Isn’t it strange that all the leaks being associated with President Trump are negative? Can’t some secret source “close to the President” whisper something like: “hey, Trump was really on his game today. He put China on the defensive very effectively.”
But as the late John Belushi once said, noooooooooo!
The leak situation is totally anti-Trump and completely out of control. The primary leaks are now coming from the Justice Department/FBI, from Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s office, and from the White House itself.
The information from anonymous sources is almost exclusively directed to hate Trump organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN.
These self-described journalistic pillars use all kinds of shadows to cover their “sources.” We read “according to someone familiar with the situation,” or “a person close to the investigation,” or my personal favorite: “someone with knowledge of the conversation.”
It’s all a ruse of course; basic rules of journalism say a reporter must verify what anonymous sources say - not print or broadcast unattributed information as truth. That rule was established to keep self-serving or false statements from being widely circulated.
At this point, I rarely see any verification from the media. The disturbing truth is that anonymous sources are being used to drive an overriding narrative: Trump is bad as is anyone who supports him.
So no longer are there rules of journalistic engagement. It’s like due process in the media - gone. If we say you’re guilty- you’re guilty, honey.
It’s almost as if a bizarre game is being played out in front of the American people. Maybe we brand the game “Let’s get Trump.” But before we bring him down, we’ll make sure he suffers on a daily basis so everyone can watch while we sell advertising.
This is not about approving or disapproving of the President. This is about destroying the man. What a bitter play is on display before us.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have experienced a similar assault. But the Ken Starr investigation did not leak stuff everyday as the Mueller crew is doing. And the newspapers were largely sympathetic to President Clinton as was CNN. Maybe there were anonymous leakers trying to kill Bill Clinton but they couldn’t get their unverified stuff in print or on the air. I guess that’s possible.
To me as a loyal American citizen, this hateful leaking is depressing because it is harming the country by empowering corrupt journalists, and the loathsome leakers themselves. If you have something important to say - say it - with your name attached.
“Not for attribution” is the coward’s creed.
Isn’t it?
