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'Coordinated Strategy-Du-Jour'? Trump Claims Media Not Reporting Terror Attacks
"They have their reasons, and you understand that," the president asserted.
Feb 06, 2017
Whether it is the "coordinated strategy-du-jour" or just more "alternative facts," U.S. President Donald Trump's claim Monday that the media is conspiring not to report on terror attacks has left many observers "speechless."
Speaking to military leaders at the U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Trump expounded on the threats posed by the Islamic State, or ISIS.
"ISIS is on a campaign of genocide, committing atrocities across the world. Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland," the president said. According to the Washington Post, Trump then listed a series of terrorist attacks in the United States--including 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.--and added that such attacks are rampant across Europe.
"All over Europe, it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported," Trump said. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that."
Philip Rucker, White House bureau chief for the Washington Post, pushed back against those claims. "I don't know where he gets his information," Rucker told MSNBC. "In his speech, we should note, he did not mention any examples. There was no evidence that the media is somehow ignoring terrorist attacks in an effort to collude with ISIS or whatever he's imagining. We do cover terrorist attacks."
Though this is far from the first time the president has made disparaging remarks about the media, for many, Monday's statement is particularly troubling given that he framed it as a coordinated effort to suppress information, which he could use to justify calls for increased military action and tighter restrictions on immigration.
Others could not help but place Trump's comments beside spokesperson Kellyanne Conway's repeated fabrication, the "Bowling Green Massacre."
Trump's travel ban on visitors from a number of Muslim-majority countries is currently suspended and facing legal action. Earlier Monday, the president dismissed a survey that found that the majority of the public opposes the ban as "fake news."
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Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Whether it is the "coordinated strategy-du-jour" or just more "alternative facts," U.S. President Donald Trump's claim Monday that the media is conspiring not to report on terror attacks has left many observers "speechless."
Speaking to military leaders at the U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Trump expounded on the threats posed by the Islamic State, or ISIS.
"ISIS is on a campaign of genocide, committing atrocities across the world. Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland," the president said. According to the Washington Post, Trump then listed a series of terrorist attacks in the United States--including 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.--and added that such attacks are rampant across Europe.
"All over Europe, it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported," Trump said. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that."
Philip Rucker, White House bureau chief for the Washington Post, pushed back against those claims. "I don't know where he gets his information," Rucker told MSNBC. "In his speech, we should note, he did not mention any examples. There was no evidence that the media is somehow ignoring terrorist attacks in an effort to collude with ISIS or whatever he's imagining. We do cover terrorist attacks."
Though this is far from the first time the president has made disparaging remarks about the media, for many, Monday's statement is particularly troubling given that he framed it as a coordinated effort to suppress information, which he could use to justify calls for increased military action and tighter restrictions on immigration.
Others could not help but place Trump's comments beside spokesperson Kellyanne Conway's repeated fabrication, the "Bowling Green Massacre."
Trump's travel ban on visitors from a number of Muslim-majority countries is currently suspended and facing legal action. Earlier Monday, the president dismissed a survey that found that the majority of the public opposes the ban as "fake news."
From Your Site Articles
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Whether it is the "coordinated strategy-du-jour" or just more "alternative facts," U.S. President Donald Trump's claim Monday that the media is conspiring not to report on terror attacks has left many observers "speechless."
Speaking to military leaders at the U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Trump expounded on the threats posed by the Islamic State, or ISIS.
"ISIS is on a campaign of genocide, committing atrocities across the world. Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland," the president said. According to the Washington Post, Trump then listed a series of terrorist attacks in the United States--including 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.--and added that such attacks are rampant across Europe.
"All over Europe, it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported," Trump said. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that."
Philip Rucker, White House bureau chief for the Washington Post, pushed back against those claims. "I don't know where he gets his information," Rucker told MSNBC. "In his speech, we should note, he did not mention any examples. There was no evidence that the media is somehow ignoring terrorist attacks in an effort to collude with ISIS or whatever he's imagining. We do cover terrorist attacks."
Though this is far from the first time the president has made disparaging remarks about the media, for many, Monday's statement is particularly troubling given that he framed it as a coordinated effort to suppress information, which he could use to justify calls for increased military action and tighter restrictions on immigration.
Others could not help but place Trump's comments beside spokesperson Kellyanne Conway's repeated fabrication, the "Bowling Green Massacre."
Trump's travel ban on visitors from a number of Muslim-majority countries is currently suspended and facing legal action. Earlier Monday, the president dismissed a survey that found that the majority of the public opposes the ban as "fake news."
From Your Site Articles
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