Here's the formula followed by the mainstream media (e.g., CNN and the New York Times):
- Donald Trump says something vague, ambiguous, figurative, or provocative. (Please note that almost all utterances are either vague [to some degree] or ambiguous.)
- The media put the worst spin on it, i.e., they give Trump the detriment of the doubt. Examples: He didn't say that some Mexicans are rapists (which is obviously true); he said that all or most Mexicans are rapists (which is obviously false). He wasn't speaking figuratively when he said he would build a wall between Mexico and the United States; he was speaking literally. He wasn't wondering aloud whether Ted Cruz's father was an associate of Lee Harvey Oswald's; he was asserting that they were (and implying that Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy). He wasn't criticizing Miss Universe for breaching her contract; he was assailing women. He wasn't claiming that the media have abdicated their role as watchdogs and become part of a conspiracy to get Hillary Clinton elected; he was saying that Democrats are engaged in voter fraud (which of course they are). I could go on, but you get the idea.
- The media—count to 10—gasp in horror. CNN has panels the members of which take turns expressing shock, dismay, frustration, and anger. The editorial board of the New York Times calls Trump names. Even the Never Trumpers, whose livelihoods and influence are threatened by a Trump presidency, get in the act.
The American people see what's happening. Civility requires giving people the benefit of the doubt. Hillary Clinton always gets the benefit of the doubt, because she's the anointed one. Trump not only never gets the benefit of the doubt; he always gets the detriment of the doubt. This isn't journalism. It's propaganda. The election of 2016 will go down in history as the election in which the American people bitch slapped the mainstream media.
