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Donald Trump has again banned live coverage of today’s White House briefing.
Every reporter should pick up their phone, turn on the video, and let Sean Spicer or Sarah Huckabee have them dragged out by the Secret Service.
As part of his ongoing crackdown on dissent and truth, Trump has been cutting back on the media’s ability to cover the White House. Trump has hinted that he’s doing this to “punish” the media for reporting the truth about his scandal-ridden presidency.
CNN reports that the White House has only held two on-camera briefings in the past two weeks, and that “the State Department and the Pentagon have all but stopped holding on-camera briefings, too.”
CNN’s Dylan Byers explains:
Amid this chaos, the White House press office has opted for an ad-hoc strategy intended to screw with the media — the language used inside the White House is stronger — and make them look ridiculous. It will go several days without a briefing; then, when media frustration over the lack of access reaches a fever pitch, it will hold a conventional briefing. The next day, it may hold the briefing off camera, starting the process over again.
Trump needs the media more than the media needs Trump. This is all happening because Trump is obsessed with his coverage in the mainstream press, most notably the Washington Post, New York Times, and CNN. That means the media has leverage over Trump, and not the other way around.
But there’s a moral and/or ethics reason for the media to no longer accept Trump’s childish authoritarian crackdown. At some point, if you don’t stand up for your own beliefs and your own profession, you’re part of the problem. The media should refuse to playing Trump’s game. And in fact, there’s been verbal pushback, but so far the media is abiding by the White House’s request.
Among other journalists, CNN’s Jim Acosta weighed in forcefully:
That’s great, but it’s not nearly enough. What can reporters and media outlets do instead?
1. Pick up your cell phones and record the briefing. And if Spicer or Huckabee freak out, make sure you publish the video of them freaking out, far and wide.
2. Refuse to attend the briefing entirely. Hold a panel critical of Trump instead, and show it during the briefing. Trump will flip.
We are unfortunately dealing with a man-child with dictatorial leanings. Logic and reason aren’t at play here. This is raw emotion in an underdeveloped child-like mind. And as any parent knows, sometimes you just have to tell the kid “no,” and let the temper tantrum play itself out.
It’s time to give Trump a time-out.
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