Undaunted

Reporting on Trump need not be wishy-washy

We do not spare legacy media outlets when they fall short in exposing Donald Trump’s cruelty, serial law-breaking, and lies. However, when reporters do step up to inform the public without equivocation and dismantle his deceitful excuses, they deserve credit. During this unconstitutional, reckless, and unnecessary war, repeatedly justified by exaggerations and outright lies, we have seen dogged reporters fulfill their mission as truth-tellers and protectors of democracy.

A case in point was the aftermath of the U.S. Tomahawk missile strike on a school, killing 175 people, mostly children. Donald Trump told the jaw-dropping lie during an exchange with the press on Air Force One: that Iran could be responsible for the missile strike and deaths. To their credit, reporters at the New York Times and other outlets unequivocally proved Trump was lying.

The New York Times reported:

The video, uploaded on Sunday by Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency and verified by The New York Times, shows a Tomahawk cruise missile striking a naval base beside the school in the town of Minab on Feb. 28. The U.S. military is the only force involved in the conflict that uses Tomahawk missiles.

In addition, a Times’ reporter smartly framed a question to reveal Trump’s duplicity. In response to a question from CNN’s Manu Raju about overwhelming evidence that the U.S. killed the civilians, Trump again lied, stating it could have been Iran’s own strike. He further lied by insisting that other countries have these weapons, which he claimed are “generic.”

Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times, putting on a clinic for the White House press corps in how to question and confront Donald Trump, asked the critical follow-up:

MCCREESH: You just suggested that Iran got its hands on a Tomahawk and bombed its own elementary school on the first day of the war. You’re the only person in your government saying this. Even your defense secretary wouldn’t say that when he was asked, standing over your shoulder on your plane on Saturday. Why are you the only person saying this?

TRUMP: Because I just don’t know enough about it.

The exchange pierced the thin veil of normalcy that usually shrouds Trump, revealing him to be both dishonest and addled. (He does not know enough, so he says something no one else believes is true?!) Good reporting can beget a splurge in truth-telling.

Even a hard-bitten MAGA politician such as Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) was forced to concede about the horrific killings: “It was terrible. We made a mistake.” He added, “Other countries do that sort of thing intentionally, like Russia. We would never do that intentionally. I think the department is investigating it now, and I’m sorry.”

Jennifer Griffin, a credible journalist, even managed to tell the Fox News audience that Trump’s claim was a lie. “That was a bit surprising to me because, basically, the U.S. has Tomahawks,” Griffin said. “The Brits and the Australians have Tomahawks, but they’re not part of this conflict.” She added, “I think the president knows that. He just knows that this is certainly a mistake, a big mistake, and it’s being investigated. But he is trying to sort of muddy the waters by talking about the Tomahawks.” In other words, he was lying.

CNN’s Aaron Blake likewise broke down Trump’s nonsense. He wrote: “There has never been an indication that Iran has any Tomahawks, which are made by US defense manufacturer Raytheon for the US military, subject to strict export controls and not the ‘generic’ product Trump claimed Monday.” He reiterated that the only other powers with these weapons “include the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands, but not Israel or any other ally in the Middle East… [and] certainly does not include Iran.” Blake also added commentary from Trump critic, Gen. Barry McCaffrey (Ret.) identifying Trump’s “bald faced” and “childish” lying.

Other reporters have shown the value of persistent, fact-based reporting and pointed questioning. “You said the war is ‘very complete,’” an unidentified reporter began. “But your defense secretary says, ‘this is just the beginning.’ So, which is it?” Trump incoherently answered, “both.”

By Wednesday, the New York Times reported: “An ongoing military investigation has determined that the United States is responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school. . . . Striking a school full of children is sure to be recorded as one of the most devastating single military errors in recent decades.” Now the question must turn to how this occurred and who will shoulder responsibility for a failure of this magnitude.

It is easy to ask why the White House press corps and their outlets are not this effective all the time. It is not simply that Trump’s lies have become more obvious or that war coverage brings out the best in reporters (although both are true). Several factors explain this bonanza of quality journalism — and collectively indicate tougher reporting is transferable to other issues.

First, given the war’s importance, the press is compelled to focus on a single issue. Trump’s usual tactic — unleashing a stream of outrageous actions and execrable statements so one shocker displaces the previous one(s) — falters when everyone knows the one big topic deserving of focus. Lesson: Even when there are multiple topics of interest, it behooves reporters to focus on one topic at a time, as State Department reporters do — e.g., first all the Russia questions, then the Venezuela issues, etc.)

Second, if reporters listen to one another and follow up as McCreesh did, the result will make them all look better. It is inexcusable that Trump can avoid a hard question by insulting one reporter (especially if it’s a woman) and moving on. Lesson: Reporters cannot let Trump pick off one reporter at a time, avoiding the hard topics.

Third, in war, reporters know not to treat serious matters of life and death like a sporting match or horse race. The critical questions are not “Will Trump get away with it? Will Democrats or Republicans benefit from this?” Rather, the essential lines of inquiry must be: “What happened, and why is Trump ignoring reality/lying?” This should be true of domestic topics as well. Presenting Trump with contradictions/binary choices can help expose his lies and incoherence. For example: “You said foreign countries pay tariffs, but domestic companies and consumers are claiming refunds, so which is it?” Lesson: Reporters need to press Trump on his obvious, concrete lies to re-establish a baseline rooted in reality. Do not turn him into a pundit; hold him accountable for his decisions.

In sum, undaunted, undistracted reporters do not aim to create “balance” between lies and truth or between a pro-democracy party and a cult. Armed with facts, they can ferret out lies and hold the government accountable, which in turn preserves a free press, objective truth, and, therefore, democracy itself.

Now, more than ever, the press must rigorously expose Trump’s delusions, lies, and blunders while they spotlight the victims and consequences of Trump’s reign of chaos. We should applaud journalists who do just that — and admonish those who need to do better.