In Trump’s administration, full of “alternative facts” and “fake news,” the media is more important as a check on our government more than ever before. Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Trump, has said that if the media continues to call White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s lies, lies then “we’re going to have to rethink our relationship here.” Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, has spouted similarly antagonistic statement, and said that the media should “keep its mouth shut.” He said that journalists and news outlets should feel “embarrassed” and called the media “the opposition party.”
Now more than ever, it’s important for the media to continue to ensure that the lies being put out by the administration are fact-checked before reaching the people. If Conway wants to "rethink” the White House’s relationship with the media, news outlets should grant her wish by refusing to interview her. Similarly, when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer shouts at the media and then refuses to take questions, the media shouldn’t broadcast his briefings live.
We cannot allow the media (the most important check on the government, outside of formal, governmental checks and balances), to be called “the most dishonest human beings on earth” by our president and his officials.
In dealing with Trump, the press should take these briefings, interviews and speeches given by Conway, Spicer and Bannon, and hold off on airing them until they can be fact-checked and then show the public the truth, as it’s a reporter’s job to do so.
Trump is only going to continue to attack the legitimacy of the media, and his supporters will continue to stand behind him as he does so. It’s the media’s job to ensure that Trump’s lies cannot reach the public or continue to influence policy.
Most media outlets may not want to delay speeches or briefings, or may not want to fact-check on the spot, but anyone who truly believes and supports Trump is not going to be watching legitimate news sources with a completely open eye. They are going to be watching and reading outlets that side with Trump and are committed to spreading his lies while claiming that the outlets that do have legitimate standing should be discredited and called “fake news.” We’ve already seen this being done with CNN, and it won’t be long until other major news organizations are attacked as well.
The need for good, truthful journalism is at an all-time high. With a President and an administration that openly contradicts the media, and claims everything the press does is wrong or irrelevant, media outlets need to invest time and money into making sure their reporting is both undisputable and true.
We need to be careful with how we report, and we need to prove to the public, despite the fake news outlets that will claim otherwise, that alternative facts are, in fact, lies and an administration that lies cannot be a legitimate one.
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