# Does Trump want to undermine the role of the press? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 19, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796 "2018-11-19T15:21:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/241 "2018-11-29T01:03:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You’d have to go back to Nixon to find one with such an adversarial approach to the press and we all remember why Nixon didn’t like what they were reporting. With all due respect, you have slandered Richard Nixon. Nixon: “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.” Trump: “A few days ago I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are, they are the enemy of the people.” and: [Donald Trump Celebrates Montana Republican Who Beat Up Reporter]([Donald Trump Celebrates Montana Republican Who Beat Up Reporter: 'He Is a Fighter'](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-montana-republican-fighter-reporter-1111190%5C)) and: [they hate your guts](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/28/trump-michigan-rally-media-press-559197) Even Spiro Agnew, who more explicitly attacked the press than did Nixon, didn’t come close to the physical intimidation of the press at Trump rallies. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/242 "2018-11-29T21:25:45Z")
> [@JB99](#): > > Trump was a shitty candidate. Now he’s a shitty president. > > Speaking the truth about a shitty politician is the media’s job. And ol’ Hillary still lost her 2nd attempt to become POTUS. Amazing. Meanwhile, if the lame stream media choses to continually attack a Presidential candidate, they shouldn’t be surprised when their intended victim continues to counter-punch his perceived bullies. If the lame stream media choses to continually attack a President, they had just better get used to getting counter-punched in the snot locker. \*They can’t do that to our pledges. - Otter Only we can do that to our pledges. - Boone \* [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UVgbFttx-6I/hqdefault.jpg "Only we can do that to our pledges") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVgbFttx-6I) Asking only one side of a feud to stand down shows a definite bias. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/243 "2018-11-30T02:34:51Z")
They’re not choosing to attack the President. They’re telling the truth, because that’s the whole point of the press. It’s not their fault that the truth is very unfavorable to Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/244 "2018-11-30T02:56:58Z")
It has always amazed me, with as flawed a president as Trump is, the media continually feel the need to stretch the truth or run with shaky stories. From bad stories like “Trump transition team in disarray” (which even David Axelrod came to Trump’s defense on that one), to “Trump considers sending 100,000 national guard to round up immigrants”, to unbelievable mistakes such as “Candidate Trump directed Flynn to talk to Russians” (As somebody pointed out, these huge retractions always seem to be about very negative stories), and on and on and on. It’s no secret the mainstream press hates Trump. If they’re not Fox, they hate Trump. That’s fine, they’re allowed to. But I don’t lose any sleep when Trump punches back. ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/245 "2018-11-30T03:02:57Z")
And if anyone thinks they just started acting this way with Trump, they haven’t been paying attention. They just took it to 11 with Trump. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/246 "2018-11-30T14:11:21Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > ol’ Hillary (post smartened) She is ol’, right? A dusty, senile old fart. It’s a wonder she can chew her own food, let alone dodder around on rickety legs without a walker. Can you believe that fossilized lump of dinosaur shit is only like, six months younger than _Donald Trump_? Eat your tapioca and take a dirt nap, Mrs. Methuselah! These dotards, man, wasting our oxygen. What an embarrassment. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/247 "2018-11-30T14:37:10Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > And ol’ Hillary still lost her 2nd attempt to become POTUS. Amazing. Yes, it’s amazing that you thought this was relevant. > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, if the lame stream media choses to continually attack a Presidential candidate, they shouldn’t be surprised when their intended victim continues to counter-punch his perceived bullies. If the lame stream media choses to continually attack a President, they had just better get used to getting counter-punched in the snot locker. They’re not “attacking” him. They’re asking him questions and reporting what he’s saying and doing. If doing those things results in him being portrayed in a bad light the problem isn’t the media, but I can certainly understand why his supporters would prefer that the media not do those things. > [@](#): > > Asking only one side of a feud to stand down shows a definite bias. Only one side is characterizing it as a “feud”. That right there might be a clue to the problem. Meanwhile, I await your diatribe on how mean the History Channel are to Hitler. I mean, they keep showing all this bad stuff about him - by your argument, this must be because they’ve started a “feud” with him. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/248 "2018-11-30T14:54:28Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > … if the lame stream media … You’re serious, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/249 "2018-11-30T15:31:27Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > You’re serious, aren’t you? It’s a favorite phrase of his, along with “ol’ Hillary” and “Democrat Party”. I’m not sure what he thinks he accomplishes by repeating these little snarky catchphrases but it seems to make him happy. And it’s still less obnoxious than that “Let’s go down to the quarry” thing. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/250 "2018-11-30T16:05:19Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s a favorite phrase of his, along with “ol’ Hillary” and “Democrat Party”. Phrases that are traditionally delivered with random capitalizations, exclamation points and mistyped @ symbols, so it’s interesting to see his unique, more scholarly take on the genre. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/251 "2018-12-04T20:35:39Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > (post smartened) > > She is ol’, right? A dusty, senile old fart. It’s a wonder she can chew her own food, let alone dodder around on rickety legs without a walker. Can you believe that fossilized lump of dinosaur shit is only like, six months younger than _Donald Trump_? Eat your tapioca and take a dirt nap, Mrs. Methuselah! > > These dotards, man, wasting our oxygen. What an embarrassment. Can I quote you? