IN THIS ISSUE TRUMP VS. the MEDIA: the War on Journalism

IN THIS ISSUE TRUMP VS. THE MEDIA: The War on Journalism

Duration: 20:25

U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a war on mainstream media. His repeated allegations of "fake news" is undermining the credibility of the fourth estate. As a result, journalists say the integrity of their work is more important now than ever. We take a look at how the media is responding to this war on journalism.

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VIDEO REVIEW 4. According to Stelter, how often did Trump use the word “fake” during his first year in Before Viewing office? Why does this concern Stelter? 5. a) Why does Stelter think that Trump’s Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama presidency has, at times, been fraught described his relationship with the media this with madness? way at his final news conference: b) Do you think Stelter’s madness “I have enjoyed working with all of you. That reference crosses a line (as CBC does not, of course, mean that I’ve enjoyed correspondent Andrew Chang every story that you have filed, but that’s the suggests)? point of this relationship. You’re not supposed to be sycophants, you’re supposed to be 6. a) Why was the Washington Post suspicious skeptics, you’re supposed to ask me tough of the Jaime Phillips story about questions. You’re not supposed to be Republican Senate contender Roy complimentary, but you’re supposed to cast a Moore? critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we are accountable to b) Why did Veritas want the Post to publish the people who sent us here, and you have the story? What was their plan? done that.” 7. Do the efforts of the Washington Post and Do you think Obama has properly assessed the MSNBC demonstrate that the media can relationship between politicians and the be trusted or were they just lucky to sniff out media? What did he miss? What criticisms an embarrassing hoax? could he have shared with the media? In your 8. How does Donald Trump follow the Nixon mind, was he being sincere or diplomatic? playbook when it comes to dealing with the media? A sycophant is someone who overly flatters someone in power to gain an advantage with them. 9. How did investigators prove that President

Nixon was part of the cover-up related to Viewing the Watergate break in? 10. According to journalist Bob Woodward, 1. Who is Brian Stelter? what led to Nixon’s downfall? 2. What does Donald Trump mean when he 11. What does former Connecticut Senator uses the expression “fake news”? Lowell Weicker think of Donald Trump? 3. What did Stelter think of Trump’s State of 12. a) Why do you think President Donald the Union Address? Trump does not want Robert Mueller looking into the finances of the Trump organization? (Note: Mueller is the

special prosecutor looking into Russian After Viewing hacking during the 2016 U.S. election) In his interview with the CBC’s Andrew Chang, b) Why do many observers feel it would not Brian Stelter says, “I don’t think that CNN or any be wise for Trump to fire Robert Mueller? other channel right now is anti-Trump. What we 13. What lessons could be learned from Nixon’s are seeing are journalists trying to stand up for firing of Archibald Cox in the so-called truth and decency and when President Trump “Saturday night massacre”? gives an inspiring speech we should, and we do, say so. When he makes up false stats, when 14. What does historian Tim Naftali think will he makes up fake facts and when he spews happen if the Democrats win both house of lies on Twitter we say that as well. I don't think Congress in 2018? that it’s opinion, I think that is much-needed context in a really confusing world.” 15. Why would it be very challenging to impeach Donald Trump? How difficult was Do you agree with Stelter or do you think he is it to impeach Richard Nixon? really out to get Donald Trump?

THE STORY

Minds On

On October 5, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, “Why Isn’t the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Media in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up-FAKE!” Many people were shocked that the president would use his position to both attack the media and direct the Senate Intelligence Committee beings on earth.” Later he tweeted, “The FAKE to go after them. CNN’s Chris Cillizza claims NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, that Trump’s tweet was simply an effort to @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the distract the public from the ongoing enemy of the American people. SICK!” (12 investigation into the president’s potential minutes after posting the tweet, Trump deleted involvement in a Russian election tampering the word “sick”). Through his public statement scandal that had been grabbing headlines for and his Twitter comment, Trump had essentially over a year. He also points out that, if you want gone where no national leader had gone to have a discussion about “fake” information, before: first, he had made Twitter the new The Washington Post Fact Checker Blog has mode of presidential communication Trump making 1 145 misleading statements (effectively forcing White House reporters to over most of his first year in office. scan his Twitter account because they sure What do you think? Should a president of the weren’t going to get to talk to him directly) United States be using his Twitter account to and he attacked the media with a total lack of attack the media? Does Chris Cillizza have a tact and a complete disregard for diplomacy. point when it comes to his critique of President Indeed, Trump — almost immediately — Trump? changed the shape of presidential communication with the press. Enemy of the people Open, aggressive and hostile It didn’t take long for the newly inaugurated president to take aim at the group he What distinguishes President Trump’s attacks on considered to be his greatest adversary. On his the media from previous presidents is his open, first full day in office, U.S. President Donald aggressive and often hostile taunting. Trump declared that he was engaged in an According to Harvard professor Thomas ongoing war with the news media, calling Patterson, Trump is taking advantage of 40 journalists “among the most dishonest human years of discord between the media and the Office of the President. More specifically,

