A loose network of conservative operatives allied with the White House is pursuing what they say will be an aggressive operation to discredit news organizations deemed hostile to President Trump by publicizing damaging information about journalists.This is a naked attack on a free press, the sort of thing that an autocrat like Putin would approve of.
It is the latest step in a long-running effort by Mr. Trump and his allies to undercut the influence of legitimate news reporting. Four people familiar with the operation described how it works, asserting that it has compiled dossiers of potentially embarrassing social media posts and other public statements by hundreds of people who work at some of the country’s most prominent news organizations.
The group has already released information about journalists at CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times — three outlets that have aggressively investigated Mr. Trump — in response to reporting or commentary that the White House’s allies consider unfair to Mr. Trump and his team or harmful to his re-election prospects.
Most reporters are not public figures. Arguing that they are is to argue that everyone is. And going after their families? That's truly evil.
In mitigation, one may assume that after a number of these revelations are made, people will consider the source and stop paying much attention.
I guess it's unfair to compare Trumpanzees to Putin. Putin just has people that discomfort him arrested or killed.
Not that unfair, in that a few of Donnie’s supporters have actually contemplated killing some of his “enemies”.
ReplyDeleteRemember the MAGA bomber?
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland