The Times defends journalism. And takes some blame… SORT OF.

Steve Marmel
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

The press is important. They should not be made the enemy. And them owning their mistakes is important. But owning them with accuracy more so.

It starts with this:

And it’s not wrong. The press is not the enemy. But the tweet that accompanied it was this:

And that’s what caught my eye. Because for two years, the press played patty-cake with this monster, giving him free pass after free pass while taking roundhouse after roundhouse at Hillary Clinton.

Even their apology misses the point of how we got here. Thousands of hours of “Oh, that’s just Trump” and here’s part of the Times’ mea culpa:

No.

Out of touch with working-class… seriously? This crap again?

No, you were out of touch with what needed to be covered WHEN it needed to be covered.

Hillary had experience. She gave us her tax returns. She was part of the Clinton Foundation, a highly respected charity that ACCOMPLISHES things.

But you know, E-mails.

And when the press — the media — did cover Trump? Calls in to Morning Joe. Lies left unchecked. Appearances on SNL. Basically this. Every day through the election… this.

What an adorable racist.

Yeah there were some tough questions. But not enough. And not enough follow up. And too much time chasing the ratings and the clicks that Trump gave you and not enough exposing this fraud as the monster he is.

The time to get tough was before: Before he could hide in the White House or behind the closed doors of his multiple properties. That’s when you should have been dogging him, holding his feet to the fire… instead, you were doing this every time somebody said “Benghazi.”

Yes, you’re journalists. And what you do is important, now more than ever. Journalism is important to a Democracy and honestly, a free press is the last best hope we have to defend against this lunatic. They say “The Truth will set you free” but it’s more that the truth is needed to KEEP us free.

You don’t deserve the bile and vilification coming from the President. Let’s be clear on that.

But you have to take some responsibility on how we got here. So we never get here again.

You were needed.

You ARE needed. Every damn day.

So apology, I guess, sorta accepted.

Just… DO BETTER.

)

Steve Marmel

Written by

Steve is a writer, a stand-up comedian doesn’t shut up about politics... and on Wednesday is neck deep in new comic books

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade