Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan, February 23, 2020, suggests that given President Donald Trump’s recent triumph in defeating checks and concentrating power, it is not enough for the media to fact check and call out lies and distortions. Given the stakes, Sullivan argues, the media must report the slide to autocratic government without euphemisms, with greater emphasis and urgency. To do less is to mislead the public into thinking there is another side to this, that it is not a serious issue.
The failed impeachment emboldened Trump to eliminate those who dared to testify truthfully to Congress, attack the Justice Department in the Roger Stone case, weaken the intelligence agencies and corral dissent within his own staff. A former aide said the moves reflected Trump’s desire to rely on his own instincts in governing the country. (The Hill, February 15, 2020, by Brett Samuels and Morgan Chalfant)