#28 || HOW TO TACKLE TRUMP'S LIES
TRANSCRIPT
Note: Transcripts may contain errors, and audio should be checked before quoting in print.
STEPHANIE
How do we cover the communications of a President who LIES – especially when those lies can be FATAL?
The traditional rituals of journalism just DON’T really WORK on a president who doesn’t tell the truth – and so.....what can we do instead?
-
I’m Stephanie Lepp and this is Reckonings – an exploration of how we change our hearts and minds
And today, we’re gonna explore HOW TO TACKLE TRUMP’S LIES with an episode from Reckonings’ sister show: Infinite Lunchbox
-
Infinite Lunchbox is a new YouTube channel and podcast devoted to giving you a FRESH TAKE on what’s going on
And I’m airing it on Reckonings because a) if you like Reckonings you might LOVE Infinite Lunchbox, and b) Reckonings may be winding down whereas Infinite Lunchbox is ramping up
(And if this is news to you, check out Reckonings episode #26)
-
Anyways, Infinite Lunchbox in general (and this episode in particular) is much better viewed than heard – SO: unless you’re driving or viewing is otherwise not possible for you RIGHT NOW, I suggest you peace from podcast mode, and WATCH this episode at: bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu
That’s B-I-T dot L-Y slash post (P-O-S-T)
Truth (T-R-U-T-H)
Jujitsu (J-U-J-I-T-S-U)
[PAUSE]
(That’s just a pregnant pause to give you a sec to mentally prepare yourself to make that leap from audio to video)
(That’s bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu)
And with that, Reckonings presents the Infinite Lunchbox episode on: HOW TO TACKLE TRUMP’S LIES:
---------------------
Journalism professor and media critic JAY ROSEN recently published a FICTIONAL editor’s note announcing a new policy
Rosen writes: "We are shifting our coverage of the President to an emergency setting"
Meaning: we all know the president makes false claims. We've known that for a while. But in a public health crisis, those false claims have life or death consequences, so we're shifting our coverage to emergency setting in order to “prevent the President from misinforming you through us"
(And then he goes on to explain what that emergency setting is going to look like)
-
Again, the editor's note is FICTIONAL, but it could be real, and perhaps SHOULD be real, and it raises a question journalists have been asking since Trump's inauguration, which has extra urgency right now:
how do we cover the communications of a President that LIES – especially when those lies can be FATAL?
The traditional rituals of journalism – DON’T really WORK with a president who regularly doesn’t tell the truth.
So.....what can we do instead?
-
I’m Stephanie Lepp,
You’re opening the Infinite Lunchbox,
And today we’re gonna talk about TACTICS for covering a White House that has little allegiance to truth – or what I refer to as: POST-TRUTH JUJITSU
Two quick things before we dive in:
-
FIRST: what do I mean by post-truth?
Well, post-truth (which was actually the Oxford Dictionary's 2016 word of the year) is the phenomenon whereby public opinion is increasingly shaped LESS by FACTS and MORE by appeals to EMOTION and PERSONAL BELIEF
Hence the need for POST-TRUTH JUJITSU – for some way to re-elevate facts OR still somehow manage construct a shared reality
SECOND: the post-truth jujitsu TACTICS we use ultimately depend on our goal
Are we trying to: get members of the administration to tell the truth, or to expose them as truthless, or something else?
We'll come back to that at the end
For now, ARE YOU READY for some post-truth jujitsu!
-
TACTIC #1: LIVE FACT-CHECKING
In the same way that sports announcers give the play-by-play in real-time
Reporters could fact-check White House briefings LIVE
NOWTHIS has actually been doing that with the Coronavirus Task Force Briefings:
So they split the screen:
Briefing on the left, and NOWTHIS reporter on the right
And the NOWTHIS reporter is 1) correcting misinformation and 2) providing necessary context and 3) noting where the President didn’t actually answer the question and otherwise doing post-truth jujitsu tactic #1: live fact-checking
-
TACTIC #2 (which has been proposed by MANY journalists): THE DELAY
Meaning: do not cover LIVE any speech, rally, or press conference involving the President
Instead, introduce a delay, so reporters can verify what was said, and THEN release whatever is newsworthy AND TRUE to the public
Note: THE DELAY does not eliminate the President's capacity to communicate with the public in real-time
There's still C-SPAN. There's Twitter. There's Fox News.
