President Donald Trump’s White House takes over The role of the media critic He asked for help from “ordinary Americans.”
Thanksgiving holiday, presidency Launched a web portal Which, he says, will highlight bias on the part of the media, pointing out The Boston Globe, CBS News, and The Independent As openers “Average Offender of the Week” section..
This is the latest development in the battle against what Trump described “fake news” Since his first term. The Republican president has sued outlets like CBS News and the Wall Street Journal over their coverage, is fighting the Associated Press in court over media access, and has taken steps to break up government-run media outlets like Voice of America.
Trump also launched personal attacks. He told her just last month “Shut up, pigTo a reporter And that he asked him questions on board the presidential plane; He told a New York Times reporter that she was “ugly, inside and out,” and publicly told an ABC News reporter that she was a “terrible reporter.”
He also described another White House journalist as “stupid.”
“It’s frankly exhausting to have to endure all of this and to have to constantly defend yourself against this fake news and these attacks,” said Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt, who said the new portal is an attempt to hold journalists accountable.
After the debut, the White House asked volunteers to provide their own examples of media bias. “So-called ‘journalists’ have made it impossible to identify every false or misleading story Helping the American people is essentialTrump’s press office said.
Despite the attacks, Axios wrote this week that the mainstream media is winding down the year “As dominant as ever.” in attracting the president’s attention and setting Washington’s agenda, citing as an example The Washington Post’s coverage of military attacks against alleged smuggling ships in international waters.
The irony is that Trump He interacts with reporters at a level he hasn’t seen with any other president. Jim VandeHaye, CEO of Axios and co-author of the report with Mike Allen, said in his lifetime.
“He always complained about the media and the press,” VandeHaye told The Associated Press. “Eat these things like McDonald’s hot fries.”. He is a big consumer of this. You see, you call reporters, you get calls from reporters…it’s always been that way Contradiction with”.
The first “winners” were heavily criticized by the media for stories about Trump’s reaction to Democratic lawmakers who recorded a video reminding members of the military that they were not obligated to follow illegal orders. Trump accused lawmakers of inciting sedition “Punishable by death.”
The White House said that the claim that Trump requested their execution was false. The portal also said that the media “subversively insinuated” that the president had issued illegal orders. The news articles they cited did not specifically mention whether Trump had ordered illegal activities.
The new portal also contains “Hall of shame for criminals” Of the elements you consider unjust And the order of the media that contains the largest number of pieces they object to. Twenty-one outlets are represented, led by the five stories from The Washington Post. CBS News and MS NOW, the network formerly known as MSNBC, each had four. Doesn’t mean that Attracts conservatives He was cited for bias.
“The Washington Post is proud of its accurate and rigorous journalism,” a Washington Post spokeswoman said.
The Center for Media Research, a conservative media watchdog that has accused the media of liberal bias since 1987, has welcomed the company.
“We’re thrilled,” said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the Immigrant Resource Center. “It’s a bigger effort than Republican presidents have put in before. I think all Republicans today understand that the media is on the other side and must be defined as being on the other side.”
“I can’t think of anything I don’t care deeply about,” VandeHei said of the portal. “If they want to create a site and point out bias, that’s great.” It’s called freedom of expression. Do it. “I don’t think it makes much difference.”
What is harmful is the constant drumbeat of claims that what people read in the media is not true. “It makes people distrust the truth and the country suffers when we don’t operate with a semblance of common truth,” VandeHaye said.