, someone who is just doing their job. So, if Trump is going to use the press for his own political purposes, the press needs to play politics by respectfully standing up and saying "no" and setting limits. Sound familiar? It's just like what you do with Kindergarteners.
4
Here's the problem: The lies often come out of some place several ZIP codes beyond left field. Which means you can't prep for them and refute in real time.
If you have to wait until you get back to the newsroom to call a lie a lie, that's too late.
Their job is to catch the reporters flatfooted and gapmouthed. And they're winning.
Let the President be a child, reporters should continue to do their job and cover what he says and does. Continue to cover him and question him even stronger on the issues of the day. Try to stay out of the mud pit though because then you are playing his game (though I thought questioning his use of the word 'nationalist' was fair, he could have answered it easily). Far more important questions should be asked such as what is the administration planning on doing about the exploding deficit? What is he doing to address N. Korea's continued nuclear program? Does he still think Climate Change is a hoax? These are questions that hold his feet to the fire and make him answer policy questions.
2
Yes, the press should impose a news blackout on Trump and boycott all his press conferences, announcements, lies, tweets and executive orders. The one thing a narcissistic bully cannot stand is being ignored.
11
If the press chooses to lower itself to Trump behavior, Trump will always win. The President owns the bully pulpit. The press has to remain professional and respectful, even when it is not deserved. That does not mean they should stop asking the hard questions---but they should not try to bully the President or attempt to become a celebrity, as could fairly be claimed about Mr. Acosta. With anything less than respectful behavior, Trump will always be able to claim he is being persecuted by an unfair press, and we already know how well that has worked for him.
1
The best way to deal with Trump's attacks on the press is to report the news. If he attacks, report the facts and provide context and background for the public and then get on with business. Do not allow the press to become the story. This only buries the stories Trump wants to hide and makes "the media" the news. The public, for the most part, does not care about "whining" reporters. If reporters want to boycott, they should boycott Sarah Sanders press briefings, where she constantly provides lies to back up Trump's latest deceptions.
5
If the press were to boycott the president it would be like saying that what he says has no meaning.
Now I will say that what he says most often as not are either lies or fake news or issues made up in his mind but he is still the president and the country and the world want to hear what he has to say.
Fortunately for us right now we have a free press and for the most part they do a great job in informing the public what is going on. Their job under this president has become harder then ever before, but they need to keep an eye an ear out for what is going on in DC so the country is not blindsided by something he does.
2
Should the Press boycott Trump?
If Trump's press conferences deny the press the opportunity to question his politics of nationalism, the press should not hold press conferences with him. Otherwise, the press becomes Trump's nationalist megaphone and nothing more.
Nationalists are not patriots. Americans should not be bilked into conflating the two. There is a big difference.
It has been said that a patriot is proud of his country for what it does, whereas a nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does.
The blind arrogance of nationalism does not exact responsibility from its leaders, only power and dominance. Patriotism demands that its leaders live up to its country's ideals, and holds them accountable if they don't.
On the international front, Charles de Gaulle explained the difference this way: "Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate of people other than your own comes first."
15
I wish the press would put a moratorium on "t"s press conferences. We've had more than enough of his irrelevant rants. If he doesn't like a question, he's rude and insulting. Most of the country, ( the world ) has had more than enough of him.
18
They must continue to cover the "president" but they could and should start calling a lie a lie. It's not "misspoke"; it's "lied".
34
President Trump now encounters the media on the White House driveway side stepping his own press secretary. It's all show and he invents disputes. The president acts out WWF schtick and carnival antics because it's fun and better than being bored to tears in the Oval Office. The best method for media is to issue written messages on screen or by webpages or magazines. Do not give Mr. Trump audio airtime or allow him to be seen. Text coverage only for a couple of weeks. He craves attention, and media profits from it. Once the president realizes that the media can and will strip him of air time he will moderate his behavior for a while.
11
@David Fairbanks
Maybe, but ever wstch a 2 year old having a temper tantrum?
If he's denied attention he gets louder and crazier.
Trump behaves the same way as a 2 year old. Deny him attention for his bad behavior. Nothing else is working.
4
@David Fairbanks
I agree with most of your message up to the sentence that he will moderate his behavior. That will never happen, but it will rob him of at least a day of high visibility, which feeds the monster in him.
A mid-west newspaper took the gutsy step a while back of removing him from front page and above-the-fold visibility and relegated him to a single inside page(s) to fill people in on his daily destruction. It worked, and the readers loved it.
