Judging by press coverage, one would think the most pressing problem facing Western civilization is not terrorism but tweeting. At yesterday’s press conference, John Roberts of Fox News was given the first question and used it to lecture Trump on the counterproductivity of tweets. Other journalists circled back to this issue anxiously, treating it as a matter of the first magnitude.
Meanwhile, journalists yawn at the weekly eruptions of Islamic terrorism. Turn on cable at any moment and you will see a journalist holding forth with ludicrous solemnity about the crisis of Trump’s tweeting, combined, of course, with dark musings about the “Russia investigation.” The press never misses the chance to leave the impression that the “Russia scandal” is staggering in its scope. But what is the scandal? Nobody seems to know.
Naturally, the press can hardly contain its excitement about Comey’s appearance before Congress, but apparently Comey won’t even accuse Trump of obstruction of justice. So why are we supposed to care? The hearing will just generate more blah, blah, blah about “important questions raised” and so forth.
Here’s an idea: If the press can’t answer smearing questions, it shouldn’t raise them, and if a “scandal” can’t be summarized in one sentence, it is not one.
