WHAT’S UP WITH OUR MEDIA

By Ruth A. Sheets

Dear American Media,

I have  been a regular consumer of various media platforms for decades and have noticed some serious changes over the years that are not positive.  Our various media platforms today have so much more opportunity to reach the American people than ever before, albeit in different formats.  People don’t read physical newspapers and magazines as much as previously but online, newspapers, magazines, and newsletters are still pretty popular with people who want to know what is going on.  TV and radio news is still important as are the various online reports.

When it comes to covering events like natural disasters and significant criminal activities, most of our media are able to present the facts and even give some expert descriptions of what is going on.  That is not true when it comes to politics. 

I first noticed it about a decade ago when Donald Trump, a famous guy who claimed to be a great businessman and TV star of a fake “reality TV show decided to ride a golden escalator into a run to be President of the United States.  The various media went frantic.  They had to cover every aspect of this “newcomer” whose ideas were not at all positive or sensible, but filled with insults and blaming of immigrants for nearly every wrong Trump could think of. 

As the campaign rolled on, everyone but Donald Trump was moved to second tier or lower because Trump was just so exciting (or whatever it was).  He became the first or second story on nearly every newscast whether he had anything worthwhile to say or not, and continues in that position 9 years later.  When Hillary Clinton joined the 2016 presidential race, the most prominent things you media could say about her is Ben Gazi or emails.  Ben Gazi had been pretty much settled with hearings but it didn’t matter.  The American people, particularly on the right had no idea what Ben Gazi was, but were sure it must be something terrible.  Having a private server as Clinton did, was relatively common at the time and actually protected a lot of public materials from hackers, but that part was usually ignored by you. 

You all let cameras focus on an empty podium when Trump was late for a rally or speech.  I can’t recall the actual percentage of coverage of the race that went to Trump over Clinton but it was at least 2 or 3 to one.  That is not fair and balanced coverage.  When Americans were asked about Clinton’s positions on anything, mostly they only knew Ben Gazi and emails.  With Trump, at least, they knew he was supposedly fighting for them, the working people (which you knew he was not), and that he was going to stop immigrants from pouring over our southern border.  The implication there, Trump was going to save white Americans from being replaced by those horrible, scary people and Clinton was going to let them invade.  

Just as you media entities, with a little help from Russia, pushed Trump into the presidency in 2016, you all are trying again to crown Donald Trump.  What is your fascination, perhaps obsession  with this “Hitler wannabee?”  I don't get it and maybe that’s the point.  Maybe we’re not supposed to get why “legitimate media” are trying to boost a potential, self-declared  dictator (at least on the first day, then who knows after that).  Maybe you folks in our media think Trump was cheated of his second term in the White House when the January 6^th insurrectionists were foiled at the last minute.  I know you got months out of that day’s activities and probably would have liked to have more of it to “cover.” 

I can’t help but wonder if you in the media Have read about Hitler and his crew, the Holocaust (which guys was real by the way), and destroyed most of Europe, being responsible for many tens of millions of deaths.  Do you know how Hitler’s administration dealt with the press, particularly those who didn’t agree with every single word Hitler spoke in public.  The people left in the press were the believers who went along with the killings, slave labor, and general atrocities the Germans perpetrated and encouraged others to perpetrate. 

Knowing Trump’s dictatorial intentions, I would think you, our media would be on top of it, regularly educating the American people about Trump and his “team’s” intentions.  I have read and heard little of that.  We have heard from you all, the most listenable tidbits of Trump’s speeches, though, cutting out the parts that make no sense which is most of it so people don’t really know that Trump is moving into dementia and can’t remember what he is talking about unless it is the specific points he has been drilled on.  I keep wondering if Trump is wearing some kind of wire where people can feed him lines if he does not stay attached to the teleprompter.  Are you all wondering about that?

You all know well that Trump is old, almost as old as Biden is, yet it was Biden you in the media worked hard to bring down and let Trump merrily roll along with his lying, insulting, and name-calling, like a toddler who needs a nap.  You all ought to be ashamed, but I am guessing in this age, shame is not present in the media that are covering the power-grabbing and general lying on the Republican/conservative side of things.  You scrounge for positive things to say about the Republican candidates even though they are essentially pushing to bring down our democracy.  How is that OK with you?  How is it you practically ignore “Project 2025” which has been out for two years, yet few people even knew about it until very recently?  The 900+ page “document” was not a secret, and you are paid to investigate, yet you just didn’t.  You did not inform Americans about the autocracy “Project 2025” would usher in and its depth of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homo/transphobia and more.  That’s irresponsible and the lack of coverage continues today too.

This pathetic coverage reminds me of how often you played a tiny chunk of a Trump speech and glowed that Trump was being “presidential.”  That was nonsense. Maybe you were hoping for something better than you were getting, so had to point it out to people who were also hoping.  You must admit you never had to say that about Joe Biden!  He was presidential nearly the whole time from when he entered the campaign through today.  Trump has never been; those chunks showed nothing but your minimal hope.  

I do wish I knew what game you in our media are playing because it is not healthy for anyone, not even Trump because deep down, I believe he knows he does not belong in the White House.  I guess his sycophants/handlers like what you are doing because you are giving power to a bunch of criminals and criminal wannabees and they are totally on board with it. 

I keep hearing your coverage and emphases have changed because you all are now corporate.  Does that mean money is the only thing that counts and that if the money is on Trump and friends, it is where you must be too?  What does that make you, Trump sycophants?  You now have a challenge because as you wanted, Joe Biden has  left the 2024 presidential race.  What you didn’t plan on was that Kamala Harris would be anointed to step up and the people really do want her.  In a fair fight, she will beat Trump.  Will you make the fight less fair as you have been doing or can you all decide to do something for the American people, this nation and our planet and either truly be balanced or lean a bit on the side of Harris?  It is not clear yet, but We the People are watching. 

What I can tell you as an outside observer is, you all need to get your act together on behalf of the American people or your jobs will be irrelevant!  Those jobs  are moving in that direction now.  The truth is we need you to report on the positives and negatives at every level of life in our country.  What we don’t need is promotion of a “Hitler Wannabee.”