I know it's probably unrealistic to expect a newspaper of note like The New York Times to follow suit, but an aggregate of papers willing to send up a trial balloon and try it would be a remarkable and welcome feat. The side benefit would be a package of his daily life and lies to run through and compare. (E.g., "I don't know Matt Whittaker" juxtaposed with "I know Matt Whittaker.")
Robert Mueller, we need you more than ever.
4
I’ve taken to fast-forwarding every time trump’s face appears on my pre-recorded shows. There is nothing the man says that keeps me better informed. The “news” shows that follow him around like an evil Elvis likewise don’t get my attention. Nor do his tweets. I’ve also given up on the late night guys obsessed with him. Why not go a week ignoring him? Trying to shut him down any other way is like trying to stop drivers from slowing down to gawk when they pass a fender-bender. He’s somebody else’s story, not mine.
7
Cut the free media exposure impact. The inflicted wounds on such a narcissist would be uge. Fox won't be much of a power tool after he's gone with so many --former-- Trump voters shift their ratings elsewhere.
4
Trump's biggest fear is being laughed at.
The press have to maintain their dignity, but protesters should take this to heart. Instead of signs, demands, and anger, they should point and laugh. Loudly, gleefully, and en masse. Be wherever he is, and mock him.
And the press will cover it with pleasure.
16
there is a more subtle way to boycott the president and that is to only report on things he says that are true. His lies often make the headlines. When he says one of the lies that we have already verified as being untrue it should not be reported. Period.
13
There is no way to preverify every damfool thing that comes out of Our President's mouth. That's his game, and if you try to play it, you're already a loser.
The only solution is to play a different game.
As with all bullies, the key is to engage - fully, aggressively, but *always* asymmetrically.
1. It IS absolutely scandalous that Acosta lost his credentials for no good reason at all (no, asking whether your actions increase extremist violence is not a racist question, of course, it's a question that accepts the mere fact that the way leaders speak affects extremist groups, in one way or another, and giving a leader a chance to defend his own kind of speech) and based on a White House lie (I saw the press conference live, of course he didn't touch her inappropriately when she was trying to wrestle the mike out of his hands - and THAT was an inappropriate action for a WH aide to do).
2. That many people couldn't care less means that they don't care about freedom of the press and/or ignore what that actually means and why it's so central to the greatness of this country. THAT is a problem, IF you want to keep that greatness alive. So the media shouldn't ignore this problem, but take it seriously and do something about it.
3. Asking Trump tough questions by definition means giving him the occasion to fire up his base. That shouldn't be a reason to stop asking those questions, so each time he takes away someone's credentials, new journalists should stand up who continue to do the exact same thing. No boycott, just showing respect for the presidency BY asking tough questions.
4. Media don't just report the news, they are supposed to provide context. The best way to fight back is to systematically mention WHAT Dems are doing, and how that is gradually improving things
4
@Ana Luisa Here is a suggestion:
When Democrats or individuals are attacked with falsehoods, news programs could give them or the person named equal airtime to correct or defend themselves if they wish immediately after. For example a statement like "The Democrats are in favor of open borders", could be immediately be followed by a Democratic Senator or Congressman speaking to that issue and correcting the notion with facts from the past and their own current thinking. In other words follow the airing of an excerpt from a rally or news conference with the President with the option for a live rebuttal and after that pass the baton to the by news analysts for further discussions.
3
@A reader
Good idea.
We do have to go further though, imho.
As long as the media limits itself to debunking Trump's lies, he's setting the media's agenda.
Poll after poll shows that only half of those eligible to vote actually vote, and that th vast majority of those who don't vote tend to agree with Democrats on most issues.
That means that one of the most efficient ways to do the job the fourth branch of government has to do in order to obtain a thriving democracy is to actively write your articles keeping in mind what makes those people stay home rather than vote.
Studies show that time and again, the main cause here is "political illiteracy": not knowing how real, lasting legislative change happens, and as a consequence, getting discouraged when it doesn't happen overnight.
Imho the most important way to fight back against a presidency that is merely representing a minority of Americans, AND that is only officially representing that minority because of the many lies they made their voters believe, is to constantly inform the majority not only in such a way that lies are systematically debunked, but especially also in such a way that real legislative victories are systematically mentioned, explained and celebrated.
Democrats manage to block the replacement of Obamacare with something nobody wants but the GOP tries to pass? Explain WHAT the ACA is doing, how many lives it saved, HOW Pelosi and Schumer managed to get their caucus together, who benefits etc.
