Understandably, the public is not overly concerned about the problems of the media. Many people, to our chagrin, loathe media outlets and convince themselves that there is bias in often the most innocuous reporting.
We can accept that. Dogged reporting — the kind the Founding Fathers guaranteed in the First Amendment — is bound to ruffle some feathers and create some enemies. Regardless of which side of the political fence you reside on, some reporter is going to raise your hackles sooner or later. It all is part of democracy; it all is part of why Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1787: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Because of that, Donald Trump’s persistent attacks upon the media are most disturbing. Well, much about Trump’s presidential campaign is disturbing, but we’ll leave the rest for another time. In the interest of fairness, much about Hillary Clinton’s presidential credentials also is disturbing, but for now we are focusing on Trump’s disregard for the Constitution and, by extension, his disregard for the American people.
The latest escalation of his petulance was related to a purported donation for veterans organizations. In January, Trump boasted that he had raised $6 million — including $1 million of his own money — for veterans. But no donation materialized. When reporters from The Washington Post called recently to inquire about the donation, Trump coughed up more than $5 million and then went on the attack.
“The press should be ashamed of itself,” he said at a press conference. “You make me look bad.” Actually, Trump is quite adept at doing that on his own. But his relentless attacks upon the media are disconcerting.
During the campaign, he has mocked a disabled New York Times reporter. He has engaged in a feud with Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly that has exposed his misogyny. He has called another reporter “a sleaze.” Whenever the vast expanse of his falsehoods has been questioned, Trump has responded with personal attacks rather than a clarification or a defense of his assertions.
And while Trump — and much of the public — might rail against the media for perceived unfairness, the fact is that such media is essential to an open society. Trump has demonstrated little understanding or interest in the U.S. Constitution or the notion of checks and balances, employing strong-man tactics more suited to a banana republic.
“If I become president, oh, do they have problems,” he said of the media in February. “I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles we can sue them and win lots of money.” Freedom of the press, as we mentioned, is codified in the First Amendment, and libel laws require public officials who file suit to demonstrate that there was malicious intent and false information behind a story. “You see,” Trump added, “with me, they’re not protected.”
Trump, of course, can say what he wants; that, too, is protected by the First Amendment. But when he makes a statement — an inordinate number of which have been demonstrated to be false — he must understand that questions are certain to follow. That is one of the foundations of the United States, and it is one worth defending. As legendary reporter Edward R. Murrow said, “Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.”
