Manipulated Violence - News Loops, The Media & Trump

Responsible and open journalism is one of the most important things to have in any democracy. This is a pretty basic concept and most people support it. Some would be and have been jailed or worse to protect it. This year's presidential election cycle is causing many to really think about and analyze all of this and how important a free and responsible press is to a democracy.

From the beginning of Donald Trump's entry into the race, cable news made a choice to turn news coverage into a mix of a documentary and a reality TV show. Obviously it was done for the sake of ratings. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and others early on decided to take Trump's phone call interviews whenever he called them. Pundits and moderators laughed before and after these calls (they cannot in truth be called interviews). All of this did not bode well for journalism.

So a marketing pro manipulated the media into covering him, his way and on his terms. He played them like a fiddle. Now as everyone has reaped what they've sown - the GOP, cable news, congress and so on, we have an even worse manipulation and it goes to the heart of good and responsible journalism. The Trump rally on Friday, March 11 in Chicago looks more and more like a manufactured event with very dark purposes. An impression has been given that the rally was canceled due to violence and the potential for people being hurt. A cursory review of what occurred though doesn't lead one to that conclusion. The event was planned on a college campus in an area known for organized activism, so demonstrations could/should have been expected. The campus and city police indicate that they did not give any advice on canceling the event, although Trump says they did.

If the video of the event is reviewed closely it seems the violence occurred after the announcement canceling it was made. But it was a Friday night and there was a need for some good TV. Trump has made it clear that he believes protesters and violence help his candidacy.

But the manipulation and the message gets worse and the media is complicit. If you watched on Friday what you saw were continuous video loops of blacks and whites pushing, shoving and swinging/punching each other. All of these repetitious videos gave Trump the opportunity to reference thugs, disrupters, violent protesters, etc. In addition they fed in to some peoples' worse fears - that black people were going on the offensive and the future is indeed bleak.

Certainly protesters planned on being there and were prepared to take a stand but my point is that Trump knew that and also understood how it would look and yes how it would play on TV. The media so concerned about their ratings followed and fell once again into his hands.

Sadly, Trump loves the violence or so it seems. He even says its good for his campaign. His face as he shouts, screams and yells is filled with hatred and it seems very real. There may be very serious consequences to all of this and Trump as well as the media will have to be held accountable.

Journalists and editors should really review how and why they're covering things like phone calls from Trump, or why they agree to be held in a pen at his events. All of us should try to see the manipulation of these stories and how they are pitting one group against "the others" - the "they" that are always referenced at Trump's rallies. The biggest danger is how easy it is to become a member of "the others".