THE DELAY simply puts a small DELAY between the President's communications and the audiences of the news outlets that use a delay, in order to buy some time to verify what he said
And some outlets are already using this tactic:
Seattle NPR affiliate KUOW is absolutely sharing the latest coronavirus news with its listeners BUT as of March 24th is no longer airing the Coronavirus Task Force Briefings LIVE
-
TACTIC #3: THE TRUTH SANDWICH
Developed by philosopher and linguist GEORGE LAKOFF, the truth sandwich works like this:
You start with the truth -- because the first frame gets the advantage
Then you layer on the lie -- quoting specific language if possible
And then, you return to the truth -- hence repeating more truths than lies
The value of the truth sandwich is that it:
1) ALLOWS journalists to report the President’s lies (which many journalists still consider to be newsworthy) – BUT!
2) do so in a way that reduces the RISK of amplifying those lies, because the lies are sandwiched by TRUTHS :)
-
THE TRUTH SANDWICH can go hand-in-hand with TACTIC #2: THE DELAY
(Because reporters can – with a slight delay – report lies in a truth sandwich)
But it can also kiiinda be mashed up with TACTIC #1: LIVE FACT-CHECKING
Because reporters can prepare viewers BEFORE the briefing, with the kinds of misinformation and lies that are likely to come
Then, do live fact-checking DURING the briefing
And then right AFTER the briefing, report the lies in a truth sandwich
(So it’s kind of a double-decker truth-sandwich)
But anyway, that’s tactic #3: THE TRUTH SANDWICH
-
Now, POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTICS one through three work when you’re not in the same room as the President and his team, and just covering them from afar
But what do you do when you’re IN THE SAME ROOM as them, and you get to actually….ask QUESTIONS?
Well that’s where these next tactics come in:
-
TACTIC #4: HARDER ball questions
Awkward name but…here’s the deal: we sometimes THINK we’re asking Trump hardball questions when we ask him about inaccurate things he’s said
Like you said THAT, but isn’t the truth THIS?
Which just gives him the benefit of the doubt that he’s going to respond to THAT question truthfully!
You think he’s gonna say: ah, yes, you’re right, thank you so much for correcting my mistake / exposing my lie.
No. He’s gonna deny or deflect or somehow weasel his way out of any indication that he may have lied or even made a mistake.
So that’s not actually a hardball question.
-
A hardball – or HARDER ball question – would be framed with the assumption that the person KNOWS they’re not telling the truth or doesn’t CARE about telling the truth
So imagine a scenario in which Trump lies – here are questions in order of increasing hardball-ness:
Did you lie? (To which we already know how Trump will respond)
WHY did you lie? (Which Trump will still deny, but at least the question more accurately frames the terms of the debate)
It seems you may have lied to make it appear that you’re performing BETTER in this public health crisis than you actually ARE, and to increase your chances of winning the 2020 election – do you not think your base will support you if you completely fumble a public health crisis of this magnitude? (Hm)
Do you need everyone around you to agree with you and tell you you’re doing a great job because you lack an internal sense of self-worth?
What criticisms of your response to this crisis have merit?
(Now we’re talking HARDER ball :)
-
The trick to harder ball is to frame the question in terms of what you actually THINK is going on, because no matter how Trump or his team respond, (including by revoking your White House press credentials,) you’ve at least set the terms of the debate
And while we’re talkin harder ball: many journalists recoil at using the word “lie” or “liar” – for reasons ranging from decorum to denial
I’d just say: LET’S BE EXPLICIT ABOUT THE DECISION
So if we’re playing harder ball, we can say IN OUR QUESTION:
I’m not using the word “lie” because I want to be respectful and I don’t want to make assumptions about your motives
OR I AM using the word “lie” because you’ve been corrected on this point many times, and the American people need to know you’re deliberately spreading falsehoods aka LYING
-
Vox's Matt Yglesias writes that many journalists believe that “the opportunity to ask the president tough questions live on camera is invaluable, and provides an important source of accountability. For some politicians, that’s probably true. But for Trump it’s all part of the show...Under the circumstances, journalists fighting with Trump on camera doesn’t hold him to account, it just further ups the level of drama and spectacle. Trump is not much of an epidemiologist but he’s a legitimate master showman and even the most rigorous journalists should be wary of playing into his show."
