November 12, 2017
Whichever the media outlet happens to be, President Donald J. Trump has been discussed tremendously ever since he descended that escalator in Trump Tower on June 16, 2015. The rest is history, and it culminated with him being elected the 45th President of the United States.
Since his election, the media coverage of him has been very harsh. But such negative media coverage is for the plain and simple reason that many members of the media feel this president can be detrimental to the country. This feeling could be a result of a variety of different pieces of legislation being passed, in addition to other executive orders at the president’s disposal. As the “Leader of the Free World,” the President of the United States is held to a very high standard, which is clearly justified due to the immense power the position holds.
During the 2016 election, then-candidate Trump consistently called out media outlets and deemed them “Fake News.” Trump believes that the mainstream media is completely against him and will never write a fair story about him or his administration no matter what he does. This is the fundamental reason why the term “Fake News” has stuck and become an integral part of the political lexicon for years to come. This constant bashing of the media by Trump has completely eroded the trust in which the American people place in the media.
President Trump is leading the country down a very dark path as he continues his full-throated attack on the “Fourth Estate,” otherwise known as the media. The media knows its job is to give a voice to the voiceless and be an objective and fair representative to the American people. The professional obligation of journalists, in addition to the dangerous aspects of this administration, has led to overall negative coverage of this president. For example, on August 15, CNN anchor Don Lemon said, “The president should get an elementary education.”
On June 6, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough said, “He’s just not well. We have someone in the White House that is acting erratically.”
These are just two examples of the countless statements made by the media that questions the mental stability and overall intelligence of this president.
Looking at this particular rationale from the eyes of President Trump, it is understandable that he becomes more angered each day about what he feels are unflattering and sometimes fake stories being written about him and his administration.
But the issue with the aforementioned rationale is that the things being written are not fake. They are things that are really going on. It is not in the best interest of the media to make things up about President Trump because it would further lower their abysmal level of trust that is currently being afforded to them by the American people. The president also loses credibility when he calls out the media for being fake when he constantly attacks reputable news organizations like The New York Times and CNN, while being an unapologetic supporter of Fox News. Between the three news outlets listed, the two in which the president lampoons are much more respected than the one in which he champions.
The media does not always treat Trump fairly, but it is very hard to be an objective journalist when the progress fought for over the span of decades is being eroded each and every day by this administration.
And when the media finds themselves constantly under attack by the president, it does not compel them to give the most objective coverage possible of Trump. A journalist strives to be objective and fair, and ensures that they do not let their biases impact their coverage of the news. But it is very hard to not be biased when as an American, the journalist feels the president is detrimental to the nation and doing things that they disagree with wholeheartedly. Many individuals on television have said just as much. If President Trump had not consistently been calling out the media, it may have been more inclined to give him slightly more favorable coverage.
It all boils down to President Donald Trump not being treated especially fair by the media, but when implementing such a divisive agenda, he has not built up any political capital that would put him in the good graces of it either.
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