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Ed Bigham's avatar

Thanks Eric. I can disagree with anything you wrote. Instead I will add Michelle Wolfe's 2018 remarks:

“I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you,” she continued to scold. “He couldn’t sell steaks, or vodka, or water, or college, or ties, or Eric. But he has helped you sell your papers, and books, and TV. You helped create this monster and now you’re profiting off of him."

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Charley in Cleveland's avatar

New administrations set the tone with their initial press briefings. In 2001, Ari Fleischer came out and fabricated a story about damage to the West Wing left behind by the Clinton administration, and in 2017 it was Sean Spicer's whopper about the size of the inaugural crowd. Both Fleischer and Spicer feigned outrage and dug in over these false and ridiculous stories, and let the media know there would be more chaff than wheat coming from the podium. Perhaps news directors would have followed a different coverage approach if the reporters had strongly reacted to being gaslighted on DAY ONE instead of sitting there like scolded school kids.

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