MSNBC is suffocating Trump’s propaganda, by not giving it the oxygen in the form of a platform that it needs to flourish.
NBC News’s Geoff Bennett said, “He tweeted about border security. Now, here’s a bit of a public service announcement. Before I read this tweet, got to tell everybody what the president says here is not true. I’ll explain why after we read it.”
Video:
MSNBC told viewers that a Trump tweet blaming Obama for child separations was not true before showing and discussing why the tweet was a lie. https://t.co/nfbzpx6TH4 pic.twitter.com/RVF8x6RinJ
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 16, 2018
After reading the tweet, Bennett said, “Now, here’s the deal. Past administrations did separate children from their families only in exigent circumstances. If, for example, there were known drug smugglers in the group if the familial relationships between the adults and the kids couldn’t be established. The Trump administration had a policy of family separations, and they used it as a deterrent. The president in this tweet actually says that.”
MSNBC Is Killing Trump Propaganda Before It Can Spread
The mechanism that Trump expected to use to spread false information from the White House was that he would tweet, and the press would dutifully spread and repeat his tweets without questioning them. At first, journalists treated Trump like a regular president and this system worked, but reporters and the cable news networks have caught on.
MSNBC has been at the leading edge of those who refuse to let Trump use their network to spread lies. MSNBC has been debunking Trump’s tweets before showing them, and refusing to carry his White House events live.
Trump’s statements can’t be placed on the airwaves or in print without being checked.
MSNBC is showing how it is done.
Trump’s propaganda methods are being stifled. Immigration is the wedge issue that he is using to keep his base in line and divide the country. By not giving him the platform to divide, MSNBC is placing facts and the country above all else.
If all journalists followed MSNBC’s lead, Trump megaphone would be reduced to two tin cans and string.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
