Trump “Press Conference” Shows Mainstream Media Easily Bullied / Manipulated – & They Have No Idea How To “Cover” Him

The news media remains an unwitting accomplice in its own diminishment as it fails to get a handle on how to cover this new and wholly unprecedented president.

“There were two big lessons in the Wednesday morning melee.
 
1. Trump remains a master media manipulator who used his first news briefing since July to expertly delegitimize the news media and make it the story rather than the chaotic swirl of ethical questions that engulf his transition.
 
2. The news media remains an unwitting accomplice in its own diminishment as it fails to get a handle on how to cover this new and wholly unprecedented president.

It was all part of a show in which he used news organizations as props in their own lampooning

while he played them off each other with labels of good and bad and selectively answered their policy questions.

A united front would have given the reporters stronger footing.

But that was woefully lacking when Trump shouted down Jim Acosta of CNN, who said Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, threatened to eject him.

The other reporters in the room readily took Acosta’s place, happy to have their own questions answered.

But they could be next.

They’re going to have to decide how much they want to abide by Trump’s decision to selectively quarantine colleagues whose coverage he does not like …

The media better figure things out, fast, because it has found itself at the edge of the cliff.

And our still-functioning — fingers crossed — democracy needs it — to stay on the right side of the drop.”

Well, we’ll see what happens …

But after what happened yesterday, I’ll bet Trump will continue to dominate such an easily manipulable and not-very-courageous group of “carpal-tunneled wretches” …

Source: As Trump Berates News Media, a New Strategy Is Needed to Cover Him – The New York Times