There are few as skilled at whipping the liberal media into a frenzy for their own benefit as President Trump. Now, famed actor and director Clint Eastwood is following the president’s lead — and hoping to reap the rewards at the box office.

Trump has repeatedly placed himself in direct opposition to the left-leaning national press, which he has dubbed the “enemy of the people.” More often than not, liberal media figures are all too happy to play along and feign outrage at the president's criticisms, only deepening the resentment many Americans have for our self-appointed guardians of truth.

Eastwood has a new movie out, and he’s using a similar tactic to play the liberal media and promote it.

The film, Richard Jewell, focuses on the case of its namesake, Richard Jewell, an innocent man railroaded by the FBI and media as the prime suspect for the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Jewell found the bomb and alerted authorities to its existence, undoubtedly saving lives in the process. His reward? The security guard was named a suspect and subjected to weeks of torment and scrutiny before his name was finally cleared.

The movie portrays two villains: the FBI and the media. Both institutions were all too happy to destroy an innocent man’s life. One of the subplots of the movie shows Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs portrayed sleeping with FBI sources for scoops. It’s a sexist and fictional storyline, as well as one Scruggs is unable to rebut, given her death in 2001. Eastwood may have specifically chosen a reporter from the Journal to play the vixen for a reason — after all, the paper never apologized for its unfair coverage of Jewell.

Oh you mean the only news outlet that never apologized to Richard Jewell and just waited him out in court until he died? That's the the one that should be making demands right nowhttps://t.co/BPaDFPVxNI — F. Bill McMorris (@FBillMcMorris) December 10, 2019

In response to the storyline, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is demanding a disclaimer about the fictional nature of the storyline and is considering legal action.

Why did Eastwood bend the truth and add the storyline in? I suspect he’s taken a page out of the president’s media handbook. The villain of his story is quite plainly the press, and Eastwood has manipulated the movie’s narrative to give the press an opportunity to claim for themselves the role of the victim. He laid out the bait, and the liberal media took it — hook, line, and sinker.

An accurate movie script about a female reporter would involve her being constantly propositioned or harassed by people she covers, while being invited to evening "meetings" that somehow turn into involuntary dates with sources, and bombarded with rape threats on Twitter. — Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) December 10, 2019

We’ve come to learn that there are two things liberal reporters can’t help but do: play the victim and pat themselves on the back for their crucial role in society.

Conservative commentators have noted with disdain how, as always, the liberal media have managed to make the story about how they were victimized — even when it was their outlets that were in the wrong after leading a witch hunt for an innocent man, no, a hero.

Man of course parts of media are trying to make a journalist the *real* smear victim in a movie about RICHARD FUCKING JEWELL. — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) December 10, 2019

Eastwood didn’t just make a movie about Jewell’s story for its cinematic potential. No, the very origins of public distrust and disdain for the liberal media can be traced in part to Jewell’s plight. Did Eastwood include the fictional storyline about a Journal reporter to see if any lessons were learned? If so, we now know the answer is a resounding no.

"Here's a chance to reflect on our grave responsibility to not only the public, but to those we write about"

Reporters: Or we can circle the wagons around one of the worst things we've ever done — F. Bill McMorris (@FBillMcMorris) December 10, 2019

Eastwood set a trap for the liberal media, and they couldn’t help but fall for it. In the process, a movie few may have otherwise noticed is receiving gallons of free publicity. This is all working out well for Eastwood, who may be the first public figure to successfully manipulate the liberal media as well as Trump did during his journey to the White House.

Bethany Mandel (@bethanyshondark) is a stay-at-home and homeschooling mother of four and a freelance writer. She is an editor at Ricochet.com, a columnist at the Forward, and a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog.