As one month of President Donald Trump’s second term approaches, journalists are feeling the brunt of his and his supporters' attacks. Seasoned journalists Jim Acosta and Chuck Todd recently announced their departures from CNN and NBC, respectively, highlighting the political divide Trump fosters in journalism and the press.
Acosta and Todd were both deep in the governmental and political reporting spheres. They were both well-known journalists in Washington, D.C., creating a target of sorts on their backs when Trump became president in 2016.
In 2018, a heated White House press conference resulted in Acosta’s press pass being revoked, one of the most valuable items to a political correspondent. Todd, as the host of Meet The Press, faced endless criticism from Trump’s supporters citing his left-leaning bias, though he was well-respected and experienced in political analysis.
These two specific instances highlight a broader notion: journalists suffered during Trump’s first term in office. Their ability to do their jobs was threatened, their credibility was diminished and online commentary was heavily targeted.
They continued to do their jobs, despite outside forces working against them. Not even a month into Trump’s second term, after 4 years of being out of office, journalists are evidently feeling the brunt of his rhetoric. It is just as combative, if not worse, than his first term, often using Truth Social to personally attack reporters.
Both Acosta and Todd cited the truth in their departure announcements but in different ways. Acosta reminded viewers not to give in to lies and to hold on to the truth. On the other hand, Todd believes that all trust in the national media is lost and needs to be rebuilt. The common theme between both, however, is Trump promotes dangerous rhetoric surrounding news media. By calling any story portraying him negatively as “fake news,” he has promoted the loss of trust in national media; that’s where Acosta reminds Americans not to give in to his lies.
The truth is at the forefront of any kind of journalism, political or not. When Trump’s threats and concerns are wasted on truth-based reporting and not actual misinformation, the public does not have a clear path to seek the truth.
Acosta and Todd, both extremely experienced and well-rounded political journalists, are setting a precedent for what’s to come. If the president does not give journalists the freedom to do their jobs without being attacked or threatened, they will take their talents and skills away from mainstream news.
The foundations of political journalism remain shaken and hold an uncertain future. With Trump holding a role he has formulated into America’s editor-in-chief, political journalism will need a long readjustment period to return to a place where there is no fear or scrutiny for reporting the truth.
Layne Rey is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
