President Trump Escalates War on the News Media in 2019
President Donald Trump significantly escalated his attacks on the news media in 2019, according to a story in The New York Times published on this day. Trump used the phrase “fake news” 273 times during the year, a 50% increase from 2018. If the 273 mentions were spread out over separate days (although probably not likely) it would have covered 74% of the days of the year.
Trump’s steady attacks on the news media, which began during the 2016 presidential campaign and have continued steadily while he has been president, represent a serious threat to the fundamental values of a democratic society. A healthy democracy depends on public trust in the basic institutions of government and also trust in the news media to publish the truth including exposes of government misconduct.
The presidency has been called a “bully pulpit,” meaning that statements by the current president have an enormous influence on public opinion. At the same time, a free press, protected by the First Amendment, is essential to developing and maintaining an informed and active citizenry. If a large segment of the public loses trust in both government and the news media, the result of cynicism and withdrawal from engagement in civic affairs.
Perhaps the most notorious example of the loss of trust in the institutions of government was the experience of Germany between World War I and World War II. The role of the Nazi “brown shirts” (the SA, and not to be confused with the SS) was to foment public disorder and to disrupt the processes of democratic governance. Shortly after taking power in early 1933, Adolph Hitler murdered the top SA leaders and disbanded the group. For obvious reasons he did not want a group creating chaos and distrust in HIS government.
Trump’s attacks on the news media are paralleled by his repeated lying, making statements that are simply not true and in many cases refuted by video recordings or published statements.
Must reading: Washington Post, Donald Trump’s Assault on the Truth (2020)
See the on-going list of Trump’s lies compiled by Politifact
More reading: Samuel Allen, Donald Trump’s Book of Lies (2018)
See The Atlantic’s list of Trump’s lies about the Coronovirus