Donald Trump and the self-destruction of the News Media

This seems right:

Trump took his “messaging” directly to the people. He bypassed “the media” by having huge rallies and by “tweets”. He indirectly leveraged an alternative path through the media by “guest appearances” and frankly, by “earned media”. He would say something that was able to gather ears and eyes on him, then deliver his message directly to the cameras. No editor need apply…

OTOH, the extraordinarily group think Journalism Majors who make up “news” and “media reporting” today, with 90%+ of them Democrats and all of them surrounded by a sea of reverberating group think “progressive” talking points; they see their job as to “frame” ideas and statements and to “message” (as a verb) to the unwashed masses. To “mold public opinion” by “creating a narrative”. I.e. to be an intermediary filter that shapes and changes the story to be what they think it ought to be.

The Public, having lots of direct access to the source material, saw this “framing” and “messaging” and “creating the narrative” as just what it was: Distortion to outright lying for effect.

The Public, having lots of direct access to the source material email of Hillary and Podesta and the DNC, saw their cozy relationship with “the media” as what it was: Collusion, fraud, and deception.

The result was massive disintermediation of information flow as folks flocked to ‘direct from the manufacturer’ delivery. Trump Rallies.  Rightside Broadcasting Network. Trump tweets.

And they know that they did it to themselves.  The New York Times seems to be in panic mode, publishing an editorial asking their readers to pretty please not cancel their subscriptions:

We cannot deliver the independent, original journalism for which we are known without the loyalty of our readers. We want to take this opportunity, on behalf of all Times journalists, to thank you for that loyalty.

Please, don't go. I get that they're saying that. But I don't get the argument why we should stay. I see a promise to keep doing something they haven't been doing. Or... a dishonest claim about what has been done and a promise to continue dishonestly.

Trump made it trivial to fact-check the news media.  That's one smart hombre.