Deliberately Negative

Barred from entry: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was done with the harshly negative coverage of his administration from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico. “There’s something wrong with a country that lets people craft deliberately hostile stories,” he told reporters, after ordering those outlets to be excluded from the White House press pool. “Media outlets shouldn’t be able to consistently publish or report FICTION and LIES while covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he added on Truth Social. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

Now these three outlets plan to sue the White House, arguing that the ban infringes on their First Amendment rights. “Without notice or due process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because they disagreed with our reporting,” they stated in a joint message. “Left unchecked, this endangers press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government meddling.”

“The Constitution does not permit a president or any other government official to strip the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process, all because he dislikes the content of their reporting,” they added.

Of course, people should be allowed to write “purposely negative stories”! That’s the very reason I’m here. I despise much of what the government does, and a lot of what each party does, and I’m perpetually annoyed by anyone who seeks to accumulate more power to push the rest of us into obedience. Let the negativity flow, indeed!

What Trump fails to grasp is that the real issue with most mainstream outlets today is that they aren’t critical enough. They do scrutinize Trump, yes (which is good), but a touch more critique of his predecessor might have helped us, for instance, avoid that Weekend at Bernie’s fiasco we nearly stumbled into toward the end. The media could stand to scrutinize teachers’ unions and police unions; corporate cronyism; indiscriminate drug-bloat bombings; ICE detentions (and excessive force); overblown claims about data centers; NIMBYs blocking new construction; the personal enrichment of the first family; and, oh yes, the relentless government spending—let’s not forget that.

It should not be my problem or yours that Trump’s ego takes a hit from how the media covers him. That’s precisely what the First Amendment is for: presidents may feel bruised egos, but the law doesn’t care. Thank goodness for that.

Scenes from New York: “When I fought for every Black child, did I betray my own?” asks the infamous New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. “A decade ago, I made a choice about my daughter’s schooling that I hoped would challenge New York City’s segregated and unequal system. Now 16, she believes I chose the wrong path.”

The full piece stands as a searing critique of New York City’s public schools and of Hannah-Jones’ ability to effect meaningful reform:

We believed that by enrolling Najya in a school mostly serving low-income Black students, we could help uplift the entire student body. From prior reporting, I knew that Parent-Teacher Associations at underfunded schools often raise only a few thousand dollars, yet Faraji and I intended to contribute substantial gifts. I observed how school officials could be dismissive toward lower-income parents who pressed for resources and how deferential they were toward wealthier ones. I thought our involvement might empower others who shared our values to do the same.

In practice, things did not unfold as hoped. Najya struggled to keep up and endured injustices no student should face: teachers who failed to correct her work or recognize that she was far below grade level in math; insufficiently challenging assignments to help her progress; chronic absenteeism from teachers; and a lack of responsiveness from her parents when she needed help. When it came time to pick a high school, Najya veered from her parents’ educational philosophy—opting for underperforming, predominantly Black schools—and chose a higher-ranked institution that was mostly white and Asian.

The piece has sparked substantial conversation. I found this response particularly striking, from Maud Maron: “Your daughter’s chosen high school wouldn’t exist if not for parents like me who fought to keep screened schools.” And a touch of levity, if you’ll permit it.

QUICK HITS

• “An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, city officials said, with the man in serious but stable condition,” reports Reuters. “The man was shot in the torso and transported to a local hospital, according to authorities at a press briefing. The ICE agent fired during a brief foot chase shortly before 1 p.m. (1800 GMT), Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis stated.” The man shot is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, per law enforcement. His attorney told The Texas Tribune that the client entered the country legally.
• The Atlantic has a strong piece titled: “Researchers Say They’ve Found the Truth About Thomas Jefferson.” It reports that a covert 15-year research effort has uncovered genetic evidence suggesting one of the nation’s Founders fathered children with a woman he enslaved.
• “At a sprawling waterfront mansion facing Biscayne Bay, a group of affluent Cuban-Americans has spent months crafting intricate plans for a country that does not yet exist,” according to an excellent Wall Street Journal lead.
• From The Washington Post: “The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a grand project spearheaded by the creator of the Star Wars franchise, shows no shame about appearing as if a spacecraft had landed from another world. Established by George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, the soaring biomorphic structure designed by Ma Yansong’s MAD firm houses Lucas’s vast, varied personal collection of figurative art. The museum, opening to the public on Tuesday, reportedly cost around $1 billion. Given its unconventional shape and scale (over 300,000 square feet) and the eclectic mix of art inside (a dizzying blend of ancient pieces and reproductions, a handful of Renaissance and Baroque works, plus enormous heaps of the finest junk), it’s easy to believe the price tag.