Sure the Media Is Biased. But the Enemy? Not Quite.

Biased? Probably. Oppositional? Maybe. Essential? In theory. But the enemy? Not so much.

President Trump la called the news media “the enemy of the American people.” But in interviews around the country, Americans of varying political affiliations, even those with serious misgivings about the media, largely allowed that the president’s characterization had gone too far. Trump’s presidency has exacerbated already deep ideological divisions in the country, and Americans on one end of the political spectrum increasingly find themselves unable even to look their counterparts in the eye. But if there has been one instance when the rift has not seemed quite as large, perhaps it has been the response to Trump’s harsh rebuke of the media. Still, the feeling toward the news media among those interviewed was far from warm and fuzzy. Many said they believed the media was flawed in general, and certainly when it came to the coverage of President Trump and his administration.