Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Natalia's avatar

Thanks for saying out loud what we are all thinking Eric. The press needs to stop using pretty words to describe very ugly behavior.

Expand full comment
Theodora30's avatar

CNN, like too many mainstream outlets, is still wedded to the old namby-pamby style of reporting on Republican lies, bullying and other undemocratic behavior. Headlines are often the biggest problem because too often they simply repeat Trump’s claims. The linguist George Lakoff has been trying to make Democrats and the media understand how this works for a long time but has mostly been ignored. Trump has successfully used the tactics Lakoff has described to get away with wrongdoing literally for decades. Years ago he bragged about lying when he talked about how he uses “truthful hyperbole” to get his way.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/13/how-to-report-trump-media-manipulation-language

This past June the Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan wrote about Lakoff’s recommendation that the media always use the “truth sandwich” approach when reporting on lies. To do this requires starting with the truth in the headlines — “Trump falsely claims....”, then describing the lies then ending with the facts. That technique has been shown to be effective because it immediately “frames” the story as debunking untruths rather than allowing the lies to “frame” the story.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/instead-of-trumps-propaganda-how-about-a-nice-truth-sandwich/2018/06/15/80df8c36-70af-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html

This month Sullivan reported on an in-depth study by Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society that clearly shows it is mainstream media more than Russia or social media which is helping Trump spread his disinformation and chaos. Simply by writing headlines that repeat Trump’s claims with no indication that those claims are false, the media repeatedly helps spread his propaganda. The BK Center’s head Yochai Benkler also recommends using the truth sandwich tactic stop Trump from spreading misinformation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-doesnt-need-russian-trolls-to-spread-disinformation-the-mainstream-media-does-it-for-him/2020/10/06/9612d602-07da-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html

Since 2016 the media has repeatedly blames Russia and social media for Trump’s ability to bamboozle the American people but this study shows that they are actually the ones most responsible. Funny how the study isn’t getting much attention. The WaPo has actually relegated Sullivan, a past public editor of the NY Times, to the Lifestyle section as if she is reporting on entertainment or fashion not information that is critical to our democracy.

Expand full comment
51 more comments...

No posts