# Media coverage of Trump's inauguration and subsequent reign as president. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827 "2017-01-10T19:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/21 "2017-01-10T21:23:51Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > And, maybe it’s just perception, but all that other news is covered significantly less in order to make more “Trump Time”. > > I know President-elect Obama was not covered in this level of 24/7 coverage, and I doubt that it’ll stop once the inauguration is over. > > In any case, I am not issuing a decree, or a command. I am not asking others to issue such. I am just making a suggestion. > > Now, my only decree on that suggestion would be that the media that does stop covering trump would be the one getting my eyeballs. The media that continues to cover him would stop getting my eyeballs. > > The electorate only has so much time in a day. And they want that info about sports and fashion and such. So, you usually divide a news segment into those different parts, covering different pieces over the course of the broadcast (whether it be a 1/2 hour news cast or a 24 hour news channel). So, they aren’t going to skimp on their sports, their fashion, or their car news because Trump is more in the news, they are going to skimp more on their political news, because that’s the type of news that he is. > > So, he is displacing the time and energy of the newscasters to report the political news, and he is displacing the time and patience of the people to watch the political news, which, of course, in the end, leaves them more poorly informed as to the state of their community, their country, and their world, and puts them into a position where they may not make the choices that further their goals. The reason the media covers Trump is simple: it gets them good ratings. That may cost them your eyeballs, but it wins them many more. The whole thing sort of reminds me of the [car chase scene from Anchorman 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha7s7o7KDrM). ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/22 "2017-01-10T21:46:29Z")
Latest Trump tweet: 3:49 pm Just had a massive dump. Amazing amount of nuts and corn. HUGE! Media jealous! I imagine this will be front page news shortly. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/23 "2017-01-10T22:36:10Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > The role of journalism is to inform people. An intentional campaign by news sources to make sure people are not informed about President Trump is a betrayal of the most basic foundation of representational democracy: that the people ought to know what the fuck is going on in the world. > > Other than that, great plan. Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking, as well. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/24 "2017-01-10T23:06:15Z")
**Media coverage of Trump’s inauguration and subsequent reign as president.** You misspelled _resignation_. > **[Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him...](https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/index.html)** > > Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct... ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/25 "2017-01-10T23:26:50Z")
I’m confused, why do you think it’ll be a resignation? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/26 "2017-01-10T23:32:24Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m confused, why do you think it’ll be a resignation? Russia Yeah, just because he is in the pocket of Putin does not in any way mean that he will leave office. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/27 "2017-01-10T23:56:23Z")
I think the logic goes something like this: 1. “Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump” 2. Trump is now “in the pocket of Putin” I don’t think that’s how it works though. Access Hollywood had some ‘compromising personal information about Mr. Trump’ too. Was Trump ever ‘in the pocket of’ Access Hollywood? Was John Podesta ever ‘in the pocket of Putin’? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/28 "2017-01-10T23:58:58Z")
Well, he stuff I’m reading on this document about the compromising information is disturbing, far more so than Podesta’s risotto receipes. I totally reserve judgment on the veracity of the claims about Trump. And the risotto. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/29 "2017-01-11T00:04:26Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I think the logic goes something like this: > > 1. “Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump” > 2. Trump is now “in the pocket of Putin” > > I don’t think that’s how it works though. Access Hollywood had some ‘compromising personal information about Mr. Trump’ too. Was Trump ever ‘in the pocket of’ Access Hollywood? Was John Podesta ever ‘in the pocket of Putin’? Is access hollywood in any danger of invading the ukraine any time soon? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/30 "2017-01-11T00:06:30Z")
What document? What stuff are you reading? The CNN story says there’s a two-page synopsis, but doesn’t really give details of what it says. They say "At this point, CNN is not reporting on details of the memos, as it has not independently corroborated the specific allegations. " Do you have the 2-page synopsis or the 35-page compilation of memos? Are you reading the details somewhere else? ETA: it sounds like it’s oppo research on Trump. Did Russians get that when they hacked the DNC? ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/31 "2017-01-11T00:08:54Z")
