Trump Didn’t ‘Change’ CNN and the Legacy Media; They’ve Been Liars From the Start

Charlotte, NC — In a segment this past weekend on the oxymoronically show entitled Reliable Sources, host Brian Stelter interviewed colleague Jake Tapper to congratulate one another and CNN on handling the various “challenges” posed by President Trump and the Trump administration.  First, Tapper claimed that Trump “changed the way news media at large behaves.”

“Donald Trump, because of his disruptions and the way he disrupted just how presidents and public figures behave, and his actions too, changed the way that the news media at large behaves,” says CNN’s @jaketapper. pic.twitter.com/JoZTswnUQY

— Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) December 27, 2020

After this ignorant statement and baffling analysis, the duo then criticized White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, saying that she “lies the way … most people breathe,” and that he is “not going to put somebody like that on air.”

.@jaketapper tells @brianstelter he won't have @kayleighmcenany on his show because she "lies the way that, you know, most people breathe. There was no value in that…She can’t acknowledge reality. So I am just not going to put somebody like that on air." pic.twitter.com/rHnvIhcZ1V

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 27, 2020

First, it is necessary for me to address the elephant in the room aptly named ‘Hypocrisy.’  Multiple hosts on CNN, including Tapper, have willingly offered their platform to demonstrable liars.  Apparently, they quickly forget the internet is forever, and the myriad of clips can be easily pulled.  One such example is disgraced attorney and grifter, Michael Avenatti, whose screen time on CNN was rivaled only by fellow liar, Adam Schiff.  Given that some liars are welcomed, and others are not, it’s clear that lying itself isn’t an issue so long as the lies enable a deeper narrative.

Second, and the most obvious point, the job of the White House Press Secretary is to act as the primary interface between the media and the president. As such, the role exists in the arena of politics, positive stories must be promoted while the audience is distracted from negative stories. And yes, sometimes, this requires — to put it mildly — a liberal relationship with the truth.  However, Tapper’s absurd statement is based on the fact that a propensity for lying is far from unique to Republican press secretaries.  This is further proof that lying is not the issue for Tapper or CNN.  It, once again, matters if the lie adds to or detracts from CNN and, for that fact, the entire legacy media’s often collective and shared agenda.

Finally, the most glaring absurdity of all is the claim that Trump was the one who “changed the way the news media at large behaves.”

This is textbook gaslighting and delusional garbage.  The mainstream media are the same lying, manipulative, and controlling entity they have always been–especially CNN.  This is the same media who condemned former President George W. Bush as a Nazi and lauded former President Obama as a hero.  This is the same media who laughed when novelist Ben Rhodes mocked them for their ignorance.

If we accept their narrative that Trump changed how the legacy media are perceived, then we cannot accept the narrative that Trump changed the character of the media.  All Trump did was tear the veil of objectivity from their lying, elitist faces.  At least 70+ million Americans are on to their reindeer games and clearly see the legacy media for what they really are.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant.  Instead of acknowledging their wrongdoing, the media is scrambling to blame this president for their repeated and blatant journalistic misconduct.

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