The Real Crisis Is Not at the Border

The decisions by networks to go all-in on Donald Trump in 2016 may sound a distant echo today. But it’s one that is still being heard and felt in the wake of the networks’ decision to air President Donald Trump’s Jan 8 speech about a border crisis that doesn’t exist and a wall that the vast majority of US taxpayers don’t want to pay for. News outlets need to have a deeper reckoning about their role in enabling President Donald Trump’s lies and spreading his racist propaganda. If it’s customary to legitimize a president who seeks to discredit facts and cast truth seekers as “enemies of the people,” then those customs need to change. If it’s traditional to enable the destruction of democratic norms and of policies offering sanctuary to those fleeing political violence, then those traditions are wrong. Journalism serves a higher purpose in a democracy. The networks must work harder to achieve it.