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Trump has already defeated the news media. And it’s unclear what we can do about it.
The Washington Post's The Plum Line ^ | November 28, 2016 | Paul Waldman

Posted on 11/29/2016 11:45:02 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Donald Trump is either a mad genius who has cracked the media code in a way no politician before him was able to do, or he’s a kind of political Mr. Magoo, stumbling randomly about yet achieving one success after another. We may never know which it is.

But if we’re going to maintain our democracy, we have to figure out how to deal with the way Trump successfully manipulates the media.

Perhaps, as some have suggested, Trump tweeted his ridiculous lie about millions of fraudulent votes on Sunday in order to distract people from this lengthy investigation in the New York Times of the overseas partnerships that present unprecedented conflict of interest problems for his foreign policy. But even if that wasn’t his intent, it’s what happened — and he accomplished some other things as well.

The first thing it does when Trump kicks off a frenzy like this one is thrill his supporters (and I’ll admit that I was among those who said that just playing to his base wouldn’t be enough to win him the election). Here’s how the cycle works. First, Trump says something outrageously false, but which his supporters either believe already or would like to believe. Then Trump gets criticized in the media for it, and his supporters say, “There they go again, the liberal anti-Trump media.” Instead of convincing everyone that the claim was false, the criticism only reinforces for Trump’s fans the idea that nothing the media says can be believed, which further undermines their ability to act as neutral arbiters in any debate....

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Campaign News; Issues
KEYWORDS: 2016issues; media; press; trump; trumpmedia; trumptransition
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Comments?
1 posted on 11/29/2016 11:45:02 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

How about we glory in it?


2 posted on 11/29/2016 11:45:40 AM PST by Scott from the Left Coast ("Now it's up to the American people to deliver justice")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Celebrate?
Dance on the Big Media's graves (I wish)?
3 posted on 11/29/2016 11:47:05 AM PST by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“There they go again, the liberal anti-Trump media.”


4 posted on 11/29/2016 11:47:53 AM PST by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The author seems to be doubling down on denial, didn’t work for him the first time. Not likely to work now.


5 posted on 11/29/2016 11:48:06 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Trump has already defeated the news media. And it’s unclear what we can do about it.

Cheer?

6 posted on 11/29/2016 11:48:07 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Not a Romantic, not a hero worshiper and stop trying to tug my heartstrings. It tickles!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There’s your answer in the question he poses. A man who accumulates success after success and wins against the press time and again, is likely to have done so as much by luck as by design. You cannot. Fix stupid.


7 posted on 11/29/2016 11:48:56 AM PST by StAntKnee (Add your own danged sarc tag)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
But if we’re going to maintain our democracy,

Memo to MSM - if you are so concerned about democracy, how about ratcheting down your bias against Republicans and conservatives?

8 posted on 11/29/2016 11:49:49 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: DannyTN
The author seems to be doubling down on denial, didn’t work for him the first time. Not likely to work now.

Can't fix stupid. And bad ideology makes for REAL stupid.

9 posted on 11/29/2016 11:49:59 AM PST by thulldud
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

He doesn’t manipulate the media. He doesn’t give a flying $hit what they think. The media deserve everything he can fling at them.


10 posted on 11/29/2016 11:50:23 AM PST by I want the USA back (Lying Media: willing and eager allies of the hate-America left.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
his ridiculous lie about millions of fraudulent votes

Ugggh


11 posted on 11/29/2016 11:50:31 AM PST by canuck_conservative
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To: dirtboy

Good post.


12 posted on 11/29/2016 11:52:06 AM PST by cba123 ( Toi la nguoi My. Toi bay gio o Viet Nam.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

One suggestion: They could actually report news instead of being cheerleaders for the Democrat party.


13 posted on 11/29/2016 11:52:16 AM PST by woweeitsme
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“...it’s unclear what we can do about it.”

For starters, stop believing your own BS: “Trump tweeted his ridiculous lie about millions of fraudulent votes”


14 posted on 11/29/2016 11:52:21 AM PST by jonno (Having an opinion is not the same as having the answer...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This article is a true belly laugh. The guy is so frustrated but cannot see that trumps strength is TRULY built on their lies. He gets every aspect except their own lies.


15 posted on 11/29/2016 11:53:12 AM PST by BRL
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To: canuck_conservative

Count the Vote estimates that Hildabeast stole 30 million votes this time. I can believe it.


16 posted on 11/29/2016 11:53:26 AM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Comments?

The charge is that Trump has discredited the media. My comment is that the media discredited itself long before Trump arrived on the scene. They have no one to blame but themselves.

The only reason they're crying foul now is that they have lost their influence.

17 posted on 11/29/2016 11:53:39 AM PST by johniegrad
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
But if we’re going to maintain our democracy?

What does this mean exactly?

18 posted on 11/29/2016 11:53:47 AM PST by Altura Ct.
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

TRUMP knows:
If you can control the language, you can control ideas. By controlling ideas, you can control the way people think and act.

http://godfatherpolitics.com/whoever-controls-the-language-controls-the-debate/


19 posted on 11/29/2016 11:55:39 AM PST by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They immediately fail in step 1. They assume he says something outrageously false. Never step back to ponder, give him the benefit of the doubt.....


20 posted on 11/29/2016 11:55:50 AM PST by GotMojo
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