The Conservative Washington Examiner adds their own twist to the “both sides do it” defense so ubiquitous among the defenders of the indefensible, in this case in responding to Trump’s “enemy of the people” attack on journalists who factually report on him and his White House. (have an empty stomach if you read the linked editorial): https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/the-press-is-not-the-enemy-of-the-people-but-it-sometimes-acts-like-it
The Editorial Board of the Washington Examiner knows there has been a decades long, deliberate, billion dollar funded effort by rich Conservatives and their backers to create a communication infrastructure to spread misinformation, lies and hatred, specifically to manipulate and control their supporters on the right. The Washington Examiner is among the creators of the alternative facts, and what passes for the “news” consumed by those on the right.
The Washington Examiner is, of course, a Conservative tool, and their editorial today does what their entire practice of “journalism” is intended to do: protect, defend and bolster the Republican Party. They begin their editorial responding to the hundreds of editorials of newspapers critical of Trump’s attacks on journalists with simply stating the obvious:
It is a stupid slur to say the media are “the enemy of the people.” Coming from the President of the United States, it is also irresponsible and chilling. … Although we find the group think here a bit unseemly for opinion pages, which are supposed to be independent voices, we agree with these editorials that Trump’s rhetoric is dumb and harmful.
Having established their faux objectivity by simply observing what can’t be denied, their Editorial Board then segues to this:
But that can’t be all. We encourage our colleagues to follow up on today’s show of solidarity with some introspection. Specifically, we journalists should all ask, "What are we doing that allows Trump to convince so many of 'the people' that we are their 'enemy?'"
The Washington Examiner using the phrase “we journalists” is undermined by virtually every word that follows. Their editorial from this point on simply turns their lens to journalists Katy Tur, Katie Couric (really), CNN and of course the New York Times to focus on examples of their biased efforts that created this great mistrust of journalists which now exists throughout the Conservative base. As they have opened this door, lets take them up on it and substitute “Washington Examiner” for the word “we”:
"What [is the Washington Examiner] doing that allows Trump to convince so many of 'the people' that we are their 'enemy’?'"
Talk about low hanging fruit. I would have thought the “journalists” of the Washington Examiner would have done some real investigation into a question that vexes them so. But they did not. But it does not take a journalist to know the answer.
The Washington Examiner Editorial Board, those esteemed individuals, could have, for one, listened to talk radio. Rush, Hannity, Levin, Ingraham, Savage, and countless other wannabees who have flooded the air waves with lies, falsehoods, and hatred to an audience that just eats this shit up. “Democrats hate your freedoms; they are coming for your guns; they hate your God; they believe that government should dictate how you live;” and on and on. Hundreds of thousands of hours of lies and denigrations of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE Democratic or liberal. Add in Breitbart, Infowars, Drudge, Daily Caller, Powerline and countless other websites peddling conspiracy theories, white nationalism and countless lies and denigrations of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE Democratic or liberal. And then throw on top of all that Fox News, where even the chyrons can be lies. EACH and EVERY ONE of these conservative sources of news and information has been calling real journalists “Fake News” since Trump first uttered the phrase. EACH and EVERY ONE of these sources of Conservative news and information disseminate provable LIES to their listeners, visitors and viewers around the clock. Every reference to a Democrat is made with a sneer or a slur; every conservative voice tells their audience “this is what Democrats want to do to you” and “this is what Democrats believe”, knowing that they are lying, and with the objectives of spreading fear and hate against liberals and Democrats throughout their audience.
Hey, Washington Examiner, it isn’t what Journalists are doing that “ALLOWS TRUMP TO CONVINCE SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT [JOURNALISTS]ARE THEIR ENEMY?” It’s what the Washington Examiner is doing. It’s what all of Conservative talk radio, websites, TV, Cable, and print media have been doing have been doing for decades.
The Editorial Board of the Washington Examiner knows this. Of course they know. They just can’t talk about it.
They are in on the con; they are a participant in this coordinated, deliberate dissemination of misleading and often false information, which in every case serves to misrepresent Democrats and engender mistrust and hatred toward everything labeled liberal or Democratic. That this hatred is now being directed at journalists should come as no surprise. The truth has long ago been a casualty in the Republican’s pursuit of power and dominance, and those who give voice to the inconvenient truths are indeed treated as enemies by the Conservatives.
Unfortunately, legitimate journalists themselves have also played a significant role in creating the climate that allows Trump to convince so many that journalists are the enemy. This has been the result of these legitimate journalists choosing to not report on the existence and growth of the right wing’s alternative news conglomerate, the vast right-wing conspiracy. Legitimate journalists concluded that it was not their “place” to inform the public of the deliberate lies and hatred being spread to the consumers of Conservative media, or of the collective efforts involved in the organization over multiple media platforms which was doing it.
Like a frog being boiled in water, legitimate journalists have been unwilling to acknowledge the conservative heat underneath the pan they are in. To avoid any reporting that could lead to the Conservative Outrage Machine accusing them of being “biased”, to avoid risking their access, these legitimate journalists looked the other way and let it happen.
And now the water is boiling.