The Perennial Playbook: Manufacturing Media Outrage
The article suggests Trump's 'attacks on the media' aim to 'hide the truth.' This interpretation, while accurate at a surface level, misses the deeper, historical current. The deliberate erosion of public trust in established media serves multiple purposes beyond simple concealment. It creates an alternative 'truth,' legitimizes partisan narratives, and delegitimizes dissenting voices—all while
mainstream outlets often play directly into the dynamic. FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Enemies of the People' Precedent (1798) John Adams, in his Alien and Sedition Acts (1798), criminalized 'false, scandalous and malicious writing' against the government. While not a direct 'attack on the media' as we understand it today, it established the framework: redefine critical reporting as seditious, thereby
delegitimizing it and those who produce it. The outcome was suppression of political opposition and a clear message that government narrative was paramount. Critics noted the acts were primarily used against Democratic-Republican leaning presses (Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty , 2009). REPETITIONS: Nixon's 'Hysteria' (1969-1974) and the 'Liberal Media' (1980s onwards) Richard Nixon frequently
conflated media scrutiny with political opposition, famously deploying Vice President Spiro Agnew to denounce 'nattering nabobs of negativism' in the press (1970). This rhetoric aimed to rally his base against perceived hostile journalists and discredit unfavorable reporting, particularly during Watergate. Simultaneously, the rise of conservative media in the 1980s—amplified by figures like Rush