Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan pointed to President Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. While he should know better, the media is allowing him to spread the fake news, and it makes the situation far more dangerous.
When Trump spoke in Kansas City, MO, in the summer of 2018, Sullivan noted that he told the VFW convention attendees to ignore the mainstream media.
"Just stick with us, don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news," Trump said. "What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."
Trump made a similar comment in an all-caps rage tweet Sunday afternoon, attacking a list of news agencies for being the "ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE."
So, if Trump and his "minions" aren't the sources of the info, it isn't true. It's not funny, it's dangerous.
"It's a dumbfounding notion, especially given Trump's proven propensity for lies and falsehoods," wrote Sullivan. "But now as a deadly disease, the coronavirus, threatens to turn into a full-blown pandemic, it's not simply bizarre in a way that can be easily shrugged off. It's not just Trump being Trump."
As for Trump's spokespeople, they're all dramatically playing down the seriousness of the disease and the lack of CDC test kits available to the states.
"It's not always easy, though, for mainstream journalists to put his claims in the proper context," wrote Sullivan. "After all, it had always been normal to let a president have his say — to let his statements top the news while letting the fact checks follow."
Some things have come out in the wake of Trump's "lie-ridden" press conference, but Sullivan said it hasn't been nearly enough. Their natural tendency is to simply quote the president. But, when those quotes are outright lies, the importance of fact-checking comes into play.
"Trump's tendency to spin out assertions untethered from reality becomes a recipe for disaster when combined with his disdain for scientists, medical experts, intelligence officials, journalists, and others who deal in fact-based reality," she continued. "Add in the dangers of a disease rapidly approaching pandemic proportions, and it becomes more important than ever to emphasize truthful information over false spin."
She closed by saying that she is optimistic that the media has learned a lot about how to hold Trump accountable. "Now would be an excellent time to put it into practice."
