It’s interesting to see the likes of David Frum recognize the imbalance in the media after all these years. People who read this blog have seen this for about three decades now. A thread:
“Donald Trump tried to overthrow an election by violence.”
That’s old news, we already reported that.
“As president, Donald Trump directed tens of millions of tax dollars to his own pockets.”
Old news.
“Russian intelligence helped elect Trump by illegal means. Trump welcomed the help.”
Russia, Russia.
“He was proven in court to have raped a woman.”
Civil proceeding, not criminal – and sexual assault, not rape. Besides … old news.
(cont’d)
“Two dozen other women say Trump attacked them. There’s literally a recording of him boasting about it!”
Old news, we litigated all that in 2016.
“There’s new news just unsealed about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein!”
Salacious gossip, beneath our editorial standards.
(cont’d)
“You don’t have to focus on the sex stuff. There’s more evidence that Trump gave a seat in cabinet to a man for no good reason other than to thank him for the Epstein cover-up.”
Arrant speculation. Also old news.
(cont’d)
“It’s not arrant speculation that Trump’s family falsified receipts to cheat the government out of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.”
Old news.
“It’ll feel like new news because you ignored it at the time.”
We gave it a day.
“Trump used the same trick – false records – in all his many civil frauds, and also in the hush-money case that got him convicted of 34 felony counts by a jury!”
Complicated technicalities, you’re boring me.
(cont’d)
“You want simple? Someone bravely defied a non-disclosure agreement to go on the record that Trump used the most vicious racial slurs on the set of The Apprentice.”
Doubtful source.
“The ‘suckers and losers’ quote comes from an impeccable source.”
Old news.
“But Trump denied the ‘suckers and losers’ quote only last week during the nationally televised presidential debate. He lied to the whole country!”
Not our job to fact-check every word he says.
“But you personally know it to be a lie.”
Maybe we do, maybe we don’t.
“Okay, look, let’s do it your way. What does interest you?”
Indications of cognitive decline.
“We’ve got millions of examples of Trump obviously off his rocker.”
Right – he says crazy things all the time. Not news.
(cont’d)
“Are you telling me that the more often a candidate for president says addled, senile, crazy things – the less newsy it is?”
Not exactly. We also need a lot of background quotes about how his party is worried. If the party is cool with his dementia, we’re cool with it.
“These rules don’t seem on the level.”
We’re not the Supreme Court.
“The Supreme Court isn’t on the level either.”
Oh, now you’re undermining confidence in our most sacred institutions. How is that different from Trump?
“Oh for God’s sake, the wives of two justices supported – and one conspired in – Trump’s Big Lie. I don’t understand why you sat on the story for two years.
Leave families out of it.
“Biden’s family too?”
We have to cover that, Trump’s made a campaign issue of it.
“I give up. Talk to me like I’m eight years old. How the hell do you explain what you’re doing?”
We have to report equal numbers of bad things about each side.
“But what if there aren’t equal numbers?”
That’s our job, to make sure that there are.
END
Yep.
And now we’re going to see the next chapter which is just as predictable: