From The Guardian's Margaret Sullivan, warning of the existential threat to democracy if the Malignant Loser is elected in 2024, and the broken press' responsibility:
"The press must get across to American citizens the crucial importance of this election and the dangers of a Trump win. They don’t need to surrender their journalistic independence to do so or be 'in the tank' for Biden or anyone else.
It’s now clearer than ever that Trump, if elected, will use the federal government to go after his political rivals and critics, even deploying the military toward that end. His allies are hatching plans to invoke the Insurrection Act on day one.
The US then 'would resemble a banana republic', a University of Virginia law professor told the Washington Post when it revealed these schemes. Almost as troubling, two New York Times stories outlined Trump’s autocratic plans to put loyal lawyers in key posts and limit the independence of federal agencies.
The press generally is not doing an adequate job of communicating those realities.
Instead, journalists have emphasized Joe Biden’s age and Trump’s 'freewheeling' style. They blame the public’s attitudes on 'polarization', as if they themselves have no role. And, of course, they make the election about the horse race – rather than what would happen a few lengths after the finish line.
Here’s what must be hammered home: Trump cannot be re-elected if you want the United States to be a place where elections decide outcomes, where voting rights matter, and where politicians don’t baselessly prosecute their adversaries." (our emphasis)
This may be the most crucial test for the media to see if it recognizes the danger that the Malignant Loser and his MAGA cult pose, or to continue as if this election were a typical Dem vs. Republican contest.
(Image: Democrats.com)
