Trump’s White House and the Mass Media

h Update: Donald Trump has chosen Sean Spicer, director of communications for the RNC, as White House press secretary. A recent article by Sundance on The Conservative Treehouse focuses on suggestions for the incoming White House communications staff. Among the most interesting ones:

♦ Keep using twitter daily, or as determined. Keep using social media, and/or any alternate communications platforms to communicate with the American People. ♦ Establish dress code for credentialed media. No casual days, ever. 100% business professional, 100% of the time. ♦ Have a quarterly lottery for press briefing media attendees. Equal opportunity participation. Seating = first come first seated, general seating, every day. ♦ Drop the traveling Presidential press pool completely. Give the press a daily schedule, and then make media use their own resources to cover the events therein as they deem needed. Equal access without preferential treatment. This also includes foreign travel. ♦ When POTUS, V-POTUS, or cabinet officials travel give first preference to local media, not national. Allow local reporters to ask questions pertaining to their community perspective on the event or engagement. ♦ Drop the insufferable White House Correspondent’s dinner fiasco. It’s a ridiculous bubble event with no inherent value for the country. It’s a grotesque exhibition of disconnected indulgence. There’s too much work to be done, just go about doing it. ♦ Re-establish a media work ethic by setting high standards, high expectations and a zero tolerance for laziness.

The modern mass media is inherently hostile to the values represented by Donald Trump and the Middle American Revolution that his candidacy has started. The main suggestion I would add to the list above is the critical decision of who will be the next press secretary. I have heard that talk show host Laura Ingraham is a candidate. I think she would be a strong choice, as she has years of experience as a conservative in what is a leftist media environment. The guiding principle of Trump’s presidency regarding the mass media should be to expect ceaseless attacks. The media sycophancy towards President Obama has been unprecedented, with the possible exception of FDR in the 30s and 40s. Both far-left progressives. Trump should be under no illusion that he can win the media over beyond superficial pleasantries. Trump declared war on the “lying media” throughout his campaign. As he prepares to mount the bully pulpit of the presidency, though perhaps more measured in his rehetoric, he should give no quarter to media assassins with press passes.