I agree with you, Matt. And what I’m suggesting with POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTIC #4 – HARDER BALL QUESTIONS – is that we can learn to be even BETTER (or shall we say harder) master showpeople than Trump :)
-
But tactic #4 STILL uses FORCE – hence HARDER ball questions
Whereas Jujitsu literally means that instead of using your OWN force, you’re using your OPPONENT’S force against them
So for the rest of the POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTICS, we’re gonna use our opponents’ force against them
-
TACTIC #5: THE MIMIC
Let’s say Trump just had a meeting with a brutal autocrat (like Kim Jong-Un, or Erdowan, or Putin) and he’s having a press conference afterwards
Before Trump gets a chance to tell us how TERRIFIC Kim Jong-Un is (and that’s a direct quote) reporters can ask him only iterations of the question:
Tell us the truth….was he terrific? Was he amazing? Was he…spectacular?
-
TACTIC #6: NO QUESTIONS
Same press conference
Trump THINKS he just dropped a bomb in the news cycle (which will make us forget about the last outrageous thing he did) by – OMG! – MEETING with Kim Jong-Un
But at the press conference afterwards, reporters just look around blankly and….can’t think of any questions to ask
-
TACTIC #7: THE MILLENIAL
Same press conference
Reporters are just….scrolling through Instragram
-
TACTIC #8: THE SNORE
Same press conference
Reporters pretend to fall asleep and start…..snoring
-
TACTIC #9: THE MIRROR
Same press conference
Reporters just hold up a mirror, so all Trump sees is the face of someone who would meet with a brutal autocrat and call him “terrific”
-
TACTIC #10: THE INTERN
(Proposed by Media critic Jay Rosen on DAY THREE of Trump’s presidency:) THE INTERN involves major news outlets sending their INTERNS to the White House briefing room.
This is not to mock interns in any way, but to not lend credibility to White House briefings by not sending top talent, and in the process, perhaps giving interns kind of an amazing opportunity! Especially if they’re trained in post-truth jujitsu :)
-
Aaand last but not least – POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTIC #11: THE THERAPIST
Up until now, the tactics have taken an OPPOSITIONAL stance towards the White House’s broken relationship with truth
So tactic #11 attempts a NON-OPPOSITIONAL i.e. a HELPFUL and dare I say THERAPEUTIC stance
THE THERAPIST involves questioning Trump the way a well-meaning…therapist might.
So for example:
Do you not realize that you’re never going to achieve the peace and serenity you’re looking for by fabricating fights your self-proclaimed “enemies”?
Is it not clear to you that you’re living in a virtual reality, and not seeing the world as it is?
Do you need help building an internal sense of self-worth, so that you don’t need constant hyperbolic praise from everyone around you?
----------------
And if we’re gonna go as far as to suggest that post-truth jujitsu take a THERAPEUTIC approach to covering Trump and his administration, why not go even FURTHER?
Imagine a COLLABORATION between our nation’s TOP political journalists and our most astute…...political…..comedians.
Imagine a war room with members of the White House press corps like Maggie Haberman and Jim Acosta, and media critics like Jay Rosen and Lewis Wallace
ALONG WITH brilliant comedic personalities like Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert, and Natalie Wynn
Now imagine journalists and comedians TOGETHER build a PLAYBOOK of Post-Truth Jujitsu tactics – MORE audacious and strategic than the millennial and the snore.
-
Now: if members of the White House Press Corps were even willing to DO something like this, they might certainly lose their White House privileges BUT! We’re not really getting much informational value out of the President anyway, so we might at least expose that the emperor is wearing no clothes in a way that delivers some entertainment value :)
No?
Lemme know if you have a connection to John Stewart :)
----------------
Ok, back to earth: ultimately, how we cover a White House that has minimal allegiance to truth ultimately depends on the answer to the question: what is the ROLE of journalism?
