Open letter to Trump noteworthy

There are many “open letters to Donald Trump” written from such notables as Bill Nye (The Science Guy), consumer advocate and political activist Ralph Nader and astronaut Ron Garan to name a few. However, the open letter I commend to you today is, “An open letter to Trump from the US press corps” by Kyle Pope in the Columbia Journalism Review.

Pope writes, “We, not you, decide how best to serve our readers, listeners and viewers. So think of what follows as a backgrounder on what to expect from us over the next four years.” Pope openly challenges the president here. I have listed four of his eight points and added my own comments (in parentheses) on them.

We decide how much airtime to give your spokespeople and surrogates. We will strive to get your point of view across, even if you seek to shut us out. But that does not mean we are required to turn our airwaves or column inches over to people who repeatedly distort or bend the truth. We will call them out when they do, and we reserve the right, in the most egregious cases, to ban them from our outlets. (Has the media ever banned any activist from their outlets?)

We will set higher standards for ourselves than ever before. We credit you with highlighting serious and widespread distrust in the media across the political spectrum. Your campaign tapped into that, and it was a bracing wake-up call for us. We have to regain that trust. And we’ll do it through accurate, fearless reporting, by acknowledging our errors and abiding by the most stringent ethical standards we set for ourselves. (We will raise the bar when covering Trump’s administration compared to how we covered previous administrations.)

We’re going to work together. You have tried to divide us and use reporters’ deep competitive streaks to cause family fights. Those days are ending. We now recognize that the challenge of covering you requires that we cooperate and help one another whenever possible. (The media will present the same story no matter which news organization the public chooses to access.)

We’re playing the long game. Best-case scenario, you’re going to be in this job for eight years. We’ve been around since the founding of the republic, and our role in this great democracy has been ratified and reinforced again and again and again. You have forced us to rethink the most fundamental questions about who we are and what we are here for. For that we are most grateful. (Trump can’t win, and shouldn’t even try.)

Pope blames Trump for destroying objective journalism.

Rube Render is the Curry County Republican chairman. Contact him at:

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