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When the White House announced over the weekend that they will be having a press conference, they didn’t tell us—including the media—what it’s about.
Red flag, right?
That’s what CNN thought, too, which is why they decided to pass on airing the press conference live. It’s a genius move since the press conference turned out to be a pile of bullshit. Variety reports (emphasis mine):
Producers at the cable-news outlet, owned by Time Warner, this evening decided to see what was said at the press event, according to a person familiar with the network, then play relevant parts as deemed necessary. Despite a robust amount of evidence to the contrary, Spicer during the conference insisted that Trump’s inauguration Friday drew “the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period.” The statement is a deliberate falsehood: TV ratings data issued Saturday by Nielsen show that fewer people watched Trump’s swearing-in than President Obama’s inauguration in 2009. What’s more, photos of Friday’s crowds showed that a smaller number of people had come out to Washington, D.C.’s Mall to take part. Data from the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority also suggested fewer people were attending the inauguration than in years past.
Shocker! Press Secretary Spicer is only going to be an extension of the Trump we saw during the campaign: a self-absorbed, out-of-touch man who has no qualms about lying to the American people.
This is what the media should be about—holding the most powerful accountable. I’m sure that’s why attacking the media (the very institution that helped him rise to power) has been one of Trump’s go-tos. During these dangerous times we need real facts—not easily debunkable falsehoods meant to fuel Twitter trolls’ hateful delusions.
As University of Delaware associate professor Danna Young told Variety:
“CNN’s decision to not air the press conference live illustrates a recognition that the role of the press must be different under Trump. When the White House holds press briefings to promote demonstrably false information and refuses to take questions, then press ‘access’ becomes meaningless at best and complicit at worst.
Democracy works best when journalists have access to the executive branch, of course. But that holds true if and only if that access leads to verifiable, accurate information. The decision on behalf of CNN to wait and verify before airing it live suggests that the media are adapting quickly to this new era.”
The media really should have been doing this during the election campaign. Better late than never, I suppose.
If you want other news channels to follow suit, sign the petition here