Trump attacks the messenger
There’s always been a healthy dose of tension when journalists cover the deeds and exploits of elected officials, but in the 19 months since Donald Trump took office, those tensions have escalated to the point where no one is winning — not the public, not journalists, and not the president.
President Trump routinely disparages reporters and the media, saying they produce “fake news” and calling them "the enemy of the people" — blithely ignoring the fact that it’s the media’s job to report on elected officials, however unflattering the stories and reports might be. They do this when covering the president, and they do it in our cities and towns, covering tax hikes and local budgets and school sports, performing what dedicated journalists see as a sacred duty.
Without this window into the workings of government, our democratic republic would cease to work, leaving elected leaders without a needed check on their power. But Mr. Trump does not seem to care about that.
So hostile are his comments and his stance toward the media that there have been calls for a united response — one that urges him to stop his attacks. On Thursday, more than 300 newspapers are expected to join in that response, and this editorial is part of that effort. As a message from the New England Newspaper & Press Association stated last week: “The slander of ‘fake news’ has become Donald Trump's most potent tool of abuse and incitement against the First Amendment, labeling journalists the ‘enemy of the American people’ and ‘dangerous and sick.’”
With a united response, the message continues, publications, “whatever their politics, could make a powerful statement, by standing together in the common defense of their profession and the vital role it plays."
Such a statement is needed, as Mr. Trump has taken the whole “attack the messenger” strategy to a new level. At rallies, he stirs up anger and directs it at reporters whose coverage he doesn’t like.
But presidents, whether or not they are pleased with news reports, should acknowledge and respect the idea that journalists must be free from government control. They should not be punished for presenting information that the government does not condone.
The danger is that over time, Mr. Trump’s antics and the incivility he encourages could lead to the arrest of journalists or violence against them, and it could also erode the public’s faith in the First Amendment, which is the foundation of all our liberties.
This is not to say that the news media have been perfect. Given the need for ratings and clicks, some in the media have seemed more interested in fueling public hysteria and advancing story lines than in calmly and accurately presenting both sides.
Nor are we suggesting that Mr. Trump is the first president or politician to attack the media. Even Thomas Jefferson, who once wrote that he would prefer a world without government to one without newspapers, wrote unfavorably of newspapers after he became president.
That is only natural, given the inherent clash of interests. Politicians are trying to execute their agendas, and journalists are obliged to report on those activities. It’s a given that some of those articles won’t be flattering.
But that does not make the media "the enemy of the people." On the contrary, as messy as democracy in action is, it is still far better than any alternative. That’s why the First Amendment is so essential. And Mr. Trump should not be trying to undermine it.
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