President Trump has held his hands against fake news over the past decade. This is a phrase that is deeply embedded in our culture.
He accused the media of being mercilessly biased towards him, which was almost true and called out journalists by name. He sued outlets such as ABC News (which paid him $16 million), CBS and Des Moines Register.
He accused Politico of receiving payments to cover him negatively. These are routine subscriptions, and the New York Times likewise cancelled many subscriptions.
Trump orders the dismantling of government-funded “propaganda” media outlets
But in a controversial speech to the Justice Department, Trump went farther than ever before. He said the Times, the Washington Post and major networks are engaged in “illegal” reports.
The President did not specify anything illegal about it. But perhaps there is a short distance between Trump’s accusations and future prosecutors?
DOJ’s speeches drew heavy coverage. The Times said it was “changed from his prepared remarks that he tried to name lawyers and former prosecutors at a venue dedicated to impartial judicial administration. He also condemned the department’s previous leadership for trying to destroy him, declaring former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as head of a “crime” family.”
President Trump effectively destroyed the American voice. He absurdly condemned the outlet as a leftist, and once called it the “voice of the Soviet Union.” (Getty Images)
The Post quoted Trump as saying, “An enemy launched one hoax and disinformation operation, broke the law on a massive scale, persecuting my family, staff and supporters, storming my home, Mar-a-Lago, and doing everything in their power to prevent me from becoming President of the United States.” The paper added: “It is rare for the president to visit the Department of Justice, which maintains safeguards between the White House and law enforcement to ensure that politics does not interfere with law enforcement investigations.”
But here’s what makes it appealing.
The Times and the Post have not mentioned anything about Trump’s “illegal” reporting request. I didn’t give that much as a paragraph. I couldn’t narrow it down (I’m kidding, as space is unlimited in the digital age).
There are two possible explanations for this.
One is that they are so upset about the president’s accusations that they consider to be false, and they don’t want to give them oxygen and share them with their readers. In other words, when the president is shooting arrows at you, it’s best to deflect them.
The other is that they fear that there may be prosecutors in the future given the history of Trump’s civil lawsuit and do not want to cross over him on this issue. In short, they are threatened by the president.
The charges of “illegal” reports by President Trump’s major outlets were initially not met as expected of a direct, harsh responsibilities of the actual type. (Pool via AP)
But here’s it: if the two outstanding newspapers of the country can’t protect themselves under the responsibility of illegality, who? How can they expect support when they don’t stand up for themselves by censoring Trump’s remarks?
Meanwhile, over the weekend, the president abolished the voices of America and Radio Free Europe, and with an executive order aimed at its parent company.
Trump ordered 1,300 journalists, executives and other staff to take indefinite leave. His point is that they are part of the radical left. He was a longtime critic of the VOA and once called it the “voice of the Soviet Union.”
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VOA’s Pentagon correspondent Carla Babu posted, “VOA’s silencing will be celebrated by the communists, dictators and Ayatollahs who we have shed light on.”
The VOA was released during World War II and was recognized as having successfully promoted its enemies for decades. However, given Trump’s friendship with Vladimir Putin, there has been a legitimate debate about who his “enemy” is these days.
Furthermore, people are not huddled around the radio as in 1942.
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However, those who are fired indefinitely consider themselves as independent journalists and suddenly escape themselves from their work.
Howard Kurtz is the host of MediaBuzz on Fox News Channel (11am to 12pm Sunday). The Washington, D.C.-based member joined the network in 2013, regularly appearing in special reports with Bret Baier and stories with Martha MacCallum among other programs.
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