Mis-truths, disruptions, errors and outright lies: So who and what are we really talking about in the first year of Trump?
To confuse matters even more, now the U.S. Commander in Chief
wants to dole out some awards to his favorite industry. Excluding Fox News. But of course, not of the
positive kind. Wonder if TV advertisers would support a Trump award TV show bashing the media?
Digital media might offer some truths these days.
Recently, Trump says his nuclear button
is “much bigger and more powerful” than North Korea's button. You know, the one that can end the world. That’s our President talking ... er, tweeting. Still, we need to see the
evidence -- some confirmation.
In a separate tweet, President Trump says he wants to give out his media awards this coming Monday at 5 p.m. A good TV entertainer
and provocateur knows what buttons to push; other officials, not so much.
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When you run a closely held, family-run real estate and name-selling branding company, the Trump Organization, things
tend to remain private. Media inspection can be minimal.
As President, however, you are open to scrutiny. After all, you work for us. So thicken that skin. Man up. Accept some uncomfortable
truths. And maybe apologize -- occasionally. Some might give him an award for this.
Over the weekend, Trump did an impromptu interview with The New York Times -- after
disparaging remarks about the paper for over a year and a half. That’s good news here, no? As for his media awards, we wonder who is on the jury-selection committee.
Here’s something people have long considered: There is no bad press. You might bite the hand that feeds you, because one needs to eat.
For good journalists, it is always about
pursuing the truth, no matter what -- and apologizing when they get something wrong. No more, no less. Funny retorts ricocheting back to the highest-ranking U.S. political servant is good material for
“Saturday Night Live,” John Oliver, and Bill Maher.
But it goes both ways. After a while, journalists don’t keep talking with unreliable sources of information. What
would happen then to those Presidential tweets? They would still have an iffy-information Internet life -- something U.S. consumers are growing increasingly weary of.
But that would not win
any awards -- on TV or elsewhere.