• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 17, 2018

Don’t personalize the f-news attacks from any fearless top U.S. politician. Take the emotion out of it — dive back into a report for more truth and information.

That is the real, tough work that good TV and print media organizations do.

Many people focus on every word — or words — that President Trump says. But why? He isn’t a journalist. Just a guy with some opinions — and some lame, iffy, off-the-cuff assumptions. Sounds like the perfect arbiter of f-news awards.

With his digital media platform, the President does great work in creating more disruption, more circus. He's like a guy playing three-card Monte on the corner. He hovers over those bent playing cards and waits for the crowd’s reaction.

Keen observers know not to focus on the cards or the chatter, but instead to focus on the bigger picture. Forget about the game. Watch the card dealer’s moves and how he quickly packs up and scoots down the block.

Some supporters love it when Trump bashes the media. New technology gives him a big platform to do it — a breeding ground for “alternative narratives,” says Chuck Todd, host of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily.” 

The good news: U.S. citizens’ awareness is now at high levels, questioning all information — from social media to cable news networks, to top U.S. public officials. Finding out what is true, and then making a sound determination, is harder to do. And it isn’t always black or white; much of political life operates in a gray zone.

Time then for a new cable news TV network — a fact-checking TV news network. We already have numerous fact-checking sites, which can admittedly create more complexity. Still, we need more checks.

Here's a positive: We are not in an authoritarian media state — yet. “The system is holding up pretty well ... there are still plenty of checks on his authority,” Matthew Continetti, editor in chief of the Washington Free Beacon, said on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily.”

Words are only a hint of what might come. And hopefully, when something is wrong, there is a mea culpa -- a ‘correction’ notice or even an apology. And not just from the media -- but from all those who use new media platforms.

Wait... You mean, any person using social media doesn’t have to issue corrections, like the traditional media does? Trust doesn’t come cheap — or fast. Solid, fact-based reporting — and quickly correcting errors or noting clarifications — is the work of serious journalists.