It’s not just Trump being Trump. In reporting what Trump has to say, the news media has a huge responsibility not to repeat and amplify his misleading spin — a spin that may serve his political interests but is not in the public interest. The reflexive media urge, deep in our DNA, is still to quote the president without offering an immediate challenge. Add in the dangers of a disease rapidly approaching pandemic proportions, and it becomes more important than ever to emphasize truthful information over false spin. I’m convinced that we in the media, with all our obvious faults, have learned some things about covering Trump over the past four years.

Source: Washington Post March 01, 2020 12:02 UTC