TRUMPING THE MEDIA

#TRUMPING

Published at http://www.newsmax.com/ScotFaulkner/facebook-media-social-twitter/2017/01/12/id/768303/

Trump’s first news conference since the November election vividly displayed how he has turned the media world upside down.  His unprecedented campaign and transition points to an Administration committed to solidifying a media revolution that began decades ago.

The media, especially the 95 percent liberals within the media, are in free fall in audience and credibility.  A recent Associated Press survey reported that 96 percent of Americans no longer trust the “mainstream media”.  The media elite are still in denial that their world of unaccountable privilege and bias has vanished. 

How the media elite respond will determine whether anyone listens to them ever again.  The latest Buzzfeed/CNN promotion of false Trump trash is further evidence that the elite are on a different planet from the real world.

American media was “middle of the road” and patriotic until the mid-1960s.  At that time the older generation of media moguls retired or died, ushering in activist liberals.  Media liberalism became radical with the Vietnam War and Watergate.

Accuracy in Media (AIM) was founded in 1969 by Reed Irvine to expose this new liberal media bias.  AIM’s documentation remained within conservative circles until Vice President Spiro Agnew used their research in boldly partisan speeches during the 1970 elections.

Americans were held captive by three broadcast networks and Public Broadcasting until CSPAN cable television entered the scene in 1979.  Conservative Members in the House of Representatives used CSPAN to conduct guerrilla theater.  Using large photos, graphs, and models of Soviet Airplanes, House conservatives began to directly educate the public about big government and the Soviet threat.  It was the first breech of the liberal media filters.

In April 1980, two senior news editors, Arnaud De Borchgrave and Robert Moss, published “The Spike” a novel exposing communist influence within the American media.  As importantly, they exposed how the liberal media perverts reality as much by what they don’t cover as what they do - “spiking” stories.

The media revolution really began in 1987 when the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) eliminated the “Fairness Doctrine”.  For the first time since 1949 radio stations could feature editorial content in their normal programming.  On August 1, 1988, Rush Limbaugh launched his radio show.  Now all Americans had access to non-liberal perspectives. 

The liberal media fought back.  Talk radio hosts and news reporters were denied press credentials to cover Congress until the Republicans took over the House in January 1995.  Even credentialed, talk radio was shunned.  The liberal media elite branded it unprofessional and trafficking in conspiracy theories.

Starting in May 1995 (Netscape), the Internet devastated the liberal media citadels.  Website news began to supplant broadcast and print media.  Social media, along with internet access on mobile devices in 2004, ignited an historic information revolution. 

Conservative voices were unleashed by these upheavals.  Liberal media elites could no longer “spike” stories or present their bias unchallenged.  Even their own audience favored getting their news from social media and shows on Comedy Central.  The media establishment sped its own demise by succumbing to fake news from its reporters like Jayson Blair, and trafficking in false news like “hands-up don’t shoot’ and “a video caused the Benghazi attack”.

All the elements of a liberal media cataclysm were in place.  Trump’s blunt talk and his supporters’ contempt for the media brought the status quo crashing down.

Trump understands, more than any other politician today, that he can render the media irrelevant.    Pew Research and other studies show that 62% of Americans get all or part of their news from social media.  Facebook posts 510,000 comments and 136,000 photos per minute. 2.4 million emails are sent every second.  Fifty percent of Millennials check out Facebook when they first wake-up.

Trump does not need to have his message filtered and interpreted by Democrat operatives posing as journalists.  Chris Matthews and George Stephanopoulos were Democrat flacks long before they took on the trapping of journalists.  Dozens of reporters and “on air talent” are married to Obama Administration officials.  Trump’s response is to go over and around them.

Trump currently has over 50 million Facebook and Twitter followers.  Millions of Trump supporters repost or retweet his quotes on countless social media pages.  128 million Americans posted or liked Trump content on Facebook during the campaign.  No one has ever been so pervasive in communicating and mobilizing.

Trump is the master of this new media reality.  He understands that 140 characters on Twitter or a pithy comment or compelling image on Facebook shapes the media cycle.  This is all before he becomes President, with all its additional resources and reach.

