Donald Trump has praised the leadership of Vladimir Putin. We may be seeing Mr. Trump emulate Mr. Putin at the beginning of his new administration.
A Russian journalist has pointed out Putin’s patterns in treating the Russian press to the CBC:
Journalists do not make the rules any more. “… it’s the leader who set the rules.” The leader makes the rules so that journalists are on the losing side. And the leader pads the room with his followers to support the leader.
He warns, don’t mistake spectacle for substance. Reporting on every outrageous tweet takes away the focus from the important issues.
We are in the “post-fact” era. Putin decides on what is the truth and what is a lie today. The journalist recommends asking simple “yes-or-no” questions. Otherwise you will be flooded with a tirade of “nonsensical factoids” “What really matters is what he doesn’t say in public. Because really important things in politics tend to be away from the public eyes.”
The dressing down of the media by Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Jan. 21 may be the opening salvo in an attack against our freedom of the press and our freedom of speech. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told NBC that Mr. Spicer gave “alternative facts”!
With the White House putting out “alternative facts,” the media will need to be diligent in a way we have not seen in the past.
Steve Moller
Woodinville
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