Throughout his campaign, and still today, soon-to-be-president Donald J. Trump exhorted us not to believe reporting by reliable news organizations. He rallied supporters by pointing to the “dishonest media.”
But at the same time, he fed the public and news organizations many items that were demonstrably false. For example, when he said in 2015 that thousands of Muslims were on the rooftops of New Jersey celebrating on 9/11. Or his recent claim that Americans “don’t care at all” about his tax returns.
Clearly, his actions are undermining the public’s faith in the press as a purveyor of accurate information. The only solution is fair but aggressive news coverage positioned where it will be read.
Here is my suggestion to MaineToday Media: Let sunshine be the disinfectant. Every day, at the top of Page 1, print a recent quote from Donald Trump. Then, next to that, print the results of your investigation of his statement. After a while, your readers will get the picture, and MaineToday Media will have done the job that we subscribers expect of you.
Len Freeman
Portland
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