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Muting Trump

By Jeralyn, Section Trump Administration
Posted on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 11:41:33 AM EST
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Jack Shafer at Politico writes today about the need for the media to stop publishing everything Trump says as news. Very little of what he says is news.

The threshold for what constitutes news from Trump’s mouth should be reset. Unless his statements are true or his proposals have some chance of advancing, Trump’s loose talk belongs in concise and dismissive stories in the middle pages of the newspaper where we can skim them and move on. The press corps’ new motto should read: “Just because the president said it doesn’t mean it’s news.” Put the president’s boombox on mute.

I'd go a step further. If his statements are neither true nor likely to advance realistic proposals, don't print them at all. Not only aren't his mumblings and musings news, just reading about them, seeing his face and hearing that miserable voice puts most of us in a bad mood -- just mute him and don't publish it at all.

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    Muting Trump | 8 comments (8 topical)

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    He's the President (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by smott on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 01:07:00 PM EST
    So what he says is by definition news.
    The bigger problem is that they repeat his lies in their HEADLINES, which is all most busy people read anyway.

    The headlines should call out the lie.
    "Trump's statements re blah (don't even say what he said) are false. Evidence shows...."

    The biggest failure in this mess has been the media, top to bottom.
    Now Jeff Zucker after givngnTrump 50 mil in free advertising and hiring his NDA lackey criminals, is suddenly whining.

    Bomb's on the other foot now, Jeff. You own this.

    Yup, when someone is President (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 02:00:07 PM EST
    Their every word is news.

    At least they have stopped covering every moment he says something. Thank God he's worn the press out on rallies.

    Parent

    Muting Trump... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by kdog on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 01:34:28 PM EST
    is an excellent idea, but since the media is a business sector out to make money it will never happen.  

    I'm reminded of Howard Stern in the early days...the people who disliked him and his radio show tuned in more often and for longer periods than those that liked him and his show...the same applies to Trump.  MSNBC, CNN, and FOX ad revenues would be lost without him, so they will treat any and every idiot blathering of his as breaking "news".

    Any muting is up to us and our viewing habits.  Only if the ratings/clicks are in the toilet will the media cover other things.

    They can still make money (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by smott on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 01:59:32 PM EST
    Covering things truthfully with Trump is plenty ratings-inducing.

    And don't tell me they care that much about ratings, if they did, then email insecurity would be STORY ONE.
    But it isn't, they only care about email security in the context of f-cling Hillary Clinton.

    There are ways to entice them to cover what is really going on, if they care about ratings.

    I'm not sure they do. I think they care about funding from the right wing.

    Parent

    I completely agree (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 02:43:59 PM EST
    And even more, or just as much as, Trump stop putting his evil minions on tv.  They never do anything but lie their sorry assz off so stop putting them on air.

    ESPECIALLY Sanders.  OMG if I never see or hear her again I could die happy.

    Tell me one time she or any of the other minions have ever contributed one single tyre fact to the discussion.

    All the do is weasel around his rantings.

    I agree. (none / 0) (#8)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 26, 2018 at 08:26:51 AM EST
    They've always been a net negative yet they continue to have them on in the name of "balance" but all it really does is promote their same siderism narrative.

    Parent
    Another thing (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 02:50:02 PM EST
    If they do talk about him stop the equivocation

    Stop with the "falsehoods" and the "untruths"

    Call the what they are.  Lies.

    Altogether too much front page Trump (none / 0) (#2)
    by Coral on Thu Oct 25, 2018 at 01:13:52 PM EST
    I avoid going to NY times, other paper's front pages because I am so horribly sick of seeing that face.

    They shouldn't print what he says unless it is factually true.

    They should try to put non-Trump stories on the front page.

    Muting Trump | 8 comments (8 topical)

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