Trump and Leavitt watch with glee as the press is crumbling

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Trump and Leavitt watch with glee as the press is crumbling
The administration is staging the news and telling reporters how to present it. When will it stop?

By Brian Karem
White House columnist
Published October 24, 2025 9:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) America, we have a problem. You don’t have to stare at the empty space that was once the East Wing of the White House to understand that.

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But to be objective, there is no such thing as objectivity. Objectivity is subjective. Any reporter telling you they are being objective is either lying or doesn’t understand reality or both. Journalism is the art of using the scientific method to communicate facts to the public. There are no absolutes. Forty years in this business has taught me one inescapable fact: You cannot understand or treat the disease that has stricken the news media unless you’ve worked in it while wearing a variety of hats.

We all share a reality, and as President Donald Trump proves, some of us have more influence on that reality than others. Just look at the pictures of the East Wing demolition. It’s symbolic of the problem. To keep the playing field level and fair, reporters need to provide vetted, factual information to the public. We need to update our facts as the needs dictate, and we should apply the same standards uniformly for every story we cover. We need to question everything our government does — no matter who is doing it.

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The problem is government. During my career, I have witnessed presidents, Congress, courts, state and local governments dismantle free speech, whether they’re denying press credentials, invading newsrooms, jailing reporters or suing media owners. I’ve seen it in print, television, radio and online. At the same time, the government has encouraged media consolidation and allowed large companies to take over the business while working with the owners so each gets something mutually beneficial. The government destroys media independence while the owners maximize their profits. Today only a handful of companies own and operate nearly 90% of what you see, read or hear while the government controls the companies that supply the news.

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Today the press corps is so depleted, and so lacking in backbone, that no one has sprung forward to defend Date’s right to ask a legitimate question. Leavitt’s snarky quip offered as an answer sounded like it came from a high school prom committee. Coming from the primary spokesperson for the president of the United States, it was unbelievably unprofessional. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/10/24/trump-and-leavitt-watch-with-glee-as-the-press-is-crumbling/