Media critics are telling journalists not to give former president Donald Trump’s press conference on January 6 prime coverage fearing that they will promote his lies concerning the insurrection and the 2020 election. New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen urges the networks to consider “the damage a demagogue can do to the public sphere, or the truth value of an event.” (salon, January 4, 2022, by Jessica Corbett)
Rosen suggests that the media should deal with the Trump event in this way:
- No build up, no count down, no empty podium awaiting his arrival
- Don’t carry it live; disinformation risk too high
- After it’s over, sift for any genuine news and report it
- Do not amplify familiar lies and distortions; they’ve all been fact checked already
(Poynter, January 3, 2022, by Tom Jones)