I fully support a free press, but in return I expect the press to report facts. Label opinions as such, but when I read the news, I expect it to be honest, factual reporting. The actual press (I do NOT include the likes of Fox and OANN in this) has been letting us down for some time now on a daily basis. The former guy is front and center nearly every day, when he should have been reduced to irrelevance long ago. No other former president has occupied as much media space as he, and frankly I find it sickening and disgusting.
The latest is his plan to hold a “news conference” from Mar-a-Lago on January 6th, the one-year anniversary of the violent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol on the date of the certification of the 2020 election results. In light of his announcement, it becomes painfully obvious that he intends to use his voice, such as it is, to rehash his old and false lie about the election having been ‘rigged’ or ‘stolen’.
“I will be having a news conference on January 6th at Mar-a-Lago to discuss all of these points, and more. Until then, remember, the insurrection took place on November 3rd, it was the completely unarmed protest of the rigged election that took place on January 6th.”
According to Forbes, the former guy said the primary goal of his event will be to attack Republicans who haven’t bought into his fraud claims, deriding them as “RINOs”—Republicans in name only.
Now, none of us can stop the former guy from saying what he will, but … we can call on the legitimate press to boycott the speech. And that is exactly what they should do … no legitimate news source should be anywhere near Mar-a-Lago on January 6th. Let him speak until he is hoarse, heard only by the likes of Fox ‘News’, OANN, and other radical right-wing outlets. Let this serve as notice to The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and others that they MUST stay away at all costs! To attend and report on this childish display of lies and tempers would be a gross disservice to their readers and viewers and would cut into their reputations significantly. We the People have absolutely ZERO interest in anything the former guy (what’s his name again … I forget) has to say. We’ve heard it all before and we know from past experience that it will be a rant filled with a pack of lies. I do not wish to see his ugly mug nor to hear the filth that spews from his twisted, contorted mouth!
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced plans for a solemn commemoration in Washington on January 6th. Pelosi said the events, which will include “a discussion among historians about the narrative of that day; an opportunity for Members (of Congress) to share their experiences and reflections from that day; and a prayerful vigil in the evening” will be live-streamed. The press would do much better to cover this commemoration than to cover the former guy doing more ranting, cursing, and lying. No doubt there will be numerous other events to commemorate the day that will be of far more value than the one at Mar-a-Lago. Let’s all hope that in the name of responsible journalism, the press can turn their focus to those events and boycott the other one. If they do not, then I will strongly consider cancelling my online subscriptions to those outlets that waste their time and our money on the former guy.