COMMENTARY: News coverage of nonsensical reaches a peak

By Berl Falbaum

Even though Donald Trump’s latest arraignment was on August 3 in D.C., I was so enamored by the circumstances, I thought it was still worth sharing some thoughts with you.

From the second I turned on the TV to watch the court proceedings, I was mesmerized. My heartbeat increased and I am sure my blood pressure rose.

There in the blue sky was Trump’s $100 million, Boeing 757 private jet, piloted by skilled airmen and flying smoothly through the clouds. Periodically, I was annoyed when clouds hid the plane’s tail.

Who said politics cannot be awe-inspiring.  

I watched intently as it landed at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and came safely to a stop on the runway. I did not know it, but the best was yet to come. Now, I know why those TV journalists get paid the big bucks.

The plane’s door opened and out stepped the former president, his red tie blowing in the wind, and the cameras followed him to a black SUV limousine. He got in and his motorcade started the trip to the E. Barrett Prettyman Court House in Washington, D.C.

Hearing me “Oooh” and “Ahhhh” my wife continually asked me if I was OK.

“How can you not watch this?” I asked dumbfounded. “For goodness’ sake, they are driving to the court house. This is history.”

As I watched, I marveled at the drivers taking all the curves so professionally. Not one hitch. Despite the short distances between the cars, there were no rear end collisions.

Given my excitement, I was sorry when they arrived right on time for the arraignment to begin. OK, I said to myself, as long as I have the TV on, I might as well continue watching to see what happens in court. (Trump pleaded “not guilty” to four charges).

It was my lucky day.  As soon as the court hearing was over, TV crews again broadcast his motorcade back to Reagan Airport and the return flight to New Jersey.

In New Jersey, viewers got a bonus:  We saw how his valet, Walt Nauta, handed Trump an umbrella. That was played several times. You might recall that Nauta has been charged in the classified documents case as a co-defendant. Given that Trump got him in trouble, I thought he might hand Trump an umbrella that did not work.

OK, enough. I think you get the picture.

In a word, it was inane but the coverage again revealed how the media, especially cable news, is addicted to Trump because they believe it helps their ratings.

Since Trump came on the scene as a presidential candidate in 2015, every single word by Trump, every action—no matter how egregious or meaningless—is subject to coverage.

Studies on the 2016 election concluded that he received between $2 billion to $5 billion of free advertising.

On a recent weekend, one of Trump’s attorneys, John Lauro, appeared on all five major political talk shows. At an average of 20 minutes for each interview, he received an hour and 40 minutes of free time to make Trump’s case.

In his appearance, Lauro told us that a “technical violation of the Constitution,” is not a crime, adding that when Trump asked numerous officials to overturn the election, he was not pressuring them but he was being aspirational.  He said all this with a straight face.

I understand that some invited him to the shows, to “trip him up.”  It ain’t gonna happen. For all his shortcomings, Lauro is no dummy; he knows exactly what will be asked, he has his talking points, and, most important, the objective is simply to be on the air. He wins as soon at the interviews begin.

Of course, Trump’s defense deserves to be covered but a one-two-minute summary of Lauro’s arguments would be sufficient.

Elsewhere in the Trump media world, do we need news stories with film every time Trump appears behind a podium to call the latest charge a “witch hunt?” According to Trump, we have had more witch hunts than they had in Salem in the 1690s. I think I remember that the Mueller investigation was a witch hunt as were the Stormy Daniels charges and the January 6 committee hearings and the ...

One more point: Trump sucks up all the political air time on TV. I have not seen a major piece in quite some time on any Biden administration initiative whether it involves the economy, climate change, Ukraine, immigration, or other issues. Even a sitting president cannot break through the Trump-controlled news cycle.

The worst part? The coverage is not going to change. Trump makes good copy (and he knows it) and the more sensational and uglier his remarks, the better.

The cable news networks are already gassing up their helicopters to follow Trump’s motorcade to his next court appearance.
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Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.