Why not make a Ministry of Truth and be done with it?

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Dear Leader has invited the press to a private rendez-vous in his glass tower, but if you thought the plan was to mend bridges with them, you were wrong. In a Dear Leader style that's becoming the norm, he scolded them for having been mean to him, and singled out some particular guys whom he deems the meanest of the mean:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/donald-trump-meets-tv-executives-journalists-calls-them-deceitful-liars/articleshow/55555516.cms

Of course, information about the contents of those talks only sifted through, thanks to some of those attendees speaking about it anonymously, as the ground rules of their Host Almighty prevented them from openly reporting the very story they were all being part of. Which means that in order to get access, you'll now have to kowtow to the whims of His Eminence.

Whether what we're having here is the makings of a major media war, or this kerfuffle is going to end in hugs and bows to Dear Leader, is yet to be seen. One thing is for sure though: this guy seems to believe he can bend public opinion to his will by co-opting the media (Bush at least did some effort to convince them to follow him into Iraq). Except, he really can't. The look-at-me celeb approach can only take you so far, and it only really works on the lower levels of society. Among the literate, the word always tends to get out eventually, and no man can shackle the word.

Comments

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Oh, they'll get in line eventually. Most of them, anyway. You just wait for the next false-flag operation. It'll be convincing and spectacular. And nobody will be able to resist the patriotic flavor that will push to burst out to the surface!

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

I sure do like the idea of a ministry of truth.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Also, we could have a Morality And Decency Enforcement, while we're at it.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

I imagine that we at least approach truth by repeated scientific testing, whereas morality is purely a social construct and somewhat harder to find clarity on. There are those who say we can arrive at a human ethics from an evidence base, but I'm not clear on how that works.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

And I'm not sure you got my reference (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministries_of_Nineteen_Eighty-Four#Ministry_of_Truth).

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Oh you're right. It's been a very long time since I read 1984.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Whether what we're having here is the makings of a major media war

Most likely yes (http://nypost.com/2016/11/21/donald-trumps-media-summit-was-a-f-ing-firing-squad/).

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

As predicted, he's flip-flopping left (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-visit.html) and right (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-investigation.html).

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

And his folks are not happy (http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/donald-trump-conservatives-clinton-231768).

[oportet.livejournal.com]

It makes for an interesting standoff - who needs who more between Trump and the media?

One just won the highest position in the country without help, and with opposition, from the other - the other just got humiliated and nearly proven obsolete....

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Wanna make a prediction?

[oportet.livejournal.com]

He needs them a little. They need him a lot. They want stories to go through them, not through a tweet or a direct-to-the-public youtube video. For now, he has leverage. I'm not saying they'll treat him like they did Obama - but they'll lighten up a little.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but when he's gone, they'll still be there. They still have an influence on public perception, and I'm guessing he's going to need them eventually, if he's to get re-elected, or at least go down in history as a decent president, as opposed to a monster.

You don't want a constant war with the media. A temporary one for the sake of scoring election points, maybe. But perpetual war?

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Not easy to sell a new war to the public if you don't have the media on your side. Twitter may not suffice.

[oportet.livejournal.com]

I think the President should be above pointing out how shitty the media is, but at the same time - I also think some loud obnoxious person needs to stay on them constantly. Maybe he'll back off and pass that job on to the press secretary?

As for the next election - I don't think it'll be close - I don't think there will be much of a grey area with Trump. I don't see him having between a 40 and 55% approval rating - It's going to be great, or it's going to be a great disappointment.