Liberal media in the Trump era is fast becoming as credible and relevant as horoscopes. 

Rules of Engagement

by Scot Faulkner and Jonathan Riehl

IRS, Associated Press, Benghazi - It has been a sad month for America. The Nixonian turn of the Obama Administration has threatened basic liberties and trust, while the turn down the rabbit hole of the Congressional Republicans has undermined basic roles and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch.

Holding power accountable is a vital and fundamental part of America’s civic culture. The First Amendment’s protections for free speech, and Article I of the Constitution outlining Congress’s powers and responsibility to protect the use of public funds, are pillars that hold our government and society together. Recent actions by both the Executive and Legislative Branches raise alarm.

As President Truman famously declared, “the buck stops here” at the President’s desk. No matter how much President Obama declares his innocence; no matter how much the President asserts he only learned about every problem from watching the news; he is responsible for the actions of the Executive Branch. Intimidation of citizens and the media, violations of privacy, violations of law, and covering-up facts are ultimately the fault of the person who sets the tone, and governs, the Executive Branch. If subordinates were “rogue”, then find out who and find out why. No second or third level functionary wakes-up one morning and decides to create national policy without receiving orders or telling others. To maintain otherwise insults the intelligence of all Americans. The alternative is an admission of gross negligence and incompetence emanating from the Oval Office.

The role of Congress is to use its oversight powers and responsibilities to expose and address illegal, unethical, and unseemly acts of federal officials. This oversight role has been an integral part of Congress since President George Washington. It is the key element of balancing powers among the three branches of the federal government.

Oversight is about truth seeking. When Congress uses this power to create fantasy instead of fact it disserves the institution and the public. The egregious performances by Executive Branch officials have unfortunately been equaled by over-the-top rhetoric and drama by Members of Congress. There is a fundamental problem with the rhetorical strategy of the GOP, and it is evident in these recent hearings. When there are failures in the functioning of government, it is up to Congress to investigate and call them to account. In these recent matters at State, Justice, and the IRS, the duty is obvious. It’s how the House majority has gone about it that is so problematic.

This is especially disappointing because Republicans have a strong record on oversight. In recent history, nothing stands out more than the Watergate hearings, to which many allusions have been made.

In 1973, the wrongdoings of the Nixon administration were brought to light by responsible, bipartisan hearings in which we heard memorable lines from the likes of GOP Senator Howard Baker, asking calmly, “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” The stakes were high. The modesty of the questioning allowed for the public to come to its own conclusions. The facts drove the investigation. Chairing the hearings was Democratic Senator Sam Ervin, of North Carolina. While there was certainly shrill demonizing of Nixon and the Republicans by liberals, this rancor was shut-out of the Ervin Hearings.

Republican leaders in Congress have their hands full. When Chairman Issa, and other “adults”, hold sway, the tone of the hearings hearken to the Ervin hearings. However, less seasoned Republicans on these committees, and those speaking on the House Floor, drown out the search for truth with “truther” style rhetoric. No matter how much some Republicans hate Obama, their best strategy is to let the petulance of Executive Branch witnesses drill holes in the Administration’s boat. When Republicans use their interrogation time to spout conspiracy theories instead of fact finding they divert attention from Obama onto themselves. They also waste precious time. They should be asking questions designed to peel back the “onion layers” to expose the rot. There will be plenty of time to assail the Obama Administration, once the facts, or the lies, are in hand.

The poor performance of both interrogators and interrogatees continue Washington, DC’s downward spiral into hyper-partisanship and perpetual campaigning. Every utterance seems aimed at producing the next soundbite for partisan pundits or campaign ads. Congressional hearings should enlighten and build trust, not become a fodder for comedians where the Members are mouthing their own punch lines.

Scot Faulkner served in the Reagan White House and as Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jonathan Riehl, J.D., Ph.D., is a communications consultant for political campaigns and national nonprofit organizations, a former speechwriter for Luntz Research, and an instructor in Communications Studies.