According to “The Elements of Journalism,” a collection of essays on journalistic practices and ethics, “Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.” Fulfilling that obligation is an entirely different matter. Press coverage of President Donald Trump, especially media scrums, tests the limits of that guiding principle nearly every day. How can you report the truth when Trump is unable to distinguish it from lies and smears? Despite the media’s attempts at fact-checking, Trump’s falsehoods take center stage, and as the saying goes, you cannot unring the bell.
The rules of the game have changed, and it appears that journalists have not kept up. The consequences of this slow response are striking. Trump not only controls the narrative, most of which is demonstrably false, but also he molds perception by using the press as his conduit to deceit. The remedy may sound severe and conflict with other journalistic foundational precepts, but failure to adapt borders on dereliction. Unless the White House agrees to reinstate daily presidential briefings and restore traditional presidential news conferences, the press should restrict coverage. Absent containment, the president’s agenda of mass media manipulation will only amplify.
— Jim Paladino, Tampa, Florida
Note from KBJ: I'm unaware of a single falsehood uttered by Donald Trump. What in the world is the letter writer talking about? Perhaps the letter writer hates it that Trump is able to speak to the nation via Twitter.