Some political strategists argue that the press should ignore the president’s insults and boorish behavior towards them, not make themselves part of the story and just get on with their job. However, that ignores the significant danger in this president’s attempts to muzzle and discredit the press in order to control the narrative. It is a story that needs to be told. A story that is just as important as tax cuts, health reform, immigration policies. It is an attack on a democratic institution by this administration. Such an attack is a step in the direction of autocracy and cannot be ignored without dire consequences down the road. Call it meta-journalism if you will, but reports on how journalists are being undermined need to be heard. The New York Times and other papers may be reluctant to address the issue and wish to avoid direct confrontation for fear of appearing partisan or losing access to the White House briefings. To get around this dilemma, the White House Correspondent’s Association could hire a group of independent journalists to cover this issue specifically with their articles shared among all correspondants. Or have them publish them online independently, with no specific media affiliation beyond that of an umbrella association of journalists. Journalists need more than ever to work together to preserve democracy.
8
But his attacks on the press are a big part of the story. Report but do it coldly. Go to the press conferences and sessions but don’t ask questions. Let them walk into their own punches, for a while. Selectively boycott. Say one out of theee.
2
First he is for something next day against! Why bother covering his nonsense! The media created him by covering his dismal tv reality show and every minute of his campaign utterances!!
Let cspan cover briefings with a camera person and a correspondent so that what is said by a spokeperson is on record!
His tweets are his record! But he is never held accountable for constantly ‘flip-flopping”!
Another commentor pointed out the real story...policy that is being enacted by the various cabinet departments which favors raw, craven capitalism over the commonweal of Mom and Pop Mainstreet!
Twitter allows him to blather on with his mindless prattle! I don’t need it regurgitated by othe media outlets!
14
We hope the media follows Lakoff's advice. Report reality in the news everyday and, when Trump lies, report that Trump is a liar. Very simple.
9
While trump may be incompetent in governing and policy development, he is a master showman and propagandist. An earlier idea to send lower level staffers to cover press conferences might reduce his opportunities for disparaging the press. Anything that deprives him of the attention he desperately seeks is a good thing, and robs state media (Fox "news") of sound bites.
Notice that he's recently refused to answer controversial questions by just stating "what a stupid question", "what a racist question"? If the press can't get him to explain his nationalism and racist statements, what's the point of asking him anything?
9
@AJ: A useful approach would be for the press to unify in asking follow-up questions. If one reporter's question does not receive a satisfactory answer, the next reporter called on should ask the logical follow up, e.g., ask for clarification. This may mean a reporter may have to forgo his or her prepared question. There are worse things.
1
California is in the midst of some of the worst wildfires it it's history, with over at least 29 lives lost, thousands of homes and businesses, and thousands of acres burned. At the height of this catastrophe in his typically heartless fashion, Trump chose to attack the victims, blamed the fires on California and threatened to take away funding. It was a mean, ignorant statement, made by an uninformed vindictive old man, nothing more . This attack was immediately elevated to the top of the news, making the president's opinion expressed in a tweet more important than the tragedy itself. This happens regularly in the news because it sells news. Important news stories are taken over and become stories about Trump's reaction to them. It has to stop. The media industry, not the press, is doing tremendous damage in the way that it prioritizes stories and seems to continually put Trump at the center of the news Universe.
70
@PaulM
Trump's profound ignorance made me wonder if he'd ever been in a forest.
5
Trump, Sanders, Conway and others have NEVER, not once had anything of substance to offer the press, yet they persist in distraction.
Meanwhile, the White House is gutting our federal agencies and institutions, sowing chaos in global relations and risking daily nuclear or climate obliteration.
I support a boycott because the press isn't covering the REAL news and hasn't for a minimum of two years.
11
Without the press, there is no Trump. He does not exist, even to himself, without it. To suddenly turn off his access to the public would be a crushing blow. He depends on the press always being there for him, even as he abuses and insults its members, because he knows that without it he is just another fat man in an ill-fitting suit.
57
Indeed, attending Trump's (and Sander's) press conferences is a waste of time and efforts, as he (they) will cut journalists' questions abruptly when inconvenient, a distinct abuse of power that is becoming intolerable. Boicotting these meetings would be an excellent start to restore sanity. Trump lies at will whenever he opens his big mouth anyway, why bother? Fascist Trump's aim is to continue with his hateful tirade of insulting the press as 'the enemy of the people', classic despot in the making. Let Fox Noise, Trump'spropaganda arm, take the brunt of his ire if it still has true journalists seeking the truth.
3
Someone posted on Twitter that every news outlet ought to send a black, female reporter to the press briefings. Brilliant.
