How the Media Sanitizes Trump’s Insanity

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

A particularly apt discussion after Trump's debate meltdown yesterday and the media's reporting of it:

 

 

The political press’s efforts to rationalize Trump’s incoherent statements are eroding our shared reality and threatening informed democracy.

Four years ago, in an article for Media Matters for America, I warned that journalists were sanitizing Donald Trump’s incoherent ramblings to make them more palatable for the average voter... This had the effect of making it seem like Trump’s words and actions seemed cogent and sensible for the vast majority of Americans who didn’t happen to watch his rant live.

 

Flash-forward to today, and it’s clear this problem has only worsened. As Trump’s statements grow increasingly unhinged in his old age, major news outlets continue to reframe his words, presenting a dangerously misleading picture to the public.

...

"This “sanewashing” of Trump’s statements isn’t just poor journalism; it’s a form of misinformation that poses a threat to democracy. By continually reframing Trump’s incoherent and often dangerous rhetoric as conventional political discourse, major news outlets are failing in their duty to inform the public and are instead providing cover for increasingly erratic behavior from a former—and potentially future—president.

 

(more)

 

https://newrepublic.com/article/185530/media-criticism-trump-sanewashing-problem

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Trump is 78 and barely coherent. Where's everyone who questioned Biden's age and fitness?

 

Where are the headlines screaming: 'Deranged old man peddles nonsense while threatening violent deportation of immigrants'?

...

Trump's bizarre rants get sanitized. Biden got no such special treatment.

If Biden, as the Democratic nominee, had gone on a rambling verbal tear like that, GOP lawmakers would be calling for him to be institutionalized and cable news panels would be discussing how the 25th Amendment works.

 

But The New York Times' initial report on Trump’s babble said this: “In a jumbled answer, he said he would prioritize legislation on the issue but offered no specifics and insisted that his other economic policies, including tariffs, would ‘take care’ of child care.”

 

Oh, c’mon. A 78-year-old convicted felon running for president rants nonsensically, demonstrating an inability to hold a thought or understand an important issue, and it’s deemed “a jumbled answer”?

 

(more)

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/09/09/trump-old-incoherent-biden-age-mental-fitness/75138026007/

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This is one of those instances where I find myself having to agree here with some who constantly complain of a news media bias in the U.S.

 

Indeed.... When it comes to Trump, it's a establishment media bias to present an arguably mentally unstable and divorced from reality aging politician who spouts falsehoods by the bucket full as a somewhat "normal" political candidate -- just because he happens to have become the Republican nominee for president.

 

If anything, his nonsense during the debate was treated by mainstream news media more as just what it was (nonsense) than it would have been from most other campaign events. Because all that he was saying was seen directly and live by tens of millions of Americans, making it more difficult for the news media to reframe and sanitize his comments in "normal" politics speak.

 

I'm sure for many ordinary folks who just casually follow political news, it was a somewhat shocking wake-up call to just how far out into the loony-sphere Trump has gone.

 

[maesariang]

More useless Trump bashing.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Examples from the New Republic's report of Trump "sanewashing":

 

"The general practice went like this: The press would take something Trump said or did—for instance, using a visit to the Centers for Disease Control to ask about Fox News’s ratings, insult then–Washington Governor Jay Inslee, rant about his attempt to extort Ukraine into digging up dirt on Joe Biden, and downplay the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the U.S.—and write them up as The New York Times did: “Trump Says ‘People Have to Remain Calm’ Amid Coronavirus Outbreak.”

 

And further:

 

"While speaking at an event put on by the extremist group Moms for Liberty, Trump spread a baseless conspiracy theory that “your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation,” referring to transition-related surgeries for trans people. In their write-up of the event, a glowing piece about how Trump “charmed” this group of “conservative moms,” the Times didn’t even mention the moment where he blathered on and on about a crazy conspiracy that has and will never happen."

 

 

[morrobay]

Evidently your endless anti  Trump diatribes/agenda ,- ad nauseam. Have clouded your perception of what's alls going on. The press/mainstream all are pro Trump: Because Trump is a $ spectacle. Good for business.https://newrepublic.com/article/183583/real-mainstream-media-bias-favors-donald-trump

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, morrobay said:

Evidently your endless anti  Trump diatribes/agenda ,- ad nauseam. Have clouded your perception of what's alls going on. The press/mainstream all are pro Trump: Because Trump is a $ spectacle.

 

Thanks for posting an earlier article that pretty much reinforces those in the original OP here:

How the Real Mainstream Media Bias Favors Donald Trump

It’s not liberal vs. conservative. It’s called “inversion of expectation,” and it poisons coverage every single day.

