Presidential tweets are a gift to an under-funded and sometimes lazy press

March 9, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com



I like writing about my business – the media – and over the course if the years I’ve presented this column I’ve frequently tried to shed some light on the how and why behind the behavior of the press.


I can say that being a reporter is not unlike being a police officer or lawyer – as much good as we do, there are always some people ready to see us in a negative light.


The way I cope with those mischaracterizations is to take some joy out of the praise that comes The Reminder’s way for coverage that either my colleagues or I have provided – coverage that has helped a cause or a person.


And yes that does happen, I’m proud to say.


Perhaps our readers draw some sort of line around the hometown newspaper with people they know they can reach directly by phone and email and the Washington and New York City press corps that are the frequent target of criticism.


So, perhaps we’re not in “the press” or “the media,” which appears to be code for the D.C. or New York City journalistic outlets. You know, all of them – with the exception of FOX News and newspapers owned by the Murdoch clan – are in lock step with marching orders from some liberal cabal headed by George Soros, Whoopi Goldberg. Oprah Winfrey and the prime minister of Canada.


“The press” is biased, people charge. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Of course examples can be found of how a story has been mishandled or slanted. “The press” is a human organization, prone to human mistakes of judgement from time to time.


When I recently showed a Facebook friend that a meme he posted about an alleged statement made by Whoopi Goldberg was proven to be incorrect, he replied that Snopes.com was owned by George Soros and was “fake news” along with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and several other outlets.


That’s convenient. Rather than test one’s own assumptions let’s simply discount any news outlet that presents material that may question those views.


I write all this to say the following, which I may have said before, but in light of recent events, bears repeating: “the press” is not so much biased, but is led by what is cheap and easy to report. It is propelled forward by what the corporations that own much of it will allow for expenses.


Never forget “the press” is a money-making entity and choices are made to ensure the attention and support from readers and in turn advertisers.


The fact that advertising revenues have decreased at some outlets has greatly restricted what kinds of stories are covered. How many foreign reports do you see on the nightly news? How many times do you see cell phone video offered by non-journalists?


That brings me to the on-going coverage of posts on Twitter by President Trump. The question is: are they news? At best, maybe. At worst, no.


They are easy to report and fodder for pundits for all political persuasions. They require little resources.


What tests a news budget? How about finding out what’s happening in China? How is South Korea faring in light of new pressures from North Korea? How is the wacky president of the Philippines affecting our foreign policy in Asia? When was the last time you saw any report about any story from Africa?


Let’s make it easier by keeping it in this country: what exactly is Congress doing or not doing? What is the status of legislation – if any – about infrastructure and job creation? Have we actually started the plans for the Wall along the southern border?


How exactly is the coal industry going to be revived if natural gas is cheaper and cleaner? Who is going to buy coal?


I’m sure if you dig deep enough on the Web you’ll find some of the answers to these questions, but you probably won’t find them in the most obvious news outlets. It’s because they cost money to report and frequently require stories that require context – that is time – and are unsuitable for commercial news outlets where complex stories must be boiled down into a two-minute package.


You want to talk about media manipulation? Think about this for a moment. Having been a fan of magicians since I was a kid, all I can say is the president is either an undisciplined reactionary who cannot control an urge to speak out when he shouldn’t or he is a master at diversion. “The press” should understand which is which, but it may continue to be confused.


The president’s posts are cheap and easy to cover and provide an element of sensationalism that attracts an audience.


Perhaps I’m a little jealous. My staff and I don’t have any local elected officials who are posting unsubstantiated claims that would make for easy stories.


Any elected official out there who wants to make my life easier? Tweet something outrageous and we’ll do a story! As always these are my opinions alone and not necessarily those of the publishers or advertisers. Feel free to drop me a line at news@thereminder.com.

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