SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Philip Rucker, White House bureau chief for the Washington Post pushes back against the president's claim, says: "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."
'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."
\u201cTrump just said that the media is conspiring to hide terrorist attacks. They are not reporting them "4 their own reasons."\n\nI am speechless.\u201d— Kurt Eichenwald (@Kurt Eichenwald) 1486410788
\u201c"Media is ignoring terrorist attacks" is clearly the coordinated strategy-du-jour. Conway tried it w/Bowling Green & now Trump's trying it.\u201d— Hend Amry (@Hend Amry) 1486411995
\u201cTrump claims the media, who compose theme music for every one of them individually, never covers terrorist attacks.\u201d— Martha Jackovics (@Martha Jackovics) 1486412266
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."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
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."
\u201cTrump just said that the media is conspiring to hide terrorist attacks. They are not reporting them "4 their own reasons."\n\nI am speechless.\u201d— Kurt Eichenwald (@Kurt Eichenwald) 1486410788
\u201c"Media is ignoring terrorist attacks" is clearly the coordinated strategy-du-jour. Conway tried it w/Bowling Green & now Trump's trying it.\u201d— Hend Amry (@Hend Amry) 1486411995
\u201cTrump claims the media, who compose theme music for every one of them individually, never covers terrorist attacks.\u201d— Martha Jackovics (@Martha Jackovics) 1486412266
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."
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."
\u201cTrump just said that the media is conspiring to hide terrorist attacks. They are not reporting them "4 their own reasons."\n\nI am speechless.\u201d— Kurt Eichenwald (@Kurt Eichenwald) 1486410788
\u201c"Media is ignoring terrorist attacks" is clearly the coordinated strategy-du-jour. Conway tried it w/Bowling Green & now Trump's trying it.\u201d— Hend Amry (@Hend Amry) 1486411995
\u201cTrump claims the media, who compose theme music for every one of them individually, never covers terrorist attacks.\u201d— Martha Jackovics (@Martha Jackovics) 1486412266
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."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.