It’s Time for the Press to Stop Complaining—And to Start Fighting Back
Earlier this month, Chuck Todd, an Atlantic contributing editor and the moderator of Meet the Press, described how a nearly 50-year campaign of vilification has left many Americans distrustful of the media. His essay urged journalists—and readers—to reach for facts instead of talking points.
Alas, Chuck Todd’s lengthy view of the “problem” with journalism gives mere lip service to the real experiences of those of us who have watched the “unforced errors” of mainstream media for 30 years. Mr. Todd’s explanation of our feelings is that we’ve been manipulated by slick-talking hucksters who exploited our stupidity and naïveté. (By the way, Chuck, I am not an old white guy. I am a middle-aged, black Ivy League graduate.) He leaves little room for the possibility that we are thoughtful, rational people.
Let Mr. Todd continue to explain the world in a way that helps him sleep at night, and avoid any accountability for his contributions to his plight. In the meantime, Donald Trump will fool them again and get elected to another term. You still don’t understand us.
Sheldon L. Thorpe
Stevens, Pa.
I agree with Chuck Todd that journalists must become more aggressive in speaking and writing the facts. I kept hoping he would address the lure of money that TV networks are making off this sensationalism to the detriment of simple truths. These corporate giants need to acknowledge their responsibility in promoting the likes of Donald Trump, who received so much free airtime during the campaign, and to this day floods the airwaves with his tweets and rants.