Are Trump and his press secretary Sean Spicer tearing up the First Amendment? They are certainly playing favorites regarding media outlets, but is this truly abridging the freedom of speech or the press?
“Fake news” is the term people are throwing around to disparage the major media. Is it fair? And are there any examples of it? Well, yes, there are examples, but the term “fake” is up to you.
These questions and listener feedback on this episode.
Mentioned links:
White House blocks news organizations from press briefing
16 Fake News Stories Reporters Have Run Since Trump Won

Show transcript
Listener DocH wrote in the comment section of the last episode regarding the leaks from the intelligence community that were designed to harm the Trump administration. Here’s what he said. [My comments are in square brackets.]
You said,
“… but that doesn’t excuse these BANANA-REPUBLIC-TYPE ACTIONS.”
by the now dead and/or dying Democratic Party Liberal-atti.
Yes! That is exactly (EXACTLY) what it is. (surfer dude voice) – I love you man.
These demonstrative liberal inculcations are classic guerrilla / gorilla [as in the tactic and the animal] warfare tactics right out of the (Chinese, Vietnamese, Cuban, North Korean, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, etc…) playbook, and are not only wrong for this ‘representative republic’, but are seditious, slanderous, libelous and treasonous to boot. What needs to happen are punitive arrests followed by extreme rendition to GITMO/Guantanamo Bay to fill