I wish it worked like this — lies and smears designed to dehumanize you go away if you ignore them -- but I don’t think it does. So I don’t think this is good advice.
Chuck Todd, of all people, wrote a good piece about why the press should fight back. "The American press corps finds itself on the ropes because it allowed a nearly 50-year campaign of attacks inspired by the chair of Fox News to go unanswered.” theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
Key line in this piece: “The idea that our work will speak for itself is hopelessly naive.” theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
It’s undeniable that right-wing outlets have been attacking the press for 50 years, basically unanswered. This has been extremely bad for the press and democracy both.
Now, with the president himself launching false and vicious attacks in a sustained way — attacks that are *working* — the advice from journalists to other journalists is to… do nothing. It’s literally to continue to do nothing. I am baffled by this response, honestly.
I don’t know what the solution is. I don’t think it is to “go to war.” But it’s not to do nothing, ok? It’s not to just focus on the work and pretend it’s not happening.
And it’s not pompous or arrogant or something to talk about press freedom and threats to press freedom if you’re a journalist. Don’t be embarrassed. Holy crap. It’s survival.
