We call the media the Fourth Estate because it is supposed to be on par with the three branches of government, meaning it plays a role in checking and balancing those powers. Yet, the media is failing in their democratic duty. Looking at the headlines about Trump’s cabinet picks and the possible recess appointments, you’d think it was the usual back-and-forth between opposing political parties. But it’s far from normal.

Normalizing is Gaslighting

The political press is doing the equivalent of gaslighting us. Take, for example, this NBCNews headline: Speaker Mike Johnson leaves the door open to recess appointments. Sure, he left the door unlocked for his wife to come home from shopping. He left it open for the cat. But let’s be real: this is not just a casual moment; it’s a signal that undermines the very checks and balances that keep our democracy intact. Any media report on Trump and his cronies should scream, “GOP guts the checks-and-balances and destabilizes government!” Anything less is not just compliance; it’s complicity.

Reporting on the “Vote Shift” Instead of the “Voter Suppression”

Steve Kornacki of MSNBC smartboard fame is reporting on the “vote shift” in various states. He reports that Trump made inroads in Arizona’s Native American-heavy counties. Really? You think there were Native Americans out there voting for Joe Biden in 2020 and then pivoting to Trump in 2024? How about considering that the shift in votes in Navajo and Apache Counties might be linked to increased barriers to voting? Just a thought.

Then, there’s the claim that Democrats’ momentum in the Atlanta metro area stalled. Stalled did it? Maybe Harris just flooded the engine by giving it to much gas. Probably. She flooded it. It couldn’t be the voter roll purges, reduced number of polling places, and limits on early voting that the Republicans enacted before the election? Think that might have contributed to the stall? Maybe? A little? Hunh?

The Media’s Role in Reporting on Electoral Changes

Shouldn’t the media report these systemic issues more explicitly? After all, they reported on them when they were enacted, especially when it the Resistance was in its ascendance. Doesn’t that merit a mention of the possibility that those laws had an effect on the outcome? The laws were newsworthy enough to report BEFORE the election; shouldn’t they warrant reporting on AFTER the election?

Otherwise, is the media really doing its democratic duty as a check and balance on those in power and not just amplifying the message of those in power?

Disqualification Matters

Peter Hegseth as Secretary of Defense

When the media reports that Peter Hegseth was an army officer, we might think, “Oh, he has military experience; he can be secretary of defense.” But he left the military as a major, a junior officer. It’s akin to promoting the person supervising retail sales at Ford to CFO. Why isn’t it highlighted that he has more years as a Fox personality than in the military? Why isn’t being reported that he supported convicted war criminals, so he is disqualified?

The Disinformation of Robert Kennedy

The New York Times (paywalled) describes Robert Kennedy as a vaccine skeptic. He’s not, he’s lying. He knows he’s lying. That’s the problem. We’ve given way too much time and consideration to the professional attention whore, Robert Kennedy. His science skepticism is going to kill people like the million deaths we endured during Trump’s shambolic response the #COVID19 pandemic. Why isn’t it being reported like that?

The press abandons its role as arbiter of truth when it ignores it doesn’t report on these appointees as being disqualified for office.

Confronting the Authoritarian Regime

The entire Republican Party is collectively lying to us, and the press knows it. To report the lies as anything but is compliance. Yet, we sit here, accepting the lies and the press’ compliance because confronting a potential authoritarian regime feels daunting.

We aren’t going to stop fascism with memes and snarky posts on blogs or other forums. Apparently, we’re not going to stop fascism by voting either because voter suppression works, y’all. What do we do instead of skeeting our pants on Bluesky or enduring the hate on X or whatever it is you do on social media platforms these days?

Comment on This: What Can We Do?

We cannot accept business as usual. The country is no longer normal; it is abnormal. Just because a fascist was elected doesn’t mean we have to normalize or follow fascist laws.

It was heartening to see the Washington Post (paywalled) lose subscribers after Bezos refused to endorse Harris. If the press is complying with fascists in advance and normalizing their anti-democratic ways, should we really be relying on them for news?

Boycotting the legacy and access-dependent media is possible, if difficult, but what other ways are there to pressure the media into accurately reporting on Trump and the GOP? How can we as the public hold them to account for their failures in their important role in our democracy? Please, let us know in the comments because I’m outta ideas here.

Image Attribution

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