Until Mr. Trump, no one challenged the media. The adage among politicians was “never get into an argument with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.” Journalists could say or do almost anything.
Because of the evolution of social media, it no longer matters who buys the most ink. Mr. Trump understands that. The mainstream media does not.
Since his impeachment exoneration and the commencement of his near-daily pandemic task force news briefings, Mr. Trump’s approval ratings have climbed considerably.
Also, during this most newsworthy quarter in a decade, Fox News viewership increased 38 percent while MSNBC stayed flat. Among the key demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds Fox grew 42 percent while MSNBC dropped 1 percent.
The liberal media reaction to these results has been for several networks to stop airing the news conferences, despite the high ratings they earn. Never before have the media lobbied for less rather than more transparency. If Mr. Trump is lying during the news conferences as they claim, then why not let everyone see for themselves? The truth is that the news conferences clearly show they are the liars, not Mr. Trump.
Rather than provide the fact-based and objective news coverage most people want, the media elites think it is their job to tell everyone what to think. That is why they are panic-stricken. When people get the information directly, the media can’t as easily manipulate perceptions. Although good news for America, this is bad news for media elites.