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i’m still perplexed by this friday night decision by tv pundits like @JeffreyToobin to immediately throw the bf story under the bus despite the fact that it was (and is still) developing and unclear 
like, to suggest gloomily that it’s a “bad day for us” seems to be allowing those who suggest the media is the enemy of the ppl to own the narrative, no? doesn’t it give credibility to those who frequently and baselessly try to destroy trust in the media as a whole?
it feels a bit like the ‘working the refs’ strategy pro trump media types have used with big tech companies that force the companies to bend over backward to cater to their (often false!) narrative. seems like these pundits are bending over backward in a similar way
part of the strategy of delegitimizing the press means not allowing for nuance or for massive, complicated stories to develop. they don’t want a discussion, they don’t want to make the institutions better. they want to win and for the press to lose. and they want to replace it.
i’m not suggesting that the press shouldnt be concerned by the erosion of trust in media. but that’s a different game than bending over backward to cater to serial liars who try to weaponize that mistrust for political gain.
and yes, those 2 things r tangled up a good bit at times...but it is a losing game to try to appease those who only treat you in bad faith at the expense of a greater goal, which (in this case) is guiding readers through complex and uncertain and evolving stories with huge stakes