Because it’s only if we’re clear on our goal that we can develop a post-truth jujitsu STRATEGY to achieve that goal
--------------
Beyond the baseline “tell the truth” and “inform the public”:
Is it the role of journalism to relay communications from institutions of power like the White House to the people?
Is it to get people in power to tell the truth?
Is to EXPOSE people in power when they DON’T tell the truth, and more broadly hold them accountable?
Is it journalism’s job to help its audience successfully navigate the world?
Is it something else?
-
I’d say: All of these jobs (and more) are true of different news outlets
So in this context, we might shift the question from: what’s JOURNALISM’s job writ large?
To: what’s THIS SPECIFIC NEWS OUTLET’S job?
And THEN, which post-truth jujitsu TACTICS (if any) that best enable this news outlet to do that job?
-
Ok, back to earth: ultimately, how we cover a White House that has minimal allegiance to truth ultimately depends on the answer to the question: what is the ROLE of journalism?
Because it’s only if we’re clear on our goal that we can develop a post-truth jujitsu STRATEGY to achieve that goal
In this post-truth world, for news outlets that see their role as:
1) Getting people in power to tell the truth
2) Holding people in power accountable
AND/OR 3) helping their audience navigate this post-truth world
the traditional rituals of journalism are not fully up to the task.
And so, in conclusion: whether or not you AGREE with all the post-truth jujitsu TACTICS presented here (or with the prospect a collaboration between political journalists and comedians), you might at least agree: IT’S TIME TO GET CREATIVE :)
----------------
Aaaand that was POST-TRUTH JUJITSU – an episode of the Infinite Lunchbox, brought to you by Reckonings
Aaaand speaking of amazing shows (har har), allow me to turn you onto NEIGHBORS – a podcast about what connects us.
From street musicians, to barbers, to improv comedians, to recovering gunshot victims, Neighbors hosts Jakob Lewis and Carry-Add Harmon work their storytelling magic to show us our common humanity.
You can find Neighbors wherever you listen, and at neighborspodcast.com
And you can find INFINITE LUNCHBOX wherever you listen and at youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox
See you there :)
Note: Transcripts may contain errors, and audio should be checked before quoting in print.
STEPHANIE
How do we cover the communications of a President who LIES – especially when those lies can be FATAL?
The traditional rituals of journalism just DON’T really WORK on a president who doesn’t tell the truth – and so.....what can we do instead?
-
I’m Stephanie Lepp and this is Reckonings – an exploration of how we change our hearts and minds
And today, we’re gonna explore HOW TO TACKLE TRUMP’S LIES with an episode from Reckonings’ sister show: Infinite Lunchbox
-
Infinite Lunchbox is a new YouTube channel and podcast devoted to giving you a FRESH TAKE on what’s going on
And I’m airing it on Reckonings because a) if you like Reckonings you might LOVE Infinite Lunchbox, and b) Reckonings may be winding down whereas Infinite Lunchbox is ramping up
(And if this is news to you, check out Reckonings episode #26)
-
Anyways, Infinite Lunchbox in general (and this episode in particular) is much better viewed than heard – SO: unless you’re driving or viewing is otherwise not possible for you RIGHT NOW, I suggest you peace from podcast mode, and WATCH this episode at: bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu
That’s B-I-T dot L-Y slash post (P-O-S-T)
Truth (T-R-U-T-H)
Jujitsu (J-U-J-I-T-S-U)
[PAUSE]
(That’s just a pregnant pause to give you a sec to mentally prepare yourself to make that leap from audio to video)
(That’s bit.ly/posttruthjujitsu)
And with that, Reckonings presents the Infinite Lunchbox episode on: HOW TO TACKLE TRUMP’S LIES:
---------------------
Journalism professor and media critic JAY ROSEN recently published a FICTIONAL editor’s note announcing a new policy
Rosen writes: "We are shifting our coverage of the President to an emergency setting"
Meaning: we all know the president makes false claims. We've known that for a while. But in a public health crisis, those false claims have life or death consequences, so we're shifting our coverage to emergency setting in order to “prevent the President from misinforming you through us"
(And then he goes on to explain what that emergency setting is going to look like)
-
Again, the editor's note is FICTIONAL, but it could be real, and perhaps SHOULD be real, and it raises a question journalists have been asking since Trump's inauguration, which has extra urgency right now:
how do we cover the communications of a President that LIES – especially when those lies can be FATAL?
