The problem is that, as US government officials, their words matter. Their official statements are newsworthy, even if they are lies. The media can’t really ignore what they say. They can, however, illustrate when they are lying, even if this Administration throws a hissy-fit over it.
Its just that in doing so you are legitimizing what they say to begin with. By pointing out the contradictions over and over you aren’t actually swaying them or any of their followers. Because they’re bigots. They’re white supremacists. It was never about anything else. They want to deport minorities. They want a white ethnostate.
I think you are confusing the legitimacy of their positions and their message. Their positions are legitimate because, unfortunately, they gained their positions legitimately, either through elections or some other documented process. That’s on us, ultimately. That makes what they have to say a matter of public record, and newsworthy. (There are a handful of Administration positions that are illegitimate, such as all these acting US attorneys, and the Courts are dealing with that separately.)
The message is utter bullshit, and at least in some cases, not what their voters intended when they cast their vote. But how will those voters ever know if the message is never challenged in the first place?
I believe it is possible to report the Administration’s positions, while also attempting to hold them to account. The alternative is for the media to ignore it altogether. But we all know Conservative media won’t do that. If other media simply refuses to cover the Administration entirely, that doesn’t invalidate their message. Only by letting us know what they are saying, as well as how bonkers it all is, do we have any chance of emerging from this.
The problem is that, as US government officials, their words matter. Their official statements are newsworthy, even if they are lies. The media can’t really ignore what they say. They can, however, illustrate when they are lying, even if this Administration throws a hissy-fit over it.
Its just that in doing so you are legitimizing what they say to begin with. By pointing out the contradictions over and over you aren’t actually swaying them or any of their followers. Because they’re bigots. They’re white supremacists. It was never about anything else. They want to deport minorities. They want a white ethnostate.
I think you are confusing the legitimacy of their positions and their message. Their positions are legitimate because, unfortunately, they gained their positions legitimately, either through elections or some other documented process. That’s on us, ultimately. That makes what they have to say a matter of public record, and newsworthy. (There are a handful of Administration positions that are illegitimate, such as all these acting US attorneys, and the Courts are dealing with that separately.)
The message is utter bullshit, and at least in some cases, not what their voters intended when they cast their vote. But how will those voters ever know if the message is never challenged in the first place?
I believe it is possible to report the Administration’s positions, while also attempting to hold them to account. The alternative is for the media to ignore it altogether. But we all know Conservative media won’t do that. If other media simply refuses to cover the Administration entirely, that doesn’t invalidate their message. Only by letting us know what they are saying, as well as how bonkers it all is, do we have any chance of emerging from this.