July 9, 2024

 

Watching and reading American media, a certain bias becomes immediately evident. Stories proliferate about pundits and a handful of Democrats calling for President Biden to drop out of the race, but they are almost never “balanced” by pointing out the massively larger number of Republicans (many now “former” or “never Trump” Republicans, but Republicans nonetheless) who are calling for Trump to drop out or be defeated.

 

Why would this be?

 

Why wouldn’t the American media at least try to balance their coverage of two “flawed” candidates? After all, Trump has been disowned by the former head of his own party (Michael Steele), something like half of his own former Cabinet officials (including his Defense and Intelligence officials), and even his own former vice president.

 

(more)

 

https://newrepublic.com/article/183583/real-mainstream-media-bias-favors-donald-trump

 

Sounds a whole lot like the OP report of this thread --

 

How the Media Sanitizes Trump’s Insanity

---

 

 

 

[maesariang]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thanks for posting an earlier article that pretty much reinforces those in the original OP here:

How the Real Mainstream Media Bias Favors Donald Trump

It’s not liberal vs. conservative. It’s called “inversion of expectation,” and it poisons coverage every single day.

July 9, 2024

 

Watching and reading American media, a certain bias becomes immediately evident. Stories proliferate about pundits and a handful of Democrats calling for President Biden to drop out of the race, but they are almost never “balanced” by pointing out the massively larger number of Republicans (many now “former” or “never Trump” Republicans, but Republicans nonetheless) who are calling for Trump to drop out or be defeated.

 

Why would this be?

 

Why wouldn’t the American media at least try to balance their coverage of two “flawed” candidates? After all, Trump has been disowned by the former head of his own party (Michael Steele), something like half of his own former Cabinet officials (including his Defense and Intelligence officials), and even his own former vice president.

 

(more)

 

https://newrepublic.com/article/183583/real-mainstream-media-bias-favors-donald-trump

 

Sounds a whole lot like the OP report of this thread --

 

How the Media Sanitizes Trump’s Insanity

---

 

 

 

Msm attacks Trump non stop. Favour 

[bamnutsak]

Lawrence O'Donnell has been banging on about this phenomenon for a while.

 

I think it's down to:

 

- fatigue, 9+ years of Trump's greatest lies which some found interesting in 2015, but now have not aged well.

 

- unchallenged, no one has ever really challenged him in real-time, head-on, like VP Harris did last night. (Naked Emperor, no clothes)

 

- the frog in the pot, people have just gotten used to Trump's idiotic takes over time.

 

- the illusion of truth, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”.

 

- good for business, Trump is good for those in the outrage/media business.

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

Lawrence O'Donnell has been banging on about this phenomenon for a while.

 

I think the multiple reasons you posted above from O'Donnell as to why Trump too often gets an unchallenging media pass for his nonsense are spot-on correct.

 

That's what made ABC's real-time fact challenging of Trump during the debate so refreshing.  CNN calculated that Trump made more than 30 false or unsupported claims during the debate.

 

I think the ABC moderators specifically challenged him on just a handful of those, but at least they challenged him on some!

 

 

[bannork]

Donald and Kamala before the debate.

 

[Amethyst]

A disallowed name calling post and several ensuing replies have been removed.

 

Please note the rules for the Political Soapbox include:

 

"Posts with derogatory nicknames, intentional misspellings or personal remarks will be removed."

 

 

[MalcolmB]

It is American culture to lap up bull dust.

Most of them still believe Mary was a virgin and Jesus the son of God. 

[Captain Monday]

22 hours ago, maesariang said:

More useless Trump bashing.

“I have concepts of a plan”- Donald Trump

 

DJT on health care after being president for 4 years when he promised it in two weeks,  and 3 more years to think about it as a disgraced loser,  and now convicted criminal felon.

 

75 million deploarable dupes will vote for him in November anyway.

[tilaceer]

On 9/12/2024 at 12:13 PM, maesariang said:

More useless Trump bashing.

Trump bashing is never useless.
Until that person is removed from every aspect of public life and is held to account for
his actions, he is fair game.

[Nick Carter icp]

4 minutes ago, tilaceer said:

Trump bashing is never useless.
Until that person is removed from every aspect of public life and is held to account for
his actions, he is fair game.

 

   You would find someone else pick on if Trump went 

[tilaceer]

15 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   You would find someone else pick on if Trump went 

Supposition. No, I wouldnt.

[watthong]

On 9/12/2024 at 11:37 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Four years ago, in an article for Media Matters for America, I warned that journalists were sanitizing Donald Trump’s incoherent ramblings to make them more palatable for the average voter... Flash-forward to today, and it’s clear this problem has only worsened.