"Some
months ago, I wrote about the linguist George Lakoff’s prescription for
handling the president’s false statements and lies, an approach that’s
become known as the “truth sandwich.”
"Rather
than lead with the falsehood and then try to debunk it, Lakoff — an
expert on how propaganda works — suggested flipping that formula: Lead
with the truth, air the falsehood, and then follow with the fact check.
"Avoid
giving prominence to lies, he advises. Don’t put them in headlines,
leads or tweets. It is that very amplification that gives them power,
even if they are proclaimed false in the next beat." (our emphasis) -- Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post media columnist, with some advice to the media, which will undoubtedly go largely unheeded. We've written often about the corporate media's hard- wired instincts to find false equivalence where none exists, and to amplify that false equivalence in asymmetric ways that benefit the firehose of lies that gushes from Trump and his nihilistic minions. If they can't get it right when the stakes are as high as they are this year, they never will.
