The North Korea summit was a triumph of Trumpian stagecraft, and the media fell for it

[Commentary] Although every legitimate news organization made efforts, some better than others, to bring context and even a measure of skepticism into their mix of stories [on the Singapore summit], the event overall was a triumph of Trumpian stagecraft. And the media played its accustomed role.  Because of wall-to-wall media coverage, carefully choreographed visuals and the usual Trumpian bluster, the Singapore summit largely came across as a triumph of personal diplomacy by the president. Meanwhile, the problems with the summit — the legitimacy given to a regime with human rights abuses, the concessions given that can never be given again for greater gain, and the disrespect shown to longtime ally South Korea — weren’t exactly ignored. But they were largely lost.

[Margaret Sullivan is The Washington Post’s media columnist]