Throughout his first two weeks in office, President Trump’s rapid-fire attempts to make good on several of his promises have kept those in the media on their toes. As an idiosyncratic politician with a platform distinct from either major party, coverage of this president and his actions is especially reliant on a case-by-case approach. Trump’s fast pace and lack of an overtly ideological vision can lead outlets to churn out critical and complimentary headlines about his decisions in a matter of hours.
Two prescient examples of this phenomenon emerged this week, as the president lifted a component of sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration, while also hanging up the phone on Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull after a disagreement about refugee resettlement.
About the first item, Trump’s rollback of a punitive sanction enacted specifically based on Russian interference in the 2016 election drew widespread confirmation of the conspiracy theory that the president really is a Putin puppet. Vanity Fair even labeled the president “Comrade Trump,” while the Washington Examiner‘s T. Becket Adams compiled a nice roundup of hysterical reactions to the move.
To their credit, BuzzFeed News, not always considered friendly territory for the Trump administration, pointed out that the trade implications of the president’s choice are primarily beneficial to the United States, not Russia. Per BuzzFeed News reporter, Anthony Cormier, “They [trade experts] say the new ‘general license’ is actually a limited measure designed to help U.S. companies maintain access to Russian buyers.” Cormier also quoted Douglas N. Jacobson, an international trade attorney, who suggested, “People need to take a deep breath and relax.”
Regarding Australia, Trump’s style likely had more to do with the subsequent negative reaction than substance. While Sens. McCain, R-Ariz., and Kaine, D-Va., referred to Trump’s spat with Turnbull as “unnecessary and harmful,” and “amateur hour,” respectively, some mainstream media coverage only months ago would have given the president high marks for seeming to accurately assess the “worst deal ever” had he done so a bit more mannerly.
Australia’s migrant and refugee program was characterized by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the United Nations as “cruel” just this past November. BuzzFeed News reporter Tom Gara stood out among a mostly unanimous panning of Trump’s abrupt end to the phone call by highlighting the aspects of this arrangement, and Australia’s system, which have been broadly construed as “inhumane.”
This all comes on the heels of a message from Reuters editor-in-chief, Steve Adler, whose reaffirmation of universal journalistic principles this week alluded to the degree which media organizations are trying to both find their footing in covering the administration, while also keeping up with a raft of daily breaking news. In defining how to cover Trump “the Reuters way,” Adler said: “We value speed but not haste: When something needs more checking, we take the time to check it. We try to avoid ‘permanent exclusives’ — first but wrong.”
Tamer Abouras (@iamtamerabouras) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a writer and editor from Williamstown, N.J.
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