The midterms have diminished Trump’s political power, but one of his favorite weapons has survived unscathed: his ability to issue bizarre, dubious announcements that the mainstream media are often willing to repeat virtually verbatim.
I’m critical of the media’s soft treatment of Trump, but in these cases, I feel sorry for the press. When the president of the United States says he’ll do something, it’s probably news. It’s not high value if it’s only the World’s Biggest Liar saying it and there’s no independent confirmation or further explanation. But if it’s true, it’s news, and it may not be easy to debunk. So what’s a news desk to do?
A recent example of this quandary came last Saturday when Trump posted that he had invited mixed martial arts promoter Dana White to become the new White House press secretary, urging White to bring along his beefy “assistants … to save us from the lunatic Left.”
Who knew if Trump was serious? Just because it was a wacky notion didn’t mean it could be dismissed. Some of Trump’s stupidest ideas actually come to fruition. His previous choice for press secretary was so unfit for the job that she lasted five days. After Trump posted, there was even speculation that he had confused UFC CEO Dana White with a former Pentagon spokeswoman named Dana W. White.
So how did major media handle it? They generally played it straight, with headlines such as “Trump says he wants UFC chief Dana White for White House press secretary.” Later, there were reports that White had turned Trump down, which allowed the media to inject some skepticism into their accounts. Then, White spoke to reporters and further changed the headline spin to: “UFC’s Dana White says he will meet with Trump Monday over offer to be White House press secretary.” Finally, Trump admitted: “I was kidding, of course. … It was just a little fun.”
So, let’s make you a newsroom staffer. How would you have handled that initial report? Here are four options.
1. Don’t publish anything.
This might be the right decision in some cases, especially when Trump makes slanderous accusations against his political enemies. But when the president posts a potentially important decision on social media, it seems wrong for a news outlet to ignore it. An example of an unavoidable Trump declaration came when he threatened Iran by saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” if it didn’t accept his terms. Most of us doubted he really meant it (and we certainly hoped not), but it was still newsworthy.
2. Play it straight.
This is what major media did, and it’s the wrong way to go. Some outlets think it’s OK to lead with Trump’s unconfirmed claims as long as their headlines begin with “Trump says ...” so news consumers can take it with a pound of salt. But that still amounts to newsrooms handing their microphones to Trump. Liars like him count on being able to deliver their dishonesty to the public unfiltered.
3. Throw shade on Trump’s claims.
There are plenty of ways to avoid surrendering headlines to Trump. If he suggests something provably false, probably criminal, or objectively nuts, say so. Here are a few ways the initial Dana White headline could have been written:
“A joke or seriously bizarre? Trump wants fighting promoter to tackle press”
“No word from UFC chief on Trump bizarre push for him as press secretary”
“No details on Trump’s call for UFC chief to become be press secretary”
“One strange hire after another? Trump has new press secretary candidate”
“Is Trump’s latest ‘appointment’ just another social media joke?”
Emphasizing what we don’t know – “no confirmation” – is a good way to undercut Trump’s message. But beware of the “without evidence” tack, as in this ABC headline: “Trump claims Butler assassination attempt was a ‘Democrat Plot’ without showing evidence.” Better to call it an “evidence-free claim.” The way ABC worded it, readers might think Trump had evidence but just didn’t show it.
Sometimes a single word like “dubious” can do the trick. The Associated Press used it effectively in this headline: “Trump, hoping to salvage midterms, makes a dubious pledge to give every US adult $5,000 if GOP wins.”
Journalists need to use every tool at their disposal, including shade. When Trump makes a suspicious claim, the media should frame it with context and justifiable skepticism instead of giving him the spin he wants and normalizing the abnormal.
4. Here’s another solution, which no one will dare adopt.
We need a slang term for those occasions when Trump announces something out of nowhere and there’s no explanation, no documentation, no confirmation – nothing except the madman’s ravings. News editors should start calling those stories “Sudden Trump-Engineered News Oddity,” or “STENO.” News outlets would put “STENO” at the start of the headline, alerting readers that what follows is pure stenography with no independent sourcing or expectation of accuracy.
Under that system, the initial Dana White story might have been headlined “STENO: Trump says he’s offered press secretary job to fighting promoter.” And when the story got updated with more information, “STENO” could have been removed and replaced with a more fact-based headline.
“Interesting Trump development,” an editor might say.
“Well, it’s only STENO right now,” a colleague might respond.
I’m not really “kidding” or having “just a little fun” with Option No. 4. It would benefit the public if the news media could get together and quarantine Trump’s rhetoric in that way. But I don’t expect them to adopt such a radical defense of the truth, despite its merits.
Consistently throwing shade at Trump’s pronouncements would be reform enough.
This week’s media atrocity
Speaking of STENO, why do major media keep describing U.S. military strikes on Iran as “limited” and “targeted”? Aren’t all attacks “limited” if we’re not in a runaway nuclear war? Aren’t all strikes “targeted” – even the one that killed more than 100 Iranian schoolgirls? It’s dangerous for news outlets to adopt Defense Department language that makes us think this is War Lite instead of a real war.
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Legacy media moved on from the Epstein files. We didn't. Our new Contradictions Tracker lines up what officials swore to against what the documents show. Follow it every Monday in The Cover-Up.
Legacy corporate media has fouled this up for a decade. It's time they find new ways to talk about Trump besides good faith softball coverage.
The media cares more about their bottom line than keeping the viewers informed. This is why they gravitate to Trumps' garbage every time he farts out another lie. They hide behind a "position" that they have an obligation to cover the leader of the US. As the media becomes more and more controlled by wealthy MAGA billionaires, this will only continue and the facts and evidence will take a back seat. I give you the Washington Post and their disbanding of the best fact checking organization on the planet.