General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Cohen gives credit where it's due: "The free press gave America Trump." [View all]gulliver
(13,142 posts)I don't blame the press. I think, like any institution, the legitimate press changes at a relatively slow pace. To me, that's usually good, because we want it to be very, very difficult to sway the press from established, core journalistic values. We want it to be an immovable rock when it comes to the truth.
But then in comes Trump. The legitimate press was completely thrown into a state of shock, in my opinion. Could they use the term "lie?" Could they simply state that a news subject's statements were repeated and repeatedly shown to lack any evidence? How do they deal with someone who doesn't respond to a reported fact in any way other than to say that it's fake?
Trump's a unique organism in our time. I don't blame the legitimate press for having trouble getting their bearings. They seem to have them now. They are more likely to call out lying now, and less likely to echo and re-echo nasty trivia. Cancel culture is diminishing too. That spells good things for the future.