61
@Valletta
Just last week at the press conference the day after the election, where Trump attacked Jake Tapper of CNN, he was also demeaning & verbally abusive to at least 2 female African American reporters, including Yamiche Alcindor of PBS. And these certainly aren't the only women of color he crudely & needlessly attacks practically every day. In spite of this, I agree that more women, particularly more women of color, need to be a strong presence at his press conferences & that his behavior towards them, and indeed towards all reporters, needs to be fully & openly recorded & publicized widely.
1
@Valletta
There is a deep irony in this
brouhaha however, and it involves not only Trump’s bias against black women but also a recognition of the media’s historical bias against black women and men.
To see young black women in the press corps has everything to do with Obama sending a wake-up call to the outlets.
All of a sudden they had to find black folks.
Note how very young are those within the black talent pool. No deep bench there because none was developed. The media has only itself to blame for its shameful but intentional biases.
This falls under the same category as NBC jettisoning Tamrin Hall and Al Roker for Fox’s fox.
Look sideways at the media’s self-conscious game of victimization.
I recall the former host of Meet the Press, Tim Russert, speaking and writing of the Irish having gained control of the media. He was proud and loud about this.
What he didn’t acknowledge is that in an environment where jobs are hard to come by at the highest echelons black women had been essentially ignored, except for Oprah, a star, who is used as a stand-in for every black woman for every thing in America. That is not meant to offend Oprah but to explain the weird rationales of those in charge.
The media has its own work to do.
Way before today there have (always) been extremely well-educated, articulate and attractive black women - of all shades!- who possesses the poise and presence that would have been a win-win.
I mean is Andrew Cuomo really that good?
1
@HMJ
Apologies: meant to say Chris Cuomo, not Andrew, in the last sentence.
The family plan got me confused.
You can't boycott the White House; but, you could make black female journalists your White House Correspondent. I wonder how chatty Trump would be then.
16
Wouldn’t it be interesting not to report on him at all? He clearly enjoys the coverage/ the game. Maybe his antics would stop then?
7
The press has slavishly followed every word from the bloviator Trump. He's pushy and forces himself into the limelight. He began by making fake phone calls back in the 70's to stoke press about himself. Fast forward to Trump's birtherism campaign which launched his presidential campaign, and we have witnessed the press fall over themselves to 'cover' Trump.
We can not forget Les Mooves of CBS extolling the ratings gold that Trump brings.
The press has made their bed and can not now complain about being manipulated and abused by Trump. This is not new.
A boycott will feed right into Trump's playbook and the press will not 'win'.
So best course is business as usual.
1
I love the idea of Trump ranting to an empty press room, but unfortunately it wouldn't be empty. The hard right will always be there. We won't surrender the territory to them.
6
The boycott would be pointless and self-defeating. What I would like to see are questions about all the lies Trump tells. Every question, at every press conference, should go straight to the President's credibility, to wit;
"Mr. President, it's clear that Mr. Whitaker has been to the Oval Office many times. How can you say you don't know him?"
Play hardball, but do it with a smile on your face...
15
How about starting a new movement: #trumpfreetuesday? The media can skip press conferences, stand down from covering the President and focus on issues, as this article suggests. The volume of negativity in the news and flame wars on social media could be blissfully lower. This could become a weekly national holiday with more people smiling, birds singing and an increase in more intelligent conversations everywhere.
8
What a great idea. A day with only the rest of the news and nothing about Trump. That would be pure bliss.
The press needs to stop attending Sarah Sander's press conferences. She lies or doesn't answer questions. These conferences are a waste of time for reporters. As for Trump, minimizing TV coverage of him is the best way to neutralize his negativity. Just report the exact words he says in a neutral tone. People do need to hear what he says because he is an elected official, but since most of what he says are rants that never lead to any policy changes, the only reason to report on him is so that the people who must decide on who to vote for in 2020 can continue to see how silly and stupid he is.
12
I wish that instead of the latest White House drama which he will inevitably obfuscate, at every presser there should be questions about real policy. Ask about the changes to radioactive worker standards, public land policy, veterans policies, shoring up Medicare, national debt, etc. Two reasons, we the public deserve to know and he needs to be held accountable for his cabinet's policies. It has the added benefit of making the press appear to be working on behalf of the public.
11
When 45 starts to show respect for his office, humility and compassion to others, then he can expect respect. A schoolyard bully with a dark heart should always be challenged. No need to leave the room. Reporters do their jobs, fight back with civility as Mr. Acosta did. He can't fire us all. 45 wins if truth bearers disappear. We shouldn't fall for his diversionary tactics. Keep your eyes on the prize, journalists. Not a Pulitzer Prize, but the truth in all this mess. Children in cages, immigrants and asylum seekers demonized, victims of catastrophes left without water, electricity and hope. Outrageous self enrichment, ignoring the poor and under served.