Patterson believes that political conservatives media corps. Other critics worry that Trump is have made attacks on the media a key part of employing a strategy of “if you say it enough their political strategy. Now, President Trump is times, people will believe it.” In other words, if turning his assault on the media into a you call the media “fake” enough times, “crusade.” He is saying all the things his people will believe that journalists are a bunch electoral base wants to hear (and has been of liars. hearing since Richard Nixon was president back in the early 1970s): In an opinion piece written for the Washington Post, Republican Senator John McCain wrote:  The media can’t be trusted The phrase ‘fake news’ — granted legitimacy by an  The media have no interest in sharing my American president — is being used by autocrats to message with you in a fair way “ silence reporters, undermine political opponents, stave

 The media have a long-standing liberal off media scrutiny and mislead citizens. bias ”  The media are out to get me To Consider Trump even went so far as to create a “Fake News Awards” in January 2018, where he 1. How did Trump show his disdain for the targeted the media for false reporting. While media on his first day as president? the eleven “fake news” items listed by Trump 2. What is Trump’s message to his electoral on the Republican Party website did, in fact, base in his rants against the media? indicate errors in reporting, almost all of them were subject to quick retractions by the 3. What are the dangers of a president who is offending news agency, with three CNN constantly attacking the media and reporters and one high-ranking editor losing referring to their reporting as “fake”? their jobs for their mistakes. While Trump’s media attacks grabbed the headlines, many Republicans worried that the current administration’s accomplishments — more jobs for U.S. workers, a thriving stock market and less government regulation — were shut out of the news cycle.

War on journalism The overall effect of Trump’s war on journalism is yet to be determined. Some opponents of Trump claim that his attacks simply make him look like a fool. His supporters say that he is showing the courage of his convictions since he is fighting back against a liberal dominated

JUST LIKE NIXON?

Donald Trump is not the first president to engage in a dangerous parley with the media. In the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon had his vice president, Spiro Agnew, run point on a verbal pushback against the media over negative criticism of the administration. Agnew called television network journalists “nattering nabobs of negativism” Richard Nixon, U.S. president (1969‐1974); Donald Trump, current U.S. president and claimed that Nixon was the victim of a “small and unelected elite” who emphasis on spinning a story to portray were attempting to influence public those in power in the best light for the perception against the White House. Privately public. Nixon told Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,  President George W. Bush’s administration “The press is the enemy” (something that was produced their own “ready for caught among the hours of recordings Nixon broadcast” videos so that the office of secretly made of conversations in the Oval the president could be portrayed in the Office). Nixon even went so far as to bar most favourable fashion. Many of these reporters from White House news conferences, self-promoting videos were scooped up wiretap the phones of certain journalists and by the major networks and run without order the federal tax agency to harass much scrutiny. reporters he didn’t like.  Even President Barack Obama does not Reagan, Clinton and Bush have a clean record when it comes to the media. Obama’s administration Other presidents also demonstrated a level of suffered a slew of press leaks that he and distrust for the media: his colleagues felt constituted a serious  President Reagan created a White House national security threat. Eventually he set news service designed to work around his sights on the journalists who broke the the media and control the stories and demanded their cooperation administration’s message. Reagan is also in identifying the leaks. By the end of his accused of ushering in the era of staged second term, the Obama administration presidential events. initiated eight criminal cases against whistle blowers — more than any other  President Clinton’s scandal-ridden tenure previous White House. in office was marked by what many refer to as “message control.” This involved an

TASK  Research your position. Use the Source list below as well as information found in this  Form a group of four. News in Review story to support your position.  Prepare a debate Feel free to expand your position by seeking focusing on the additional information outside the resources following statement: listed in the previous sentence. Be it resolved that Timeline President Trump is no  One class period of preparation and different from previous research. presidents in his criticism of the media.  One class to debate the premise and share  Two students will argue for the premise and your thoughts with the rest of the class. two will argue against the premise.

Sources: Cillizza, C. (October 5, 2017). Donald Trump’s chilling escalation of his war on the media. CNN’s The Point with Chris Cillizza. Dwyer, D. (February 25, 2017). President vs. the press: What came before Trump’s ‘running war’ with the media. Boston.com. Marshall, J. (August 4, 2014). Nixon is gone, but his media strategy lives on. The Atlantic. Siddiqui, S. (January 18, 2018). Donald Trump faces backlash as he reveals ‘Fake News Awards’ winners. The Washington Post. Waldman, P. (January 17, 2018). Why President Trump’s war on the media is a failure. The Washington Post.