Sorry Mr. President, You Can’t Lock Up Journalists
By Marc Giller | May 17, 2017, 12:53pm | @MarcGiller There are a lot of reasons that Washington journalists see themselves as an exalted class. There’s the ego that comes with holding power to account, and seeing yourselves as the bulwark standing between the nation and tyranny. Then there’s the pride of being defenders of the Constitution–well, at least the parts of the Constitution that don’t stand in the way of the progressive agenda–coupled with the tremendous influence that arises from being able to shape the narrative that everyone sees. Put all those things together, and what you get is one very intoxicating cocktail. One can easily see how the DC press corps imagines itself as running the country rather than reporting on it.
Moreover, when you’re part of Big Media, there never seems to be a price for being wrong. NBC gets caught selectively editing the 911 call of George Zimmerman to make him sound like a racist, and beyond a token firing nothing changes. CNN perpetuates the myth of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” setting a whole town ablaze and ruining the life of a police officer, and they still advertise themselves as the most trusted name in news. Brian Williams is revealed to be a serial fabulist but remains on the air at MSNBC, while Dan Rather–who disgraced himself at CBS with a fake story designed specifically to tip the results of a presidential election–is considered an elder statesman of the profession. When you’re bulletproof like that, it’s only natural to start thinking you’re Superman.
Finally–and most importantly–there’s the First Amendment, which provides legal protection to pretty much anything journalists want to do. This is exactly as it should be, by the way, the corruption of newsroom culture notwithstanding. And it’s what ultimately makes journalists in this country–no matter how biased or inaccurate they might be–more or less untouchable.
That Donald Trump, as president of the United States, might not understand that could be a cause for concern:
Mr. Comey had been in the Oval Office that day with other senior national security officials for a terrorism threat briefing. When the meeting ended, Mr. Trump told those present — including Mr. Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions — to leave the room except for Mr. Comey.
Alone in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump began the discussion by condemning leaks to the news media, saying that Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information, according to one of Mr. Comey’s associates.
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http://theresurgent.com/sorry-mr-president-you-cant-lock-up-journalists/