11
For a narcissist like Trump, publicity is what keeps him going, both negative and positive reports are OK - as long as his name is in the news with a different blockbuster each day. So. going mute on him would probably drive him crazy. He needs to be heard, so stopping the daily onslaught of Trump news would be a real change.
The problem is that, in our democracy - so called - there are too many outlets, both journalistic and legislative to get to a total ban on all news about his latest Tweet. But it would be worth a try.
4
Does the media have the courage to stop covering and not promoting Trump? The Media companies make so much money covering Trump. People can’t get enough of Trump and the media is in its golden age of popularity and a financial windfall making up for the boring years covering politics. It’s awful that the country must suffer from Trump’s decisions and behavior while all Media (both sides) benefit from covering it non stop.
The Media criticizes how the republicans are complicit. All Media are, too.
9
From all his words, It is clear that trumpski is the bully in the playground in the elementary school play yard with the small blacktop area, and the bully's out there controlling all the play. The move by Mr. Z. Not to focus too much on this may be followed by others. Perhaps not focusing on everything the bully in the playground says will be of some enduring value, both for the rest of the others who just want to play and the bully himself.
5
The press needs to show up AND back each other up until a question is answered by Trump or Sanders fully and truthfully. If either of them deflects or offers up a half-truth, the next reporter with a question must ask re-ask the question. If Trump or Sanders won't be honest, let them be the ones to show their pettiness and cancel the remainder of the press conference.
25
O god, yes! Report all the administrative and policy shenanigans, the corruption, but don't give him a voice. I realize that this is wishful thinking. He makes so much money for them. Even an empty podium with his name gets viewership. He's the goose that lays all the golden eggs.
I must admit that reading how cadet Bone-spurs had ditched paying respects to dead American servicemen because of a few rain drops was both entertaining and depressing at once. That he's a hero to some veterans and current military service personnel is still baffling.
10
I just purchased a fresh batch of popcorn after the midterms...
Please don't boycott this train wreck now!
1
The press needs to reestablish itself as the fourth estate. Members of the press need to hold elected official accountable with tough questions and cross examinations. There always is a way to do your job as a reporters. Sometimes courage is silence and patience and at times courage is fact based outrage. Do not let up on the president and do not fall into his dialogue traps and stand-up antics.
4
he wants attention, by picking fights, don't give him that, just ignore him and walk away.
report the facts and people will judge.
8
Nice going.
The press needs to show up for press briefings, taking the high road, to do the important job for the rest of us who can't be present.
Despite the short shrift they get, called on like cowered school kids keeping in line afraid of the caning, I also agree that the tone of the press should set a high standard of respect.
This said, the press needs to continue to ask the important questions, even meeting ahead of time to be sure they hit the mark.
It will be up to the manipulating Sanders/Trump team to deny, obfuscate, attack, not the press.
But, armed with the facts as they have smartly gotten them, the press can report back to us the results of their investigation as clearly and unemotionally as possible.
The Democrats gain of the House shows someone out here is listening.
8
I have been thinking there are too many questions from reporters when Trump is on WH lawn getting ready to go someplace. Ask some important and pertinent questions then thank him and stop. Trump takes great advantage of all the press in front of him and goes on and on like what he is saying is worth listening to. Mostly it is not. Trump is just enjoying the limelight on the WH lawn.
49
All News Media should have used this ploy when Trump began his attack of the Free Press. Voter fraud is almost non-existent anymore in this day and age of high-end technology. For example: voter fraud was such a huge problem that during a five year period in the Bush Administration, when 196 million votes were cast, the number of cases of voter fraud reached 86. Not 86,000. 86. Here’s what that number looks like as a percentage of votes cast. .00004%. Four one hundred thousandths of a percent. Governor Scott is daft if he thinks there could possibly be another voter disaster happen in Florida.
The Press Corps could send a huge message to the American people and the world if when one of them is attacked by Trump, all of them simply get up and leave the room leaving Trump no one to bellow at...except maybe Fox News.
53
if the press wants to get Trump's goat, why don't they simply make a point of prioritizing other Republican leaders over him, as though the others are now the real brains, the real chiefs, the really exciting thinkers & doers? Praise the president in passing for having learned how to cede center stage to younger, more attractive and charismatic personalities w/in his own movement, then turn the spotlights on Pompeo, Mnuchin, etc.