The traditional rituals of journalism – DON’T really WORK with a president who regularly doesn’t tell the truth.
So.....what can we do instead?
-
I’m Stephanie Lepp,
You’re opening the Infinite Lunchbox,
And today we’re gonna talk about TACTICS for covering a White House that has little allegiance to truth – or what I refer to as: POST-TRUTH JUJITSU
Two quick things before we dive in:
-
FIRST: what do I mean by post-truth?
Well, post-truth (which was actually the Oxford Dictionary's 2016 word of the year) is the phenomenon whereby public opinion is increasingly shaped LESS by FACTS and MORE by appeals to EMOTION and PERSONAL BELIEF
Hence the need for POST-TRUTH JUJITSU – for some way to re-elevate facts OR still somehow manage construct a shared reality
SECOND: the post-truth jujitsu TACTICS we use ultimately depend on our goal
Are we trying to: get members of the administration to tell the truth, or to expose them as truthless, or something else?
We'll come back to that at the end
For now, ARE YOU READY for some post-truth jujitsu!
-
TACTIC #1: LIVE FACT-CHECKING
In the same way that sports announcers give the play-by-play in real-time
Reporters could fact-check White House briefings LIVE
NOWTHIS has actually been doing that with the Coronavirus Task Force Briefings:
So they split the screen:
Briefing on the left, and NOWTHIS reporter on the right
And the NOWTHIS reporter is 1) correcting misinformation and 2) providing necessary context and 3) noting where the President didn’t actually answer the question and otherwise doing post-truth jujitsu tactic #1: live fact-checking
-
TACTIC #2 (which has been proposed by MANY journalists): THE DELAY
Meaning: do not cover LIVE any speech, rally, or press conference involving the President
Instead, introduce a delay, so reporters can verify what was said, and THEN release whatever is newsworthy AND TRUE to the public
Note: THE DELAY does not eliminate the President's capacity to communicate with the public in real-time
There's still C-SPAN. There's Twitter. There's Fox News.
THE DELAY simply puts a small DELAY between the President's communications and the audiences of the news outlets that use a delay, in order to buy some time to verify what he said
And some outlets are already using this tactic:
Seattle NPR affiliate KUOW is absolutely sharing the latest coronavirus news with its listeners BUT as of March 24th is no longer airing the Coronavirus Task Force Briefings LIVE
-
TACTIC #3: THE TRUTH SANDWICH
Developed by philosopher and linguist GEORGE LAKOFF, the truth sandwich works like this:
You start with the truth -- because the first frame gets the advantage
Then you layer on the lie -- quoting specific language if possible
And then, you return to the truth -- hence repeating more truths than lies
The value of the truth sandwich is that it:
1) ALLOWS journalists to report the President’s lies (which many journalists still consider to be newsworthy) – BUT!
2) do so in a way that reduces the RISK of amplifying those lies, because the lies are sandwiched by TRUTHS :)
-
THE TRUTH SANDWICH can go hand-in-hand with TACTIC #2: THE DELAY
(Because reporters can – with a slight delay – report lies in a truth sandwich)
But it can also kiiinda be mashed up with TACTIC #1: LIVE FACT-CHECKING
Because reporters can prepare viewers BEFORE the briefing, with the kinds of misinformation and lies that are likely to come
Then, do live fact-checking DURING the briefing
And then right AFTER the briefing, report the lies in a truth sandwich
(So it’s kind of a double-decker truth-sandwich)
But anyway, that’s tactic #3: THE TRUTH SANDWICH
-
Now, POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTICS one through three work when you’re not in the same room as the President and his team, and just covering them from afar
But what do you do when you’re IN THE SAME ROOM as them, and you get to actually….ask QUESTIONS?
Well that’s where these next tactics come in:
-
TACTIC #4: HARDER ball questions
Awkward name but…here’s the deal: we sometimes THINK we’re asking Trump hardball questions when we ask him about inaccurate things he’s said
Like you said THAT, but isn’t the truth THIS?
