I remember seeing GOP outcast, clownish Roger Stone in his wide-striped mobster suits on TV here & there in some association with Trump. But that was it. I think Ailes & O'Reilly played ball with him bcs they thought he was a clown and it'd be fun. Zucker was a different story /2
https://twitter.com/CheriJacobus/status/1359009487303172098
But Trump and Putin had laid the groundwork and the networks were in place, so he very soon had these guys by the doo-dads. Washington power players had no idea the power center (media) in NYC was where the strings were beng pulled, since DC is the center of political power /3
Trump/Putin worked that "element of surprise". Created chaos, if you will. Establishment Republicans in DC were adamantly against Trump, but the media power centers in NYC were pumping him into every living room in America -- a constant feed. Media vs Establishment GOP. /4
DC GOP Establishment was taken by surprise, unaccustomed to this dynamic -- one that proved to be dangerous. Media execs are not responsible adults. Ratings are like cocaine to them & all they care about -- desperate for. Nothing else matters. Journalism an afterthought /5
The media gave Trump the GOP nomination and the Establishment fell in line. I believe the reason the GOP elected officials seem so weak about Trump is because they were overwhelmed by the media choosing him and inflicting him on them and never knew how to deal with him /6
Journalism matters. Truth matters. Credible expertise matters. Using the "giving viewers what they want" excuse for airing crap is a cop out. Viewers don't know they are being fed crap. They don't know there's something else. They dig the heroes media force feeds them. /7
Demand better. Be smarter. Be careful who you choose as your heroes. And stop expecting to be entertained. /8
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