Sunday, January 29, 2017

The Fourth Estate is tizzified over the new government in Washington. A campaign of fake news, alternative facts, and lies has led to a government of fake news, alternative facts, and lies. How to cover such a situation?

This site urged, with predictable traction, that mainstream pencils NOT cover the eventual Republican nominee as a serious candidate.

Now, they have to cover him. He's president. So here goes: cover what he does, not what he says.

You know half the things he says are going to be false, why provide him an amplifier? Why put yourselves in the position of having to write a "Trump lied" lede about the size of his inauguration crowd? Who cares?

The Trump lowlifes think the media lies about him. They hate the media. You think you're going to convince one lowlife that Trump lied? You're just amplifying his voice and reinforcing hatred of you.

There is no categorical imperative that says the media has to publish every goddamned thing a president says and there are libel laws against knowingly re-publishing known lies. Take the spirit of the libel laws and avoid a journalistic Gresham's Law: Just don't do it. Don't cover the lie by refuting it, just don't cover it. Cover what he does, not what he says.