Attacks against the free press are dangerous and undemocratic — except for when they are not.
As it turns out, Democrats’ support for the news media is conditional. They will defend the press so long as it benefits their party. But if a news organization runs afoul of the Democratic agenda, you better believe all bets are off.
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On Monday, President Trump addressed two mass shooting events from this weekend. He condemned “grisly video games” and white nationalism, calling also for unity.
In response, the New York Times ran the following headline for its print edition: “TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM.” A photo of a memorial erected at the site of one of the mass shootings accompanied the headline.
Democratic lawmakers and 2020 primary candidates were furious over the newspaper’s word choice. Many demanded the New York Times amend the headline. Others claimed the newspaper had fallen down on the job. Some even accused the New York Times of aiding the rise of white supremacy.
“Unbelievable,” said former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey added, “Lives literally depend on you doing better, NYT. Please do.”
“That’s not what happened,” stated Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio added, “Hey, [New York Times] — what happened to ‘The Truth Is Worth It?’ Not the truth. Not worth it.”
“Let this front page serve as a reminder of how white supremacy is aided by – and often relies upon – the cowardice of mainstream institutions,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The New York Times, of course, caved to peer pressure. Because if there is one thing national newsrooms cannot withstand, it is blue-on-blue action.
“The headline was bad and has been changed for the second edition,” a spokesperson for the Times told the Washington Post.
The amended headline now reads: “ASSAILING HATE BUT NOT GUNS.”
So brave. So free. All that chest-puffing against Trump. All those years standing arms akimbo and stating, “We are not fake news, Mr. President.” All that posturing, and the New York Times folded like a cheap suit in the face of Democratic criticism. It sure is fun watching the same newspaper that pretends to speak truth to power ask “how high?” when members of one of the two major parties say “jump.”
As for the Democrats: Nicely done.
For the last three years, they have said that attacks on the press are attacks on democracy itself. Yet, many wasted no time this week torching the New York Times for a headline they did not like. They pressured the newspaper into changing its coverage to better suit the Democratic perspective! They went from “#PressFreedom” to “You are fake news!” at the drop of a hat, and all because of a headline.
If I did not know any better, I would say these people do not actually care about a free and independent press. They care only about having a working megaphone with which to defeat their opponents.