Which just gives him the benefit of the doubt that he’s going to respond to THAT question truthfully!
You think he’s gonna say: ah, yes, you’re right, thank you so much for correcting my mistake / exposing my lie.
No. He’s gonna deny or deflect or somehow weasel his way out of any indication that he may have lied or even made a mistake.
So that’s not actually a hardball question.
-
A hardball – or HARDER ball question – would be framed with the assumption that the person KNOWS they’re not telling the truth or doesn’t CARE about telling the truth
So imagine a scenario in which Trump lies – here are questions in order of increasing hardball-ness:
Did you lie? (To which we already know how Trump will respond)
WHY did you lie? (Which Trump will still deny, but at least the question more accurately frames the terms of the debate)
It seems you may have lied to make it appear that you’re performing BETTER in this public health crisis than you actually ARE, and to increase your chances of winning the 2020 election – do you not think your base will support you if you completely fumble a public health crisis of this magnitude? (Hm)
Do you need everyone around you to agree with you and tell you you’re doing a great job because you lack an internal sense of self-worth?
What criticisms of your response to this crisis have merit?
(Now we’re talking HARDER ball :)
-
The trick to harder ball is to frame the question in terms of what you actually THINK is going on, because no matter how Trump or his team respond, (including by revoking your White House press credentials,) you’ve at least set the terms of the debate
And while we’re talkin harder ball: many journalists recoil at using the word “lie” or “liar” – for reasons ranging from decorum to denial
I’d just say: LET’S BE EXPLICIT ABOUT THE DECISION
So if we’re playing harder ball, we can say IN OUR QUESTION:
I’m not using the word “lie” because I want to be respectful and I don’t want to make assumptions about your motives
OR I AM using the word “lie” because you’ve been corrected on this point many times, and the American people need to know you’re deliberately spreading falsehoods aka LYING
-
Vox's Matt Yglesias writes that many journalists believe that “the opportunity to ask the president tough questions live on camera is invaluable, and provides an important source of accountability. For some politicians, that’s probably true. But for Trump it’s all part of the show...Under the circumstances, journalists fighting with Trump on camera doesn’t hold him to account, it just further ups the level of drama and spectacle. Trump is not much of an epidemiologist but he’s a legitimate master showman and even the most rigorous journalists should be wary of playing into his show."
I agree with you, Matt. And what I’m suggesting with POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTIC #4 – HARDER BALL QUESTIONS – is that we can learn to be even BETTER (or shall we say harder) master showpeople than Trump :)
-
But tactic #4 STILL uses FORCE – hence HARDER ball questions
Whereas Jujitsu literally means that instead of using your OWN force, you’re using your OPPONENT’S force against them
So for the rest of the POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTICS, we’re gonna use our opponents’ force against them
-
TACTIC #5: THE MIMIC
Let’s say Trump just had a meeting with a brutal autocrat (like Kim Jong-Un, or Erdowan, or Putin) and he’s having a press conference afterwards
Before Trump gets a chance to tell us how TERRIFIC Kim Jong-Un is (and that’s a direct quote) reporters can ask him only iterations of the question:
Tell us the truth….was he terrific? Was he amazing? Was he…spectacular?
-
TACTIC #6: NO QUESTIONS
Same press conference
Trump THINKS he just dropped a bomb in the news cycle (which will make us forget about the last outrageous thing he did) by – OMG! – MEETING with Kim Jong-Un
But at the press conference afterwards, reporters just look around blankly and….can’t think of any questions to ask
-
TACTIC #7: THE MILLENIAL
Same press conference
Reporters are just….scrolling through Instragram
-
TACTIC #8: THE SNORE
Same press conference
Reporters pretend to fall asleep and start…..snoring
-
TACTIC #9: THE MIRROR
Same press conference
Reporters just hold up a mirror, so all Trump sees is the face of someone who would meet with a brutal autocrat and call him “terrific”
-
TACTIC #10: THE INTERN
(Proposed by Media critic Jay Rosen on DAY THREE of Trump’s presidency:) THE INTERN involves major news outlets sending their INTERNS to the White House briefing room.