11
Yes, sometimes members of the press grandstand when asking questions of any president, not only Trump. I remember then President Obama gently chiding CBS's Major Garrett for an obnoxious question during a press conference. Presidents must have sufficiently thick skin to let these minor affronts go. If Mr. Acosta wants his press pass back, a civil rights lawsuit might be the way to go. The advantage of a lawsuit, if (hopefully) successful, is that it would protect other members of the press from similar actions.
7
The President says he uses Twitter to go around the news and get his views directly to the people. And he has what 50million followers? So why report his tweets? He certainly has a bigger circulation than any newspaper or tv news program so let him tweet away and only report the news; only ask him questions about policy whenever he makes himself available; and do the same with Sanders. Even when he tweeted that he had replaced Sessions before his "resignation " letter was released, it should have been ignored. There was going to be an official announcement so..just a thought.
59
Some time you can not pick the battle that you want to fight.
This is a battle that the press collective must fight and make a stand. Revoking Mr. Acosta credential without any cause let alone just cause seem to have clearly violate 'Freedom of the Press' clause in the constitution. This is a slippery slope that the press must fight right here, they must walkout, boycott, and make 'Freedom of the Press' fight front and center. The boycott will starve Trump the oxygen that he crave. Start to report on all other news.
19
There are members of the press that I admire who don't attend press conferences but rely on their "sources" for more accurate information. Accurate information is what I care about above all so that those in power are held accountable.
9
Aren't many reporters in fact "at war with the president?" One does not have to be a fan of Trump to observe that Acosta customarily used his White House press conference opportunities to debate with Trump, which is not his job, as much as to ask "tough" questions. The president certainly specializes in being abusive, but reporters appear to strive to match him insult for insult. He is more visible (and better at it), but there are a lot more of them, and so the "discourse" is far more irritating than enlightening.
I suspect that Trump might welcome a boycott from reporters; he still has Twitter. But much of the public might also express a sigh of relief.
6
Yes, yes they should. Any "journalist" or organization that can't be objective, stay to the 5 W's and how, should not cover anything.
2
President Trump's biggest assault on the MSM has been his normalization of the alt-right media and use of them and their propaganda as news sources. They are the real story here, and are perhaps the scariest aspect of the Trump Presidency.
Why isn't the MSM questioning him constantly about this , about the fact that he has, on more than one occasion, used doctored/fake videos to make his arguments, that he used to plant stories in tabloids about himself, and had them sitting on stories?
It's one thing to report these things, and it is another to question him about them in a press conference. Why aren't they constantly pressuring him about relying on alt-right media sources? Why aren't they shaming Trump for even allowing these sources to be in news conferences?
Have they asked him about the appropriateness of Sean Hannity participating in his rallies?
Maybe they should approach it in a sly fashion and ask him softball questions for the secret to his "successful" strategy of winning over the public. Maybe they should ask him what differences he sees, if any, between running his business and running the gov't.
9
The problem is that none of the choices are good. Increasingly, I feel like we’re in the proverbial lobster pot and that, by the time we realize that doing something, anything, may be better than doing nothing, it may be too late.
6
The boycott is truly in order,
To cope with Dictator disorder,
His reality show
Now the US you know,
And that Wall that he wants on the Border.
His knowledge is iffy at best,
In Europe, offended with zest,
Hate he can dish
With rowdy relish,
The wicked Warlock of the West.
14
I do not agree with boycotting, this person is the President, he has to be covered. The boycot will only make the press a part of the story. Let's face it, the president has the upper hand in this situation, but the press has to do it's job, and not become part of the story. Do not go to his level, stay above the fray, and keep doing the people's work. The press only needs to worry about giving the people the information we need. Please do not become the story.
5
@Anthony White Good point! However, Trump's Tweets ARE the daily news and all the Press Corps has to do is report them and let the American people decide what is true and what is not. Imagine the look on Trump's face if after he attacked Acosta if the entire room was emptied and Trump had no one to blabber at.
Trump IS making the Press the story. Time to turn the tables and let Trump Tweet is own version of alternative facts.
3
@Anthony White Alas, the press IS a part of the story precisely because Trump attacks it. The free press in America is an integral part of democracy. An uninformed public cannot make an informed decision at the polls. Trump attacks the press just like dictators all over the world have done, albeit not jailing them yet, for a reason. He wants to control the narrative. The danger of not telling the story of his attacks on the press is that there may be no informed free press left in a couple of years. Just a lot of twitter propaganda.
