Media, Don’t Play Trump’s Game of Divide and Conquer

Media, Don’t Play Trump’s Game of Divide and Conquer

Journalists should remember that we all face a common threat from an administration that is hostile to the very notion of freedom of the press.

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Nineteen years ago Tuesday, The Drudge Report introduced the world to Monica Lewinsky and changed journalism forever. Now, at a time when sensationalism and salacious headlines are again dominating the news, the media industry is confronting one of the toughest challenges it has faced at any time since: how to cover President Trump.

Clearly emboldened by the media malpractice that defined much of 2016, Trump has been testing journalists on a near-daily basis since winning the election. He has attempted to manipulate press coverage through early-morning Twitter rampages, trumped up job-creation announcements, and, most recently, the farcical news conference he convened last week, the ostensible purpose of which was to discuss how he’ll avoid conflicts of interest in his business dealings. (Spoiler: He won’t.) Taking questions from reporters for the first time since July, Trump marked the occasion by berating news organizations for running stories he didn’t like about his campaign’s purported coordination with Russia.

In fairness, BuzzFeed’s decision to publish the unverified contents of a sensationalistic dossier compiled by a former British intelligence official detailing Trump’s alleged Russian contacts was a matter of legitimate disagreement among journalists. But the whole spectacle was also a timely reminder that the media, like the rest of the country, are entering uncharted territory as Trump assumes the presidency. And in this brave new world, if we hope to succeed in holding power to account, we’re going to have to step up our game.

Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.

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Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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