I have these questions for CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, NPR, PBS, and members of the @whca ahead of an event at the White House today that is being called a briefing. (Short thread.)
Here are some things to ask yourselves... 1/
Here are some things to ask yourselves... 1/
You know you have a choice, yes? If you feel you have no choice on whether to broadcast a briefing, whether to show up and pitch questions, then you are stating that press freedom has somehow disappeared. This cannot be.
Here's a choice you can make: 2/
Here's a choice you can make: 2/
Second question: do you have enough information from past performances to predict how this coronavirus briefing is likely to go, and what the president's behavior will be?
If you do — and I certainly think you do — then you can game out an intelligent response. 3/
If you do — and I certainly think you do — then you can game out an intelligent response. 3/
People in politics distinguish between "paid" and "earned" media. Paid means you bought ads. Earned means you made news. But if news coverage can be earned, it can unearned too. How are you going to keep him from using the virus briefings to generate unearned news coverage? 4/
On matters of public health — and the facts people need to make good decisions about their behavior during the pandemic — what is your plan for PREVENTING the president from misinforming Americans through the channels you manage and provide?
No plan? Then you are not ready. 5/
No plan? Then you are not ready. 5/
Question five: What are you going to do when at these briefings he does inject into the national bloodstream more false or dangerously misleading information about health and safety?
What then? And what if he keeps doing it as the briefings roll on? 6/
What then? And what if he keeps doing it as the briefings roll on? 6/
How do you handle misleading or propagandistic claims that are not worth amplifying and therefore do not deserve news coverage, vs. lies or distortions so consequential or revealing that they have to be reported? Are you ready to draw that distinction? 7/ twitter.com/i/events/12642…
For more on these choices, see my post about switching coverage of the Trump presidency to an "emergency" setting. pressthink.org/2020/03/today-… END 8/