This is not to mock interns in any way, but to not lend credibility to White House briefings by not sending top talent, and in the process, perhaps giving interns kind of an amazing opportunity! Especially if they’re trained in post-truth jujitsu :)
-
Aaand last but not least – POST-TRUTH JUJITSU TACTIC #11: THE THERAPIST
Up until now, the tactics have taken an OPPOSITIONAL stance towards the White House’s broken relationship with truth
So tactic #11 attempts a NON-OPPOSITIONAL i.e. a HELPFUL and dare I say THERAPEUTIC stance
THE THERAPIST involves questioning Trump the way a well-meaning…therapist might.
So for example:
Do you not realize that you’re never going to achieve the peace and serenity you’re looking for by fabricating fights your self-proclaimed “enemies”?
Is it not clear to you that you’re living in a virtual reality, and not seeing the world as it is?
Do you need help building an internal sense of self-worth, so that you don’t need constant hyperbolic praise from everyone around you?
----------------
And if we’re gonna go as far as to suggest that post-truth jujitsu take a THERAPEUTIC approach to covering Trump and his administration, why not go even FURTHER?
Imagine a COLLABORATION between our nation’s TOP political journalists and our most astute…...political…..comedians.
Imagine a war room with members of the White House press corps like Maggie Haberman and Jim Acosta, and media critics like Jay Rosen and Lewis Wallace
ALONG WITH brilliant comedic personalities like Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert, and Natalie Wynn
Now imagine journalists and comedians TOGETHER build a PLAYBOOK of Post-Truth Jujitsu tactics – MORE audacious and strategic than the millennial and the snore.
-
Now: if members of the White House Press Corps were even willing to DO something like this, they might certainly lose their White House privileges BUT! We’re not really getting much informational value out of the President anyway, so we might at least expose that the emperor is wearing no clothes in a way that delivers some entertainment value :)
No?
Lemme know if you have a connection to John Stewart :)
----------------
Ok, back to earth: ultimately, how we cover a White House that has minimal allegiance to truth ultimately depends on the answer to the question: what is the ROLE of journalism?
Because it’s only if we’re clear on our goal that we can develop a post-truth jujitsu STRATEGY to achieve that goal
--------------
Beyond the baseline “tell the truth” and “inform the public”:
Is it the role of journalism to relay communications from institutions of power like the White House to the people?
Is it to get people in power to tell the truth?
Is to EXPOSE people in power when they DON’T tell the truth, and more broadly hold them accountable?
Is it journalism’s job to help its audience successfully navigate the world?
Is it something else?
-
I’d say: All of these jobs (and more) are true of different news outlets
So in this context, we might shift the question from: what’s JOURNALISM’s job writ large?
To: what’s THIS SPECIFIC NEWS OUTLET’S job?
And THEN, which post-truth jujitsu TACTICS (if any) that best enable this news outlet to do that job?
-
Ok, back to earth: ultimately, how we cover a White House that has minimal allegiance to truth ultimately depends on the answer to the question: what is the ROLE of journalism?
Because it’s only if we’re clear on our goal that we can develop a post-truth jujitsu STRATEGY to achieve that goal
In this post-truth world, for news outlets that see their role as:
1) Getting people in power to tell the truth
2) Holding people in power accountable
AND/OR 3) helping their audience navigate this post-truth world
the traditional rituals of journalism are not fully up to the task.
And so, in conclusion: whether or not you AGREE with all the post-truth jujitsu TACTICS presented here (or with the prospect a collaboration between political journalists and comedians), you might at least agree: IT’S TIME TO GET CREATIVE :)
----------------
Aaaand that was POST-TRUTH JUJITSU – an episode of the Infinite Lunchbox, brought to you by Reckonings
Aaaand speaking of amazing shows (har har), allow me to turn you onto NEIGHBORS – a podcast about what connects us.
From street musicians, to barbers, to improv comedians, to recovering gunshot victims, Neighbors hosts Jakob Lewis and Carry-Add Harmon work their storytelling magic to show us our common humanity.
You can find Neighbors wherever you listen, and at neighborspodcast.com
And you can find INFINITE LUNCHBOX wherever you listen and at youtube.com/c/infinitelunchbox
See you there :)
