For decades, presidents have proclaimed their dislike for the media, whenever it is not in line with their agendas. It is easy to pit a country, especially one that loves conspiracies, against an entire group of individual journalists, reporters, etc.
President Trump has arguably been the most vocal president in America's history of his hatred for the media. He has reclaimed the phrase "fake news" as his own, encouraging his followers to distrust the media as well.
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| Screenshot of President Trump's tweet on July 1, 2020 from twitter.com |
Although President Trump was not the first politician to slander the media as a whole, he has taken it to a new level.
In an article written for The Washington Post, Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, said, "He's been remarkably effective in contributing to this topsy-turvy sense that journalists are the opposition."
To President Trump, journalists and the media as a whole, are his scapegoats. When he or his administration is reported negatively, the easiest thing to do is discredit the media entirely, decreasing Americans' trust in it.
Unfortunately for President Trump, what he does not understand is that journalism is the backbone of democracy. After all, our first amendment right includes freedom of the press.
The media has given President Trump and other political figures/parties the necessary tools to reach thousands of people with their message. The media is what gives President Trump a platform to say whatever he wants to his followers.
The media gives Americans the opportunity to keep up with political, social, and economic activities going on in not only the United States but the entire world.
Of course, Americans, including the President, will have certain news outlets that they do not like as much as others. That is where the freedom to choose what you want to watch or listen to comes in. There is a reason America has thousands of news outlets across the country. If it didn't, and we only listened to one group of people, we would not be a democracy.
The beauty of choosing which channel to click on is a freedom Americans often take for granted. President Trump has the freedom to dislike the media, but with his platform, spewing irrational hate with only warrant more hate and distrust.
As Americans, we must take everything we hear into consideration and further analyze it to seek the truth. We must advocate for news outlets to be truthful and trustworthy, as well as our President. In our own lives, we have to seek truth and pay attention to facts, or else we will drown in hearsay.
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