[Full document here. Happy reading!](http://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984/Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/32 "2017-01-11T00:12:41Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > [Full document here. Happy reading!](http://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3259984/Trump-Intelligence-Allegations.pdf) Wow, CNN said, “the synopsis was considered so sensitive it was not included in the classified report about Russian hacking that was more widely distributed, but rather in an annex only shared at the most senior levels of the government: President Obama, the President-elect, and the eight Congressional leaders.” And yet, here we are, able to read all of the 35 pages that the synopsis was based on. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/33 "2017-01-11T00:15:06Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > And yet, here we are, able to read all of the 35 pages that the synopsis was based on. It’s called a “leak”. Don’t know if its true. At minimum it’ll be fun to watch him deny it. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/34 "2017-01-11T00:33:33Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > It’s called a “leak”. > > Don’t know if its true. At minimum it’ll be fun to watch him deny it. Yeah, I suppose. Not very effective blackmail material at this point, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/35 "2017-01-11T00:51:32Z")
[The golden shower jokes have started](https://twitter.com/hashtag/goldenshower?lang=en). This is glorious. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/36 "2017-01-11T03:53:32Z")
This is not really about the election, as such. It is really not quite nasty enough for the Pit, so we’ll try MPSIMS, for now. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/37 "2017-01-11T04:33:04Z")
As Kremlin leaks Hillary data to you, Kremlin leaks your data to others. I gave Trump credit for being an intelligent person who would hire a competent administration and limit his direct influence to embarrassing himself on Twitter or any convenient hot mic. But to rent the hotel suite used by US President in Moscow, with an old-school KGB Dictator running Russia, and then putting on a sex show which had to be over-the-top of Putin’'s hopes and dreams? Is it possible to impeach him before the Inauguration? I don’t know if Trump could have gone anywhere in Russia and gotten away from the KGB (whatever it is called now) or not. I’m going out on a limb and saying “not”. But to use the most obviously compromised hotel suite in the entire country for such a party? I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone over 25 who would be that stupid. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/38 "2017-01-11T05:35:50Z")
[QUOTE=k9bfriender] The media, from the day that the donald descended the escalator, has done nothing but to egg the man on, and give him free publicity. It doesn’t matter whether they are making fun of him, criticizing him, or lauding him, it all works out the same way both to him and to his ardent supporters. They lap it all up. Any form of attention is like a drug to them. The one way the media could treat him that would get under his skin is to simply ignore him. [/quote] This is brilliant satire! At least, I hope it is, because no one could seriously think this. > [@Ravenman](#): > > The role of journalism is to inform people. That’s its alleged role. The actual role is somewhat different. [QUOTE=k9bfriender] Rather than undermining the presidency, I am trying to improve it. [/quote] You think you personally can improve it? Wow! Finally, thank God! Why don’t you get a job in the media or even run for office? Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! > [@](#): > > I know President-elect Obama was not covered in this level of 24/7 coverage, and I doubt that it’ll stop once the inauguration is over. Seriously? > [@](#): > > So, he [Trump] is displacing the time and energy of the newscasters to report the political news, and he is displacing the time and patience of the people to watch the political news, which, of course, in the end, leaves them more poorly informed as to the state of their community, their country, and their world, and puts them into a position where they may not make the choices that further their goals. HE is not doing any displacing. The media do that of their own free choice. Maybe it’s more like a symbiosis, but the media needs Trump more than the reverse. Late in the 2008 campaign the media publicly whined, “Why are we still covering Sarah Palin?” But they kept right on doing it (for a while, at least). As for being poorly informed, Thomas Jefferson had this to say: “…the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors. He who reads nothing will still learn the great facts, and the details are all false.” --Letter to John Norvell (11 June 1807). And Knoll’s Law of Media Accuracy: “Everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true–except for the rare story of which you happen to have firsthand knowledge”. