By Robert Reich
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1. Berate the media. Trump
summoned two-dozen TV news anchors and executives to the twenty-fifth floor of
Trump Tower to berate them for their reporting about him during the election.
For twenty minutes he railed at what he called their “outrageous” and “dishonest”
coverage. According to an attendee, “Trump kept saying, ‘we’re in
a room of liars, the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong,’” and he
called CNN a “network of liars.”
He accused NBC of using unflattering pictures
of him, demanding to know why they didn’t use “nicer” pictures.
Another person who attended the meeting said Trump “truly doesn’t seem to understand the
First Amendment. He thinks we are supposed to say what he says and that’s it.”
2. Blacklist critical media. During the campaign,
Trump blacklisted news outlets whose coverage he didn’t approve of. In June he
pulled The Washington Post’s credentials.
After the election Trump agreed to meet with the New
York Times and then suddenly cancelled the meeting when he didn’t like the
terms, tweeting “Perhaps a new meeting will be set up with the @nytimes. In the
meantime they continue to cover me inaccurately and with a nasty tone!” (He
then reversed himself again and met with the Times.)
3. Turn the public against the media.
Trump refers to journalists as “lying,” “dishonest,” “disgusting” and “scum.” Referring to the journalists at his rallies,
Trump said, “I hate some of these people,” adding (presumably
in response to allegations of Vladimir Putin’s treatment of dissident
journalists) “but I’d never kill ‘em."
He questions the press’s motives, claiming, for example, that The Washington Post wrote
negative things about him because its publisher, Jeffrey Bezos, a founder of
Amazon, “thinks I would go after him for antitrust.”
When the New York
Times wrote that his transition team was in disarray, Trump tweeted that the
newspaper was "just upset that they looked like fools in their
coverage of me” during the presidential campaign.
4. Condemn satirical or critical comments. Trump
continues to condemn the coverage he’s received from NBC’s “Saturday Night
Live.” In response to Alex Baldwin’s recent portrayal of him as overwhelmed by
the prospect of being president, Trump tweeted that it was a “totally one-sided, biased
show – nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?”
When Brandon Victor Dixon, the actor who plays Aaron
Burr in the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” read from the stage a message to Vice
President-elect Mike Pence, who was in the audience – expressing fears about
the pending Trump administration for the “diverse group of men and women of
different colors, creeds and orientations” on the cast – Trump responded
angrily.
He tweeted that Pence had been “harassed,” and
insisted that the cast and producers of the show, “which I hear is highly
overrated,” apologize.
5. Threaten the media directly. Trump said he plans to change libel laws in the United States so
that he can have an easier time suing news organizations. “One of the things
I’m going to do if I win … I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they
write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win
lots of money.”
During the campaign, Trump specifically threatened to sue the Times for
libel in response to an article that featured two women accusing him of touching them inappropriately
years ago.
Trump claimed the allegations were false, and his lawyer demanded
that the newspaper retract the story and issue an apology. Trump also
threatened legal action after the Timespublished and wrote about
part of his 1995 tax return.
6. Limit media access. Trump hasn’t had a news
conference since July. He has blocked the media from traveling with him, or
even knowing whom he’s meeting with. His phone call with Vladimir Putin, which
occurred shortly after the election, was first reported by the Kremlin.
This is highly unusual. In 2000, President-elect George W. Bush
called a press conference three days after the Supreme Court determined the
outcome of the election. In 2008, President-elect Obama also meet with the
press three days after being elected.
7. Bypass the media and communicate with the public directly.
The American public learns what Trump thinks through his tweets. Shortly after
the election, Trump released a video message outlining some of the executive
actions he plans to take on his first day in office.
Aids say Trump has also expressed interest in continuing to hold the large
rallies that became a staple of his candidacy. They say he likes the instant
gratification and adulation that the cheering crowds provide.
The word “media” comes from “intermediate” between newsmakers
and the public. Responsible media hold the powerful accountable by asking them
hard questions and reporting on what they do. Apparently Trump wants to
eliminate such intermediaries.
Historically, these seven techniques have been used by
demagogues to erode the freedom and independence of the press. Even before he’s
sworn in, Trump seems intent on doing exactly this.
ROBERT B. REICH is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at
the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center
for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton
administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective
cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fourteen books,
including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of
Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent,
"Saving Capitalism." He is also a founding editor of the American
Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary,
INEQUALITY FOR ALL.
