The result is to undermine the independence of the press

Robert Reich an hour ago:

Trump this morning escalated his attack on the free press: “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” he tweeted.

Even if most Americans understand that a President of the United States calling the media the “enemy of the American people!” is unprecedented, delusional and dangerous, there will be some percentage of Americans who are becoming persuaded by his ever more strident attacks.

The result is to undermine the independence of the press in our society — making Trump the arbiter of truth in our society.

Last night, the Republican Party and Trump’s campaign websites posted a 25-question “Mainstream Media Accountability Survey,” asking: “Do you believe that the mainstream media has reported unfairly on our movement?” and then asking whether the survey-taker believes that MSNBC, CNN or Fox News “report fairly on Trump’s presidency,” allowing for answers of “yes,” “no” or “no opinion.

The survey formalized Trump’s attacks and his insinuation that media outlets are working against the American people.

The ads driving people to the survey are paid for by the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee,” a joint fundraising committee of Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee. People who fill out the questionnaire are taken to a donation page, which states: “President Trump is asking you to go the extra mile and make a contribution to help defend our movement from the outrageous attacks from the media coming our way. Contribute now to help us fight back against the media’s attacks and deceptions.”

Trump is dangerous.

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