The New York Times, a former newspaper, opined of Donald Trump’s victory that it was “a humbling blow to the news media.” Like virtually everything in this leftist zombie of a once-living journalistic institution, this was a lie. If the blow had truly been humbling, the media would be more humble. I see no sign of this.
The MSM’s going narrative is that it was forced to abandon its usual objectivity this election in order to prevent the evil Trump from becoming our orange overlord. This too is a lie. The press that covered every step of George W. Bush as if it were an alien invasion, the press that slung mud at the virtually mudless Mitt Romney, the press that has not properly covered the ceaseless dishonesty of Barack Obama or his corruption of the IRS or his politicization of the Justice Department because in its own dishonesty, corruption and politicization, it barely knows those stories are there — that press lost even the pretense of objectivity long ago. If anything, the only difference with Trump is that, unlike with W. and Romney, they had a solid case against him — but no one would believe them because they’d cried wolf too long.
So what if they were truly humbled by Trump’s victory? What would they do then? Humbled people assess their failures and try to change, don’t they? I can think of three things the media could change right off the top of my head.
1. Stop calling people racist and sexist without solid evidence.
The media that demanded a smoking gun to prove that Hillary Clinton had destroyed the smoking gun ought to require incontrovertible proof that the people they disagree with are acting out of anything but practical, logical motives. If more blacks are shot by cops than whites, that is no proof of racism. It’s not even evidence of racism. Call me crazy, but it could be, who knows, that blacks just commit more crimes than whites. Likewise, if a woman loses an election, that’s no evidence of sexism. Could be, say, that a lifetime of corruption disqualified her. To call someone a racist without real evidence is a despicable, ugly and stupid thing to do. It’s just a way of silencing opinions you happen to dislike. A humbled news media, a real news media, would never do it, ever.
2. Hire some conservatives. Hire a lot of conservatives.
When newsrooms say their staff ought to look like America, what they mean is they ought to get some women and colored folk in there. How shallow can you get? If newsrooms want to cover this country, they ought to think like America thinks. Half the reporters, half the editors, half the managers should be conservatives. The old lie that leftist reporters can be objective is just that, an old lie. They can’t be objective if they’re surrounded by other leftists. They will only succumb to groupthink and confirmation bias. Like they do now.
3. Stop using the New York Times for a budget.
It’s a crap paper. It really is. The fact that it employs excellent reporters who know how to gather news makes it even worse because its editors and managers are manipulating genuinely decent journalism to create a false, leftist impression of the world. The op-ed page is an embarrassment of well-educated knuckleheads, Ross Douthat excepted. And the front page, when viewed as a whole, is a running lie, a flagrant attempt to manipulate readers. For newspapers, TV networks and stations around the country to give this paper the authority to set their agendas is a crippling error in judgement. Make your own budget. Or watch Special Report on Fox to see how its done.
The Times is almost right in one sense. The election of Donald Trump should be a humbling blow to them. But take a look in the mirror, MSM. See that smug, sequestered, self-satisfied smirk on your face. Does that look humble to you?
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