(REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
Kenneth T. Walsh, US News and World Report: Solidarity in the Fourth Estate
President Donald Trump's attacks are helping to unite journalists.
It's rare for journalists to join forces. Usually they are too competitive, independent and stubborn for that. But President Donald Trump's unrelenting war against what he calls the "fake" news media is generating a new solidarity in the Fourth Estate. Instead of causing reporters and editors to knuckle under, Trump's attempts at intimidation are generating the biggest anti-Trump media backlash since he took office.
Trump prompted media outrage again Sunday when he re-tweeted a doctored video in which he body-slammed a man who had a CNN logo superimposed on his face. Trump was shown throwing the "CNN" figure to the floor outside a wrestling ring, jumping on his victim and repeatedly punching him. The 28-second video apparently was based on an actual incident from several years ago in which Trump orchestrated a moment of fury similar to the staged violence of professional wrestling. In the original moment, Trump apparently "attacked" Vince McMahon, head of a major wrestling organization, and pummeled him. (McMahon's wife Linda is now administrator of Trump's Small Business Administration.)
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WNU Editor: I have been a consumer of the US news media for about 30 years .... and over the years I have seen how much they have become partisan and corrupt in what they choose to cover .... and more importantly .... what they choose not to cover. But the level that has been reached in the past year is unprecedented .... exemplified by the medias' attacks on President Trump that have now become deeply personal, partisan, and unrelenting. And while there is a lot on President Trump that one can be critical of .... to say that the media has gone overboard in their criticism on some issues is an understatement. The difference now is that there is a President who is fighting back .... and the media is giving him the ammo to make his case .... Media errors give Trump fresh ammunition (The Hill). Another big difference is that President Trump has a platform where he can go pass the media and reach a wider audience almost instantaneously. The web .... and more specifically .... social media .... have truly revolutionised politics and the media's coverage of it. The public now has alternative sources on where they can get information .... and while many still watch the news and read newspapers (including yours truly) .... there is now a platform that can shine a light on the media itself, to point out its errors and biases, and reach a massive audience while doing it. The response from the main stream media has been predictable .... they fear and hate it .... and they are responding to it by using President Trump as their target to vent on. But the more that they pile on .... the more ridiculous they look .... and the result has been predictable .... they are losing viewers because the viewers no longer trust them.
So what is the solution?
If you are a consumer of news who likes to be informed .... and who has the time to do so .... I say read as much as you can that is out there, and embrace what you feel comfortable with. The web has numerous sources of information that are readily available and free to read .... and yes .... cover the news that the main stream media news refuses to cover. In this blog I am listing these sources all the time .... it is what I believe is one the strengths of this blog. And as to where do I get my information .... The Daily Mail from England is an example that I like to cite on what is good and bad in the news media today. I hate the Daily Mail's coverage of the news in England .... it is a very conservative and bias, and I am not a fan of their social pages that predominates throughout the site. But while their coverage of British news does not appeal to me, in the past few years their coverage of U.S. politics has been excellent .... and the reason why is simple, their reporters in the U.S. are covering the stories that many in the main stream media do not. Not surprising .... their U.S. web readership has boomed in the past year that surpasses many U.S. outlets, and they have been rewarded with their own seat within the White House Press Room.
In the weeks to come I will be listing all of my sources for news and information on the left side of this blog .... and from there .... you the reader can pick and choose what you like.
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