A President Trump tweet denouncing an NBC News report drew sharp rebukes from several Republicans, but some, including Kansas’ Ron Estes, dismissed the tweet. TIME only reported the Republican reactions the publication says were dismissive and amused.
With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017
Trump tweeted, “With all the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!” He later told White House press that the media’s ability to write whatever they want is disgusting.
Estes told Time that Trump has the right to free speech, too.
“With the fake news that’s out there–and granted, it doesn’t always come from NBC–it’s worthwhile to have a chance about what’s right and what’s wrong,” the magazine quotes Estes in the story entitled, “President Trump mused about revoking NBC’s license; Republicans in Congress cheered.”
Entirely absent from the story are quotes from Republicans who disagreed with the President’s tweet. For example, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse issued a statement asking whether Trump’s tweet was a “recanting of the oath” he took to “preserve, protect and defend the First Amendment.” Time didn’t mention it. Instead, the magazine writes, “For many Republicans, elected officials and otherwise, Trump’s hostility towards the press has been a fresh air.”
The Times article on Trump’s tweet serves as an example of why that’s true for some in the Republican party. It lectures readers.
“Republican lawmakers found the discussion amusing… As many commentators noted, Trump’s musing about revoking a broadcaster’s license was both startling in a country where freedom of the press is protected by the Constitution, as well as impractical given the way the Federal Communications Commission regulates broadcasters,” the piece reads.
It’s difficult to recall a moment in which TIME (or most mainstream media) asked Democrats to denounce or cheer the actions of one of their members. Sen. Bob Menendez comes to mind. The Democratic Senator is on trial for public corruption in New Jersey.
The article seeking Trump denunciations has a saving grace, however: a quote from Congressman Mike Conaway, a Texas Republican.
“I think the movement is towards opinion journalism as opposed to true, pure journalism that tries not to take a side,” Conaway told the magazine.
Perhaps, TIME should make a note.
