Free press isn't free under White House's onerous rules (Editorial)
Muzzling the press is chapter one in the authoritarian ruler's playbook. By the Founders' design, the president of the United States is not a king or dictator. He doesn't control the media, or get to decide which reporters are assigned to cover him.
A free press isn't free if the government imposes rules on what reporters can ask and how they must ask it. That violates the First Amendment. Period.
Banning reporters from asking follow-up questions or challenging the president's statements, under threat of taking away their access to the White House, hobbles the watchdog function of the media. White House reporters will be looking over their shoulders, calibrating the consequences, every time they ask tough questions. Meanwhile, the president will be able to dodge accountability and lie to the American people with even more impunity.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 24 2018, @12:10AM
Mostly, I see your own flavor of tribalism in your post. But, let's take this:
In actuality, Trump was one of MSM's golden boys, when he was doing that moronic television show. And he stayed golden, right up until he entered a presidential race that would put him in opposition to Hillary. Before the first debate, almost before the first polls, MSM went on the attack. "Oh, he'll never beat Cruz" "He'll never even beat Carson." On and on it went, with MSM casting Trump in the worst light, constantly predicting his failure.
And, when he emerged as the victor in the nomination game, MSM really opened up on him.
From the day he declared his candidacy in the race against Hillary, MSM hasn't had a single good word to say about Trump. Only Fox will say things that aren't outright derogatory about him.
I listened to my favorite radio talk show hosts (who are libertarians) making fun of MSM all through 2015. "The best thing MSM can do for Trump, is to continue lying about him, and badmouthing him. Everything they say he can't do, he does it. I don't know why they don't just shut up, and ignore him, and let people forget about him." Or, words very much to that effect.