It is inaccurate to say that this matter is not about the media. Trump is trying to turn the media into his own propaganda apparatus. Acosta's banning is a direct threat to open, honest reportage and it is a direct threat to the right of all Americans to be informed about their government.
18
@John Hurley Actually the media is a propaganda system, they made themselves this. See the headlines vs the actual story, the massive slant in both news and opinion, and the bias in the "news".
2
@vulcanalex, This is an exaggeration. The difficulty is the 24/7 news cycle which presents networks with many hours to fill. They have opted for "talk" shows which masquerade as "news" shows. The first order of business should be to stop covering on the news shows anything which is not based on verifiable facts, not about an actual event, or simply an expression of an opinion by the president or his staff.
There should be no use of his name, his photograph, his voice or video except during official speeches. There should be NO COVERAGE at all of any of his Twitter activity. The media networks are being played to create massive free publicity for an individual acting at being president. That needs to be starved for air and removed from television and radio.
11
@John Hurley Hear Hear, my thoughts exactly. Below a reply by vulcanalex illustrates your point. That reply shows that Trump has already succeeded in undermining the main stream press among a significant portion of voters. By constantly maligning the media he has convinced his public that any criticism of him can only be partisan and unfounded. A lesson he learned from Putin perhaps?
Trump does not deserve the deferential respect that reporters and others give him. He has tarnished the office of the president. When Trump starts attacking reporters because he doesn’t want to answer the question the reporters should respond by saying just answer the question! And other reporters should repeat the question until it is answered before moving on.
78
@Mary I could not agree with you more. Every other President has deserved that deferential respect. Trump does NOT. I have been saying the exact same thing about every reporter asking the exact same question until he answers it. I am so glad to see that someone has the same idea!
8
@Mary
I agree Trump deserves no respect. I'd like to see a BOLDER Press. Ask him questions that make him squirm. Confront him with his most awful statements. And don't let up. Every reporter must act in unity. We can begin to chip away at Trump's power by shaming and humiliating him in public. When more and more of his supporters see these videos and recognize his responses are not Presidential, they too will find it a challenge to support him.
6
@Mary
Agreed!
Firmly, calmly, hold your ground. But do not kowtow!!!
The chief executive is NOT a King or a Potentate.
The Press has Voice. It has Rights. It has Dignity. Assert your dignity. Proudly. But calmly.
3
“Now they’ll say, ‘How can we respect it when he doesn’t?’ O.K., that’s his problem. You showing it respect further elevates you above him, instead of being dragged down to his level.”
I could not agree more. The press needs to be more strategic in covering decisions and actions, rather than focusing so much on tweets. If the press would be more strategic in how it covers the antics, it would demonstrate a more responsible approach to domestic and international issues. The job of the press is cover all the news and not engage in petty one-up-manship with the White House. Boycotting the press briefings and summarizing comments outside the White House instead of showing video of the ridiculous exaggerations would be a start. The press has the power to control the White House access to the public. Using it more responsibly would be a good start.
23
A boycott isn't going to happen- the media loves the attention as much as Trump does.
4
Many reporters have a "gotcha" mentality. They are looking for ways to trip an interviewee up or embarrass him/her. This approach makes it more difficult for reporters who are trying to ask substantive questions and give their readers or listeners important news about policy. Example: what is the point asking constant questions re: the Mueller investigation unless there has been a new development such as an indictment?
2
@Janet Ingraham And why argue with the answer, the president has his opinion which is news, the media has their opinion which is not news.
1
@vulcanalex
The president's opinion is not news. Policy decisions, executive orders, signing bills, vetoing bills and appointing people to posts in the administration are actions that constitute news.
Trump's opinions are covered by his tweeting, and frankly offer nothing in regards to what is or isn't actually happening or going to happen. If people want to follow his 'stream of consciousness,' they can follow his Twitter feed.
The press should stick to presenting us with the facts and the background information we need in order to understand how Trump's actions, not his opinions, are affecting us.
2
@vulcanalex
Reporters must contradict Trump’s incessant lies and attacks. They must report the facts and confront him with them or his absurd fabrications go unchallenged.
The most important aspect of this unfortunate event has been overlooked by the press and the public.
Our gov't used false evidence to publicly accuse a reporter of a crime. That's an abuse of power.
304
There, with information about what constitutes "abuse of power" in laymen's terms, is the story Jeff. Thank you.
25
@Jeff False evidence? Did you see the event in real time? It was clearly assault and battery under the law. I would have warned him once then slapped his face. And nobody accused him officially of a crime, that would mean an arrest.
