Let’s start with the obvious: Is Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, Politico, and MS NOW a problem? Yes, absolutely, undeniably. The president of the United States believes he’s so above reproach that he can “ban” media outlets from the White House, and that’s as sad as it is embarrassing. Frankly, the whole thing should make anyone who values a free press uneasy, regardless of party.
Trump announced the ban Friday on Truth Social. By Saturday morning, reporters from all three outlets said they couldn’t get onto White House grounds. Just as embarrassing, plenty of people argued the outlets deserved it. Apparently, they’d been too mean-spirited, or too inaccurate, about the president. Give me a break. That’s a different discussion for a different day.
Meanwhile, the people working at CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have covered Trump every day for more than a decade. It’s truly astonishing that they still haven’t figured out how to do it.
Trump has picked fights with the press before, and each one follows the same script. He announces a ban, the outlets fire back, and everybody argues about it for a week. That script keeps working for him.
Trump Knows How to Work the Media
Donald Trump isn’t dumb. He knows how to twist and manipulate the media like few figures we’ve ever seen. How you feel about that skill probably works as a Rorschach test, and Trump’s the Rorschach President. But the skill itself is undeniable.
Time and time again, Trump has taken to Truth Social to share the dumbest of opinions or policy ideas. He does it to mask a bigger, much more damning story that’s about to break. If he can turn all the attention onto something benign, he’ll do it. Yet the outlets covering him every day keep chasing whatever he dangles.
So when he picks a fight with three outlets, newsrooms should ask what he’d rather avoid. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the ban. However, it does mean these outlets should know the playbook by now.
Cover the Story. Don’t Become It.
People toss around “journalism 101” far too often. Still, you could argue that “You cover the story, you’re not the story” qualifies. And yet, here we are.
Yes, Trump being a jerk to those outlets is a story. But should it be the story? I don’t think so. Ignoring the ban isn’t the answer, but proportion would help.
Meanwhile, an affordability crisis is dragging on. Gas prices are skyrocketing. We’re struggling in a war that I’d have to assume Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wouldn’t have lasted 12 minutes in. Plus, all of that ignores whatever Trump’s hoping to draw eyeballs away from.
Monday only made the problem louder. News organizations sued in federal court and banded together to pause video coverage of the president. The lawsuit is a fair fight. The camera blackout, however, keeps the press squarely at the center of the story.
Nobody’s Coming to the Rescue
Yes, it matters that the president is trying to block outlets from covering him. The ACLU and the other entities believe the move is unconstitutional, and that’s a fair argument. Yes, it should be a topic. But it shouldn’t be Topic A.
That’s especially true when the news media is as unpopular as it is. You’re not likely to get much sympathy from the audience because “the president was mean to us!” Frankly, they largely don’t care. Why? Because of all the other bad stuff going on.
Instead, the coverage loops. Trump posts, the panel reacts, and the outlet becomes the main character. Therefore, viewers see a fight between the press and the president rather than a story about their own lives.
Here’s a smarter approach. Report the ban clearly. Challenge it in court. Then return to the stories viewers actually care about.
It’s just wild that these people sit so close to the action and still miss the play. Then again, proximity might explain the tunnel vision.
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