Dear news media, however you consider yourselves:
I understand that covering Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign has been an economic boon, as could probably be evidenced by the record television audiences for the GOP and General election debates.
But I would like to make a simple plea: the moment Trump loses, the moment Clinton earns enough electoral votes to clinch the Presidency, announce that you will not cover any more Donald Trump appearances/speeches. Not even his concession speech, assuming he even concedes. You can still report on Trump and his actions, but do not allow him to use your cameras and audio recorders for personal airtime or to advance a personal vendetta.
You can emblazon this on your chyrons: The People Have Spoken
As should be clearly evident by now, the moment Trump loses, he intends to embark on a new effort to discredit the Clinton Presidency, and more importantly, our democratic government as a whole.
This will possibly lead to many of his supporters illegitimately resorting to violence against their perceived enemies, which could easily involve elected politicians, government workers, law enforcement, law-abiding citizens, immigrants and people of color, and generally innocent bystanders as a whole.
It has even been demonstrated that people in your own field, journalists and their friends and family, would not be safe from Trump’s irrational supporters. Nor Trump himself and his depraved litigiousness.
Therefore, continuing to provide Trump with any sort of public platform, after he legitimately loses the election, would likely only serve to jeopardize the safety of innocent Americans, and cause irreparable damage to our civil government.
I understand that this could be construed as a violation of the freedom of the press and/or freedom of speech. I would contend that this should be a completely voluntary reporting choice, much like how reporters choose not to report victims’ and witness identities even if they are not legally obligated to.
I also understand that, considering how appealing it might be to cover a monumental Trump meltdown, simply for the ratings it would likely garner, that covering such theatrics would not serve any informative purpose, except in cases where traceable threats might be concerned.
I feel the ban should also extend to his family and high-ranking surrogates, and last at least until Inauguration. But regardless of how you choose to implement it, I think the most important thing, is to make the gesture itself.
Continuing to cover Trump, at least in a way that legitimizes his behavior and gives him an outsized platform from which to unleash his rhetoric, is not something that will cultivate the American experience with our democracy, would only serve to advance his own personal and economic self-interests, and could potentially feed into the efforts by parties in this country looking to undermine the results of our free and democratic elections.
As members of a field that has delivered a strong loyalty to informing and advocating for the American people throughout our country’s history, I ask that you consider if such a drastic course of action is warranted to safeguard the integrity of the freedom of the press.