Donald Trump’s candidacy for the presidency presents a unique challenge for journalists striving to report in an impartial way. In the face of evidence that Trump would imperil the security and standing of the United States in the world, some journalists are abandoning pretense at objectivity in the interests of “ferret[ing] out what the candidates will be like in the most powerful office in the world.” (The New York Times, August 7, 2016, by Jim Rutenberg)
In a Los Angeles Times’s op-ed, August 2, 2016, Justin Raimondo cites evidence that the press has slanted coverage of the president’s race as they “have cast themselves as defenders of the republic against what they see as a major threat.” Raimondo argues that the press has abandoned rationality in reporting such matters as Trump’s statement that Russia, accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee records, should release the 30,000 e-mails erased by Clinton’s staff. Raimondo says there was scant attention to the fact that Trump was joking when he made the suggestion.
Fox News is particularly stressed by the Trump candidacy. It has presented itself as an antidote to the liberal bias of the mainstream media, but Trump himself has accused them of bias. Fox News responded with a mocking retort. Jeet Heer, the New Republic, January 28, 2016, writes that given Trump’s style, the media is finding it impossible to keep their cool, “Journalists are supposed to report on a story from an impartial point of view, which is impossible with a candidate like Trump who insists on personalizing every exchange. In effect, Trump’s whole way of relating to the media is an attempt to make objective reporting impossible—which redounds to Trump’s benefit because it allows his supporters to reject all critical reports as ‘biased.'”
Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post, August 8, 2016, writes in response to the Rutenberg article that it is the duty to uncover the truth, “The first rule for coverage of the campaign must be to do no harm — not to add to confusion or misunderstanding, nor to encourage others to do so. Breitbart, which takes Trump’s spin and falsities as truth or actively creates jaw-dropping propaganda on behalf of Trump (e.g. using a photo of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ parade crowd in lieu of a real photo of a Trump rally), is not journalism at all. It’s an effort to mislead voters in service of a candidate.”