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/39 "2017-01-11T14:14:01Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > This is brilliant satire! At least, I hope it is, because no one could seriously think this. Ummm, which part, that he likes being the center of attention, or that the media is making him the center of attention? I am not sure what is controversial about that. Could you elaborate without the attempts at being insulting please? > [@](#): > > That’s its alleged role. The actual role is somewhat different. Ah, what is that role if I might ask? > [@](#): > > You think you personally can improve it? Wow! Finally, thank God! Why don’t you get a job in the media or even run for office? Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! Did I say that? No, I didn’t. I said I try to work towards it, which is somewhat different. If you don’t feel our personal choices can make a difference in the world, why do you bother getting out of bed in the morning? > [@](#): > > Seriously?HE is not doing any displacing. The media do that of their own free choice. Maybe it’s more like a symbiosis, but the media needs Trump more than the reverse. Late in the 2008 campaign the media publicly whined, “Why are we still covering Sarah Palin?” But they kept right on doing it (for a while, at least). And you may note that my suggestion is toward the media. I disagree that the media needs trump. There are over 7 billion other people in the world, and at least 3 of them are more interesting than trump at any given time. The media has a nearly infinite pool of information to pull from to report upon. If the media never reported on trump again, they’d not be hurting for stuff to report on. Trump on the other hand would be hurting for not having the media trumpeting his name. > [@](#): > > As for being poorly informed, Thomas Jefferson had this to say: “…the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors. He who reads nothing will still learn the great facts, and the details are all false.” --Letter to John Norvell (11 June 1807). I will say that I disagree entirely with him on that point, and others. While believing everything you read may not be good for your decision making, being ignorant is no better. What is needed is some level of logical and critical thinking skills to determine what is likely true and what is likely false. Burying your head in the sand and pretending that the world won’t pass you by is not the solution, as much as you may wish for the solution to be that simple. > [@](#): > > And Knoll’s Law of Media Accuracy: “Everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true–except for the rare story of which you happen to have firsthand knowledge”. Ah, a law. This means that it has been proven very rigorously, in that every single time that a person has first hand knowledge, the story was false, in other words, every single story ever published by any media outlet is false. Is this actually your claim? Or, maybe you actually did just find an example of satire. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827/40 "2017-01-11T22:40:57Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > And, maybe it’s just perception, but all that other news is covered significantly less in order to make more “Trump Time”. > > I know President-elect Obama was not covered in this level of 24/7 coverage, and I doubt that it’ll stop once the inauguration is over. > > In any case, I am not issuing a decree, or a command. I am not asking others to issue such. I am just making a suggestion. > > Now, my only decree on that suggestion would be that the media that does stop covering trump would be the one getting my eyeballs. The media that continues to cover him would stop getting my eyeballs. > > The electorate only has so much time in a day. And they want that info about sports and fashion and such. So, you usually divide a news segment into those different parts, covering different pieces over the course of the broadcast (whether it be a 1/2 hour news cast or a 24 hour news channel). So, they aren’t going to skimp on their sports, their fashion, or their car news because Trump is more in the news, they are going to skimp more on their political news, because that’s the type of news that he is. > > So, he is displacing the time and energy of the newscasters to report the political news, and he is displacing the time and patience of the people to watch the political news, which, of course, in the end, leaves them more poorly informed as to the state of their community, their country, and their world, and puts them into a position where they may not make the choices that further their goals. And this is why the assertion that “The Media” hates Trump is so, so, so wrong. They fucking love Trump, because Trump provides headlines all day every day. They fucking love that miserable bastard. Sure, the individual reporters and talking heads may despise Trump as individuals, but as a collective industry he’s a goddam goldmine for them. Trump figured out that in the age of reality TV making yourself front page news every day is a dream strategy. Not that he rationally figured this out, it’s just that his narcissistic clown show just happens to perfectly fit our dysfunctional culture right now. He couldn’t be any other way, but his personality disorder let him bypass the normal immune system of the country like the AIDS virus. Yeah, the media loves Trump even as they scream and boo about his pathetic antics, just like the wrestling crowds love to boo and hiss at the heel when he smacks a face character with a chair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/media-coverage-of-trumps-inauguration-and-subsequent-reign-as-president/776827.md?page=3)