Why The Media Can’t Tell Difference Between Trump’s Lies, Biden’s Facts
Nothing is real.
In David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, a customer tells real estate salesman Ricky Roma that his wife “said I have to cancel the deal.” Roma later responds, “That’s just something she said. We don’t have to do that.” Roma views plain language as malleable and not beholden to the truth.
A USA Today headline this week read, “Biden says in NBC interview he did not use violence-inciting rhetoric against Trump.” However, that’s not just something Biden said. It’s an actual fact.
NBC News anchor Lester Holt told Biden, “You called your opponent an existential threat. On a call a week ago you said, ‘It’s time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye.’ There’s some dispute about the — the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter.”
Yes, Mr. Holt, words do indeed matter, along with the necessary context you didn’t provide viewers. Biden made the bull’s-eye remark during a call with Democratic donors — not a political rally or in a series of major TV ads — and if the loser who shot Trump was a major Democratic donor in communication with the president, NBC buried the lede.
Nonetheless, Biden patiently responded to Holt’s insulting moral equivalency: “Look, the truth of the matter was what I guess I was talking about at the time was there was very little focus on Trump’s — agenda,” Biden said. “It was — it was a mistake to use the word. I didn’t mean — I didn’t say ‘cross-hairs.’ I meant ‘bull’s-eye.’ I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on — on his — on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.”
“Putting a bull’s-eye on Trump” is something no reasonable person would assume was a call for violence. It’s a pretty common figure of speech. The term “campaign war chest” doesn’t seriously mean that the money is intended for AR-15s rather than, you know, bumper stickers and yard signs.
Biden did apologize for his mildly colorful language, which not even that extremely literal doctor on Arrested Development would interpret as a call for violence.
Meanwhile, Trump has never apologized for all the times he’s literally and grossly celebrated political violence. One of the many examples that the media has memory holed is when Trump praised GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter: “Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type!” he said at a 2018 Montana rally. “I shouldn’t say that. You know, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Just this March, Trump shared a video on social media that depicted an image of Biden hogtied in the back of a pickup truck. That’s not figurative language. It’s stochastic terrorism.
The Strawberry Fields Principle
The USA Today headline is not alone in placing Biden’s true statements on the same level as Trump’s outright lies. A VOA article after Trump’s felony convictions in New York stated, “Trump says criminal convictions 'rigged'; Biden says rule of law upheld.” Once again, that was just something Trump said. It wasn’t true. The headline ignores the larger news story that the Republican presidential nominee smeared a jury of his peers who carefully weighed the evidence and found him guilty on 34 counts. Biden was correct that the rule of law upheld, at least in this case. It would soon collapse like cheap lawn chairs in his federal cases.
A NBC News article in May stated, “Trump says people crossing the border bring 'very contagious disease' with them.” That’s a dehumanizing Nazi-level lie that a major news outlet passes along unchallenged. Contrast that with this article in The Hill: “Harris set to blame Trump for fall of Roe to mark anniversary.” That’s also presented as subjective, almost a matter of opinion. However, Trump is directly responsible for nominating the three far-right Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe.
Coverage of the first presidential debate also regurgitated Trump’s lies and normalized his worst intentions.
A PBS News YouTube clip is titled: “WATCH: Biden says Trump would pardon Jan. 6 rioters, Trump blames Pelosi.” OK, I don’t recommend anyone watch that horror show debate again, but trust me when I point out that Biden didn’t just say Trump would pardon his violent droogs who attacked the Capitol. Trump has stated, in public, with reporters present, that he would free people convicted of January 6 coup-related crimes. He’s promised to do so on his first day in office. He also repeatedly insists that the insurrectionists and rioters are “wrongly imprisoned.” When the media uncritically run stories about the GOP’s supposed “law and order” platform, they should probably remind people about Trump’s total contempt for the criminal justice system.
“Trump blames Pelosi” is a weird end to that PBS News clip title. Pelosi hasn’t talked about freeing “January 6 hostages.” That’s Trump and his MAGA goons in Congress. A San Francisco Gate headline more clearly presents Trump’s lie: “Donald Trump blames Nancy Pelosi for Jan. 6 attack during presidential debate.” Nancy Pelosi was a hero on January 6, and Trump staged a coup that directly led to the Capitol attack. Those are the facts. Considering Trump’s mob specifically targeted Pelosi, repeating his vile slander is like running the headline: “O.J. Simpson Says Nicole Brown Actually Abducted By Aliens.”
A Wall Street Journal article from March stated, “Trump Claims 2024 Will Be Rigged, Putting Republican Turnout at Risk.” His claim is an outright lie, a word that reporter Mariah Timms doesn’t use once in her article. The subhead reads, “Stolen-election claims draw cheers at campaign rallies, but muddle party’s get-out-the-vote effort.” The story focuses primarily on how Trump’s continued efforts to undermine faith in our elections might backfire on him politically. This is like the Daily Planet observing that Lex Luthor turning the sun red to strip Superman of his powers could potentially hurt his business interests.
Of course, just last month, a Wall Street Journal headline declared, “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping.” It’s only in the subhead that the WSJ admits that this is what “participants in meetings said.” Subjective observation is reported as objective fact.
In The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” John Lennon sings, “Nothing is real,” and that’s how Trump’s propaganda works: Overwhelm Americans with so many lies and contradictory doublethink that no one can say what’s true anymore, and without truth, democracy has little defense.
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They're clearly in the tank for Republicans. I think a lot of people just do not appreciate how deep the rot goes. And this is the fate of *every* Democrat. We have to be the ones that share articles like this and spread them around. This is analysis that is missing from MSM (which incidentally allows itself to be influenced by the segments of the rightwing media human centipede installed within it) as a form of journalistic malpractice.
Remember, minimizing Democratic achievements and maximizing Democratic missteps is the key to success for the Republican owners of these outlets. They want those tax cuts no matter the horrors the rest of us will face.
It was supposed to be the job of the press to call out lies. Instead they both sides them. Maybe use some different verbs: Biden reminds voters Trump will pardon j6 protesters. Or Trump will pardon J6, Biden reminds voters. Too big for a headline? Journalism school was 40 years ago. I’m not sure we’re still talking font size and style.