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hypocrisy
[hi-pok-ruh-see]
1.
a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
2.
a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
3.
an act or instance of hypocrisy.
In his latest rant at CPAC, President Trump had the temerity to chastise what HE called fake news for the use of anonymous sources for their information. Now, there are two problems with this accusation:
First, the use of unnamed, but RELIABLE, sources is an essential element of a Free Press and, therefore, a integral part of a truly free society. This right is protected by law (https://www.article19.org/pages/en/protection-of-sources-more.html).
Second, and here's where the hypocrisy fits- Mr. Trump is a man who CONSISTENTLY uses unnamed (i.e. anonymous) sources in his daily barrage of tweets to make his case. And, additional to his anonymous sources, his messages are full of half-truths and exaggerations, if not out right lies. He offers little in terms of corroboration for his claims, as if the fact that HE said should be enough.
One can only assume that this is a tactic being employed by the President and his administration to distract the public from the large amount of missteps that have been taken by them in their first month in office. Finding a scapegoat to blame for YOUR mistakes is a classic method of distraction. The more they blame the Press the more the truly uninformed are likely to believe them and "look the other way". This support from his unshakable base allows him to operate with impunity and without fear of confrontation for his policies - ANY of them. Mr. Trump's bluster gets people to forget that it's the Press' JOB to challenge the President on virtually every move he makes. THIS makes him ACCOUNTABLE, something this President sees as anathema. And, it's DANGEROUS and smacks of tyranny! He has even BANNED news outlets that have published or broadcast stories that he considers unfavorable to him or his administration.
Mr. Trump and his minions like Stephen K. Bannon have declared war on the Press calling us an enemy of the people. Well, I'd like them to say that to the faces of the families of any one of the 48 journalists who were killed in 2016 for simply doing their jobs of bringing the truth to the world. Shame on Mr. Trump and those who support him for this stance at attempting to silence the truth.
The cannot succeed. They will not succeed. We, the people of conscience will not allow it.
First, the use of unnamed, but RELIABLE, sources is an essential element of a Free Press and, therefore, a integral part of a truly free society. This right is protected by law (https://www.article19.org/pages/en/protection-of-sources-more.html).
Second, and here's where the hypocrisy fits- Mr. Trump is a man who CONSISTENTLY uses unnamed (i.e. anonymous) sources in his daily barrage of tweets to make his case. And, additional to his anonymous sources, his messages are full of half-truths and exaggerations, if not out right lies. He offers little in terms of corroboration for his claims, as if the fact that HE said should be enough.
One can only assume that this is a tactic being employed by the President and his administration to distract the public from the large amount of missteps that have been taken by them in their first month in office. Finding a scapegoat to blame for YOUR mistakes is a classic method of distraction. The more they blame the Press the more the truly uninformed are likely to believe them and "look the other way". This support from his unshakable base allows him to operate with impunity and without fear of confrontation for his policies - ANY of them. Mr. Trump's bluster gets people to forget that it's the Press' JOB to challenge the President on virtually every move he makes. THIS makes him ACCOUNTABLE, something this President sees as anathema. And, it's DANGEROUS and smacks of tyranny! He has even BANNED news outlets that have published or broadcast stories that he considers unfavorable to him or his administration.
Mr. Trump and his minions like Stephen K. Bannon have declared war on the Press calling us an enemy of the people. Well, I'd like them to say that to the faces of the families of any one of the 48 journalists who were killed in 2016 for simply doing their jobs of bringing the truth to the world. Shame on Mr. Trump and those who support him for this stance at attempting to silence the truth.
The cannot succeed. They will not succeed. We, the people of conscience will not allow it.
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