The Shame Of Trump Appeasement

The Daily is journalism for the people that fights for democracy. Please support our work by becoming a subscriber.After 60 Minutes went public with how they are being supervised by their corporate bosses and the threat to journalistic independence that they face, Sarah Jones was guest on WCPT’s Chew’s Views where she discussed the strategy of Trump appeasement: We have to have shared reality. If we are going to have elections, if we're gonna have a political. If we're gonna have a democracy, we actually have to have shared reality. Just this week two Scotland Yard detectives who were investigating the Murdoch tabloids said that the new evidence that was brought forth means they would've considered the man who is now chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post, Will Lewis to be a criminal suspect in covering up wrongdoing.Now, they knew about that. Those accusations have been around before they gave him that job. And I just wonder, why would you put that person in charge of one of the nation's leading papers before an election when one of the people running is an autocrat. That's troubling.And then also just to buttress this point, Bill Owens resigned from 60 Minutes on Tuesday, because of Paramount. Having kind of oversight into their stories and supervising the content in new ways. And he felt that he lost independence that he needed for honest journalism.And I think if people see like all that erosion coming from places, these pillars of our democracy that we used to be able to count on, and that's all, they make those choices. They can say, Donald Trump threatened us, or whatever. You know what? No, you made a choice because of your merger to appease this man.And there should be shame with those choices. The Daily is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Appeasing An Autocrat Is StupidIn any part of society, appeasing an autocrat never works.   In journalism, holding people accountable is the job. And that whole kind of cowardice that we are seeing from so many people, where they, oh, I need to go down to Mar-a-Lago and kiss the ring, because we've gotta find a way to get along.. That does not work. And so that is a dumb thing to do. You cannot appease an autocrat. It is never going to work. So it is a stupid strategy. All it does is kick the can down the road a little bit.Those who put themselves ahead of their professional obligations and their country are betraying the American people. The corporate media seems to believe that their bending to Trump will all be washed away and forgotten, but they have damaged the ability of the free press to hold any president or person with power accountable today and in the future. There is shame in the damage that they are doing to the country, and it is up to the American people to make them feel it.What do you think about the stupid strategy of appeasement? Join the conversation in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedailypoliticususa.com/subscribe