Truth, credibility, integrity and the Trump administration. One of these words doesn’t belong, and it’s no secret to a majority of the population as to which one.
Thousands of news sites, millions of words, billions of people and one president. In a matter of a week, media have turned into a guessing game of the truth.
The fact is media is changing and the biggest factor is the new administration.
Every day since Trump became president, Facebook and Twitter have been continuously dumped with news stories and unsolicited commentary. Social media have seen no shortage of controversy these past few weeks, and it will only continue to grow as more and more people are speaking up.
So, what does this mean for journalism? When the president of the United States tweets the historically accurate New York Times is “fake news,” where does that leave us? It seems easier to call it fake and point blame than it is to face reality and look into the truth.
Trump has also called the media public enemy number one and said the media is dishonest during a briefing with the CIA. Steve Bannon, chief White House strategist, is quoted saying “media needs to keep its mouth shut.”
Just fresh off the inaugural boat, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer scolded the media for not accurately portraying President Trump’s inaugural crowd.
It didn’t take more than a Google image search and live stream to prove that he was lying. Or, as Kellyanne Conwaywould tell Chuck Todd onNBC’s “Meet the Press” a day later, Spicer was giving “alternative facts.” For obviously giving an inaccurate description of the size of the inauguration crowd.
Just days later the Trump administration issued a media blackout of the Environmental Protection Agency along with not allowing staff to issue press releases, blog updates or social media posts.
While changes are expected during a new administration, it’s cause for concern when a president issues a full blackout of any information to or from the public, media included.
By President Trump trying to undermine and discredit the media at every turn, it falls on the journalist to be even more diligent in its reporting of the news.
In an election that inarguably exhausted both parties, it comes as no surprise the media still continue to play a large part in our opinions about our new president.
But now, as a relatively divided nation, the question still remains as to the new role the media will play in this figurative puppet show.
We’re still peeking through our fingers as we try not to bear full witness to the ramifications of a Donald Trump presidency.
Trump himself is a new form of media and all eyes, ears, cameras and microphones are on him and this new business venture, also known as the U.S., he just signed up for.
But in the end there are no “alternative facts.” There is only the truth and what is not the truth. And it is the responsibility of the news media, the STAR included, to make the difference clear.