@vulcanalex is correct. There was indeed assault and battery. The Trump press aide initiated and committed the crime.
72
Wouldn’t it be great if the free press would entirely boycott One Trump’s called press conference.
5
I'd say, cut the audio. Let trump rant and rave all he wants but just don't broadcast. For then trump becomes no more than a silly looking talking head, and I do mean silly.
43
Oh, I've been dreaming about this for ages! Just stop press coverage of the simpleton! Just stop! The media should meet, agree that they will all stop coverage, and then ignore him! Without the constant attention of the world, he will resign!!!
49
Another suggestion to the press corps-
As part of question request an honest, fact based answer. When trump starts spewing falsehoods follow up questions requesting sources of “facts”.
23
@Matt So his opinion that the immigrants coming is an "invasion" is a lie? It is not, most of his "lies" are his opinions, which by their nature can't be lies.
@vulcanalex You say that everything Trump says is an "opinion." Since you've effectively erased the distinction between fact and opinion, I can now say with confidence that reporters' coverage of him is also THEIR opinion. They're entitled to their opinion, right?
So there's no difference at all between the editorial pages and the rest of the news. Brilliant analysis, vulcanalex!
Editors of news organizations constantly decide what is news worthy and should be covered and what should be ignored.
It clear that under Trump, the venerable White House briefing has become of negligible news value. Some days, it's a waste of time.
Media managers ought to come to grips with this new reality and assign coverage accordingly.
If all you get is Sarah Sanders hectoring and lying, what's the value in that?
Smart editors ought to at least curtail coverage. The Associated Press can be counted on to cover every briefing. All the other news organizations have the option of using AP stories and let their own reporters cover real news.
142
I concur, the press briefings deserve no more than a pool reporter as they tend toward complete fabrications of reality. I like some of the other comments: 'fill the press corps with black women', 'give meaningful time to the growing opposition [and FACT based positions]', 'discontinue giving time to these fake briefings', 'feature a running scorecard of facts against presidential claims'...
18
Although the President seems to be very against freedom of the press and against the freedom of speech I do not feel the press should boycott him. This would side with how he seems to be and he would probably enjoy having hand picked media at his limited press conferences. There always needs to be press coverage to watch and keep the public informed. The press has and will continue to be the eyes of the American people. The press will also act as a check for the President's policies.
5
The commenter above suggested only the AP cover it and if there is anything actually newsworthy, get the info from them. That works.
I say use the broken record technique. When trump insults or dodges a question, remind him verbally that his job is to serve the country, and answer the questions. But then the questions should focus more on policies, at least for now, to make this less like a circus and more professional. It might take the entire press corps to remind, in unison, that the president works for all of us, and his job is to answer the question.
32
@Sandra Urgo And Trump knows little about policy, so he'll use his vague language to cover-up his ignorance. Here's an example:
Mr President, what do you think of the new Farm Bill?
DJT- "It's a tremendous bill. It will be very, very good for so many people."
And his base will believe him.
9
@PRRH He knows a lot about policy, not so much about all the details, that is for his team. No reading briefing books or details of laws, that also is for someone else, like say Obama wasting time.
@vulcanalex
Beg to differ. Presidents should be knowledgeable about policy, including the details. Yeah, that Obamacare is a real bust, eh? It just cost the GOP the House.
Yes. I've been stating this for over a Year. Lack of attention and, especially, laughing AT Him, is His Achilles heel. Even worse than the phantom Bone Spurs. Seriously.
52
All the media should boycott the President and let the reporters spend time researching real news. the daily whims of this President are not newsworthy, because nothing comes of them. The around the clock coverage of this man has drowned out everything else, the UN report on the climate crisis, covering ways that communities have successfully combatted gun violence, Even Governors are getting crowded out of the news, because so many local papers get their news from AP and the big news papers like the Times, all the Trump coverage is drowning the local papers as well. I think a boycott would be good for everyone.
107
@Kevin J I agree that a boycott of the President and his lies is the way to go. It will have the advantage of driving Trump nuts as he won't be the center of attention.
On the other hand, Acosta is over the top. He has always seemed strident to me. Sometimes I think he is purposely trying to egg the Administration to get a rise out of them, then report on how strident they are. We don't need that from the Press. Just reporting on what the Administration is doing is enough. I don't agree with withdrawing his credentials (they could just not call on him) but feel CNN could do better.
1
Suggestion to media: put Trump’s distractions ‘below the fold’, perhaps even in a box labeled as such, and put his actions ‘above the fold’. How to do this on a webpage or on video media will have to figured out.
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