What media bias?
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Flustered, angry and confused: the national press corp demands action
Conceding that the entire mainstream press spent the past eight years in the tank for Obama, Politico now urges reporters to conduct all out war against Trump.
Other commentators see this as an admission by Politico on behalf of itself and its colleagues that they've deserved their labels as "White House scribes" and "Democrat operatives with by-lines", but I disagree - these people aren't calling for mere vigorous reporting, which would indeed be welcome after 8 years cowering before "the least transparent administration in history" (WaPo) and cheering the Messiah on; they want to lead the active opposition, and not a loyal one, either.
Example: Today's circus, at which reporters pleaded, begged Martin Luther King's son to back off his statement that he and Trump had held "a very constructive meeting".
TOM LLAMAS: Mr. King, as you know, Representative Lewis still has the scars from the March on Selma. Were you offended by the President-elect's tweet that Representative Lewis is all talk and no action?
KING: First of all I think that in the heat of emotion, a lot of things get said on both sides and I think that at some point, and I am, as John Lewis and many others are, a bridge builder. The goal is to bring America together and Americans. We are a great nation, but we must become a greater nation, and what my father represented — my mother represented through her life, what I hope that I'm trying to do is always bring people together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Sir, you know many African Americans are very concerned about a Trump presidency. A woman came in here last week and told me he's going to have black people up against the wall, both literally and figuratively. Did he allay your concerns that he'll be a president for all people, black and white?
KING: Well certainly he said that, that he is going to represent Americans. He said that over and over again, and I think that we will continue to evaluate that. I think that the nation supports — I believe that's his intent, but I think also we have to consistently engage with pressure, public pressure. It doesn't happen automatically. My father and his team understood that, did that, and I think that Americans are prepared to do that.
JIM ACOSTA: Sir, but if I may follow up, isn't there something that cuts to your core when you hear the President-elect refer to John Lewis as all talk and no action? I mean, nothing could be further from the truth, isn't that right? John Lewis is not all talk and no action.
LLAMAS: On this day, what would your father's message would be to President-elect Trump? What do you think your father's message would be to President-elect Trump?
KING: This is the final answer I'm going to have because I'm going to reiterate what I just said. I think my father would be concerned about the fact that there are 50 million fact there are 50 or 60 million people living in poverty and somehow, we’ve got to create the climate for all boats to be lifted. In America, with a multi-trillion dollar economy — $20 trillion economy almost, it's insanity we have poor people in this nation. That's unacceptable and when we work together, we know we can roll up our sleeves. There's nothing we as Americans can't do. Thank you very much.
Just four years of this and there won't be a press corp left; not one that anyone will believe, at any rate. "But what about New York Times readers?", you ask, and that would be a good question, if the NYT still exists four years from now: I suspect it won't.
