leibowde84
Veteran Member
There is nothing more dangerous that a leader who tries to use his power or influence to silence opposition. Debate, argumentation, discussion, and even insults can be acceptable (in certain circumstances) as long as there is no attempt to silence the other side completely. Our government only works when our elected officials are held accountable for the claims they make, whether on Twitter or in official press briefings. Now, Trump is trying to use his overwhelming and dangerous influence over his followers to paint the media in general as his opposition party, and his Senior Counselor (who is a master of deliberately misleading information) has literally told the media to "shut-up and listen".
The main responsibility of the media, in the political sphere, is to hold our elected officials accountable. When Trump or his surrogates make a claim that is either unreasonable or unsubstantiated, it is their responsibility to hammer him on it. They have to keep digging in for evidence to back up any claim to keep our President in line, unable to get away with false statements of any kind. There could be nothing more dangerous than a leader who is free to make up "alternative facts" to support their decision making or agenda.
It is critical that Trump doesn't favor right-leaning media like Fox News, and shut out more critical media outlets like, well, pretty much every other major network, as it will severely deteriorate our ability as citizens to stay informed. As citizens, it is our responsibility to get information from both sides of the political spectrum. Fox News is fine if you also get information from, say, CNN and MSNBC or Politico. On the other hand, sites like Breitbart (severe right) or Vox (severe left), known for misleading or "fake" news, should only be taken with a grain of salt and facts should never believed on their face alone.
But, let's see what the media is up against, and why they are being forced to push back so hard on Trump during his first week in office.
Here are the major falsehoods that Trump and his team has spread thus far:
1. Trump won the popular vote if you take away the millions of voters that voted for HC fraudulently. Registrations in multiple states do not support a claim of widespread voter fraud, as these registrations are due to voters having moved to different states. It is up to the local state governments to notify other states when voters move to their jurisdiction. There is not even an appearance of a willingness to vote fraudulently, as it isn't up to the voter to make this kind of correction. There is nothing illegal about being registered in multiple states. Fraud only exists when people actually vote twice, and there has been absolutely no evidence that this has happened in any significant amount. In fact, many in Trump's administration are registered in multiple states. So, does that mean that we have reason to believe that they all voted twice for Trump?
2. Crowd size at his inauguration. While this is not an important one, it is troubling that Trump was absolutely unable to let it go. He repeatedly brought it up, forcing media outlets to hit back with actual evidence showing that Trump was either lying or ignorant of the facts. This shows Trump's incredibly thin skin, which is a huge liability when it comes to being leader of the free world.
3. Regarding refugees from Syria ... "If you were a Muslim, you could come in, if you were a Christian, it was impossible." This is just patently false. Many Christian refugees have entered the US from Syria under Obama.
4. "Here in Philadelphia murder has been steady — I mean — just terribly increasing." They were the third-lowest last year since 1990.
5. "In our nation’s capital, killings have risen by 50 percent." Most recent data shows a decline
6. Americans don't "care at all" about Donald Trump's tax returns. Actually, all polls and statistical evidence show that a majority of Americans (and Republicans even) think that Trump should release his tax returns. And, this is for a very good reason. Trump has a ton of overseas business relationships. He also hasn't separated himself from his business dealings, as he has kept control in his immediate family. It is important to know who Trump owes money to and what deals are in the making so that we can spot conflicts of interest and hold Trump accountable for the decisions he makes.
The main responsibility of the media, in the political sphere, is to hold our elected officials accountable. When Trump or his surrogates make a claim that is either unreasonable or unsubstantiated, it is their responsibility to hammer him on it. They have to keep digging in for evidence to back up any claim to keep our President in line, unable to get away with false statements of any kind. There could be nothing more dangerous than a leader who is free to make up "alternative facts" to support their decision making or agenda.
It is critical that Trump doesn't favor right-leaning media like Fox News, and shut out more critical media outlets like, well, pretty much every other major network, as it will severely deteriorate our ability as citizens to stay informed. As citizens, it is our responsibility to get information from both sides of the political spectrum. Fox News is fine if you also get information from, say, CNN and MSNBC or Politico. On the other hand, sites like Breitbart (severe right) or Vox (severe left), known for misleading or "fake" news, should only be taken with a grain of salt and facts should never believed on their face alone.
But, let's see what the media is up against, and why they are being forced to push back so hard on Trump during his first week in office.
Here are the major falsehoods that Trump and his team has spread thus far:
1. Trump won the popular vote if you take away the millions of voters that voted for HC fraudulently. Registrations in multiple states do not support a claim of widespread voter fraud, as these registrations are due to voters having moved to different states. It is up to the local state governments to notify other states when voters move to their jurisdiction. There is not even an appearance of a willingness to vote fraudulently, as it isn't up to the voter to make this kind of correction. There is nothing illegal about being registered in multiple states. Fraud only exists when people actually vote twice, and there has been absolutely no evidence that this has happened in any significant amount. In fact, many in Trump's administration are registered in multiple states. So, does that mean that we have reason to believe that they all voted twice for Trump?
2. Crowd size at his inauguration. While this is not an important one, it is troubling that Trump was absolutely unable to let it go. He repeatedly brought it up, forcing media outlets to hit back with actual evidence showing that Trump was either lying or ignorant of the facts. This shows Trump's incredibly thin skin, which is a huge liability when it comes to being leader of the free world.
3. Regarding refugees from Syria ... "If you were a Muslim, you could come in, if you were a Christian, it was impossible." This is just patently false. Many Christian refugees have entered the US from Syria under Obama.
4. "Here in Philadelphia murder has been steady — I mean — just terribly increasing." They were the third-lowest last year since 1990.
5. "In our nation’s capital, killings have risen by 50 percent." Most recent data shows a decline
6. Americans don't "care at all" about Donald Trump's tax returns. Actually, all polls and statistical evidence show that a majority of Americans (and Republicans even) think that Trump should release his tax returns. And, this is for a very good reason. Trump has a ton of overseas business relationships. He also hasn't separated himself from his business dealings, as he has kept control in his immediate family. It is important to know who Trump owes money to and what deals are in the making so that we can spot conflicts of interest and hold Trump accountable for the decisions he makes.
