Nor was McDaniel’s past role as a political operative at issue. One could argue that news organizations have enrolled so many veterans of government and political activities over the years that the public’s understanding of who is a “journalist” has become blurred.
But that horse left the barn a long time ago. From George F. Will, Mark Shields, and William Safire in the 1970s to Tim Russert, George Stephanopoulos, and Jeff Greenfield, and more recently Nicole Wallace, David Axelrod, and Joy Reid, and many more. of talented people have passed from one side to the other. .
No, the problem with McDaniel, and the one that led to the staff uprising, is that she was complicit in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and that she was guilty of Trump’s lies about the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory. has been added. In an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” McDaniel dismissed the price of admission by saying, “The reality is Joe Biden won. He’s the president, the rightful president.” paid. She added, “As I have said and will continue to say, 2020 had its problems. I believe both can be true.” .
“There was a problem.” Really? This is a soft way to rationalize the Republican election war by giving in on one side and taking away on the other.
It’s amazing how NBC’s top brass couldn’t see why McDaniel was more than just a random conservative contributor, and couldn’t foresee the uprising that hiring her would provoke.
Yes, viewers and readers should be provided with a variety of opinions. I’ve long been an avid fan of conservative commentary, even if I usually disagree. But no news organization should seek to “balance” truth and falsehood or employ those who, in the name of ideological diversity, are complicit in undermining the very project of democracy. NBC News leaders didn’t have to learn the hard way that President Trump’s corruption of the political conversation draws a clear line between the right and wrong approaches to balance. It should be.
Now to President Trump, who is peddling Bibles for $59.99 each. My colleagues Alexandra Petri, Eugene Robinson, and Dana Milbank provided helpful comments on how interesting this was. What’s funny is why President Trump thinks there’s an opportunity in the Bible market. This stunt reflects the extent to which he has persuaded a significant segment of Christian society that supporting him is pious because it is the best way to defeat his secular left-wing opponents. .
But supporting Trump would require many conservative Christians to make some pretty fundamental adjustments to their beliefs. Consider the surprising results of a poll conducted by PRRI and the Brookings Institution. “Can an elected official who has committed immoral acts in his private life still act ethically and fulfill his duties in his public and professional life?” In 2011, only 30 percent of white evangelicals agreed with this statement. But in the weeks before the 2016 election, 72 percent agreed with him, a much larger swing than recorded among other religious groups.
I admit that it is not an easy question to answer, but the large swings in the views of white evangelical Christians in a relatively short period of time suggest a kind of conversion that has little to do with faith.
Troubling for all Christians, the association of their faith with Trump is exacerbating a long-term trend of younger, more liberal Americans abandoning religion altogether.
If it seems strange to combine Trump’s influence on the media and religion, keep in mind that both institutions have historically served as checks on power. They are a source of social cohesion and a place for public learning. As the Bible tells us, “The truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
They have something else in common too. It is inevitably connected to politics. The media provides a forum in which debates about democracy take place, and religious teachings inevitably influence political choices and philosophical dispositions.
What is important is what kind of politics is involved and how it is implemented. Trumpism is corrosive to both.
Several years ago, Anglican theologian NT Wright claimed in an Easter sermon that Jesus “died to exhaust the power of the rulers of this world.” It would be a shame if a wannabe world ruler named Trump made it increasingly difficult for many people to hear the message of Easter.
