“Mr. President, You Are Not Telling The Truth, and I Will Not Pander.”

The media faces a crisis from within: an abject need to reassess its code of conduct.

CNN’s Jim Acosta, and Donald Trump.

What follows is an editorial.

U.S. journalistic integrity was once the be-all and end-all for news reporters.

It still is, mind you, though since 2016 our national journalists have been challenged by accusations of “fake news” or of being “the enemy of the people” depending on Donald Trump’s whim at any given moment.

What has not changed with the times — and this is quite unfortunate — is how journalists remain in lock-stop with old ethics. To now, their de facto code of conduct has been equivalent to a newsperson’s personal Ten Commandments. Ethics advise that a journalist remains non-partisan and respectful under all circumstances but here’s the rub: By not taking a vocal stand against President Donald Trump the moment he lies during an impromptu press conference, said journalist, by his or her inaction, is in effect taking a stance and defending the spread of disinformation.

Said ethics must evolve with these changing times for the media to succeed in its mandate.

At the very least, a journalist can turn their back on the President. Other journalists in the room could follow. That would make for quite the effective visual, don’t you think?

Such an action would not be disrespectful to the office, by the way; it would be abjectly respectful to the American people. It will never happen, of course, though this reminder is necessary: A U.S. journalist’s responsibility is, first and foremost, to precisely that populace.

I will disregard certain international territories in this context, where government-employed personnel, working as journalists, present propaganda to the masses as opposed to news. For the purpose of this article, I am solely addressing the matter as it regards the domestic front.

President Donald J. Trump, as arguably the most influential man in the world, is determined to continue infecting his followers with equivalent propaganda, and this must no longer be tolerated by those from whom we receive our news.

On Jim Acosta, CNN and the President

If we had voted in a President with a traditional, healthy regard for a free press, this article would not exist. As we did not, alas, these words will be hereinafter stamped.

Jim Acosta is CNN’s White House Correspondent. He came very close to doing the right thing. Here then, is a USA Today blow-by-blow — with comments — of the infamous November 7, 2018 Acosta-Trump televised confrontation, including video:

Nothing more needs to be said, save that Acosta was banned from the White House, only to receive his credentials returned shortly thereafter following a judge’s ruling.

President Trump and Disinformation

The truth is this: Our U.S. President designs his own reality on the fly, and he shares it, not unlike any other cult leader, with his most ardent supporters. He will often take contrasting sides of an issue in multiple interviews, while denying he had ever thought or said anything differently despite having been recorded doing precisely that.

“I never said it,” he’ll repeat. His staunchest followers will believe him despite the evidence to the contrary. His other followers will disregard the words and support him for his work on the economy.

When Donald Trump disseminates his disinformation in planned or impromptu press conferences, reporters are also frequently abused. Creating his own narrative is, some will say, an artform.

Acknowledged, ignoring abuse while deciphering facts is part and parcel of a journo’s job. What is not, however, is accepting an overt lie without calling attention to it, and moving on.

Just once I would like to hear, “Mr. President, you are not telling the truth, and I will not pander. My responsibility is to my viewers (or, to my readers).”

Hope springs eternal, regardless. 2020 is around the corner. #VOTE for a return to decency so this debauchery of the Oval office ends, and we return to a quasi-normal state-of-affairs.

Thank you for reading.