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/252 "2018-12-04T21:09:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Only one side is characterizing it as a “feud”. That right there might be a clue to the problem. > > Meanwhile, I await your diatribe on how mean the History Channel are to Hitler. (post shortened) Are you still waiting? I had completely forgotten about your request. Mea culpa. I will take your request under consideration, and I promise to give it all due consideration. Meanwhile, yes, it does seem to be a problem that only one side choses to describe an ongoing feud as a feud. No one is suggesting that the lame stream media, or the free press, can’t say what they chose to about a President. Free speech still exists. However, it does seem to generate an awful lot of whining from the lame stream media when the intended target of their bullying counter-punches the lame stream medias best efforts. I believe this type of whining only serves to undermine the very respect that the lame stream media has been demanding they receive. I guess they can’t take what they’ve been dishing out. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/253 "2018-12-04T21:59:27Z")
Do you have an example of a media organization that you would not classify as “lame stream”? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/254 "2018-12-04T22:25:37Z")
While your concern over the detrimental effects on the media’s image is laudable, I suspect that no respectable professional news organization is heavily invested in “winning back” the respect of anyone who uses the phrase “lame stream media” four times in two paragraphs. There is such thing as a lost cause, and there exist plenty of alternative outlets willing to cater to such an audience. Who knows, you may even be familiar with some of them already. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/255 "2018-12-05T15:23:28Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > They’re not “attacking” him. They’re asking him questions and reporting what he’s saying and doing. And he isn’t “counter punching”–he’s just throwing childish fits. He shits his diapers, and cries when people point it out. It’s a national embarrassment. They try to dress it up and call it “counter punching,” but anyone with half a brain can see through it. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/256 "2018-12-06T16:37:21Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > And he isn’t “counter punching”–he’s just throwing childish fits. He shits his diapers, and cries when people point it out. It’s a national embarrassment. > > They try to dress it up and call it “counter punching,” but anyone with half a brain can see through it. (underline added) I’m sure there are many people who meet your standard to see through it. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/257 "2018-12-06T16:40:38Z")
Quite a lot of people indeed. And yet, there are still some who do not, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/258 "2018-12-06T17:00:46Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Do you have an example of a media organization that you would not classify as “lame stream”? Thanks for asking. I consider every news media outlet that includes the news basics of who, what, where, why, and when in their stories to be a competent news media organization. They’re getting harder to find. News media outlets which ignore these basics in order to be the first to report a story are of no use to me. A lame stream media outlet is any news outlet which lets their personal biases, and agendas, get in the way of honest, and reliable, news reporting. The news reporter is not supposed to be the story. The news reporter is not more important than the story. Some news reporters, and news pundits, need to check their egos at the door when they report for work. I’ve imposed a personal waiting period of 48 hrs on breaking news stories. That gives the various news outlets time to sift thru the rumors they’ve been publishing, and begin publishing some verified facts. Retractions should be far an few, and far between. Blatant biases have no place in honest news reporting. If they chose to report just the facts, they will begin to earn back the respect of the viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/259 "2018-12-06T17:02:00Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Do you have an example of a media organization that you would not classify as “lame stream”? > [@doorhinge](#): > > Thanks for asking. > > I consider every news media outlet that includes the news basics of who, what, where, why, and when in their stories to be a competent news media organization. They’re getting harder to find. News media outlets which ignore these basics in order to be the first to report a story are of no use to me. A lame stream media outlet is any news outlet which lets their personal biases, and agendas, get in the way of honest, and reliable, news reporting. The news reporter is not supposed to be the story. The news reporter is not more important than the story. Some news reporters, and news pundits, need to check their egos at the door when they report for work. > > I’ve imposed a personal waiting period of 48 hrs on breaking news stories. That gives the various news outlets time to sift thru the rumors they’ve been publishing, and begin publishing some verified facts. > > Retractions should be far an few, and far between. Blatant biases have no place in honest news reporting. If they chose to report just the facts, they will begin to earn back the respect of the viewers. So that’s a “no” then? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796/260 "2018-12-06T17:18:52Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > While your concern over the detrimental effects on the media’s image is laudable, I suspect that no respectable professional news organization is heavily invested in “winning back” the respect of anyone who uses the phrase “lame stream media” four times in two paragraphs. There is such thing as a lost cause, and there exist plenty of alternative outlets willing to cater to such an audience. Who knows, you may even be familiar with some of them already. I believe that the term lame stream media is a perfectly adequate description of news media outlets which do not properly verify their published stories, or chose to provide more bias than fact, or “cut and paste” another news organizations alleged news story in order to avoid actually having to verify a story themselves. I could use some help trying to convince lame stream news media outlets that they, and their readers/viewers and the country, would be better off if news media outlets acted like news media outlets. The bottom line is that you would be helping yourself. Your choice. I’ve made mine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trump-want-to-undermine-the-role-of-the-press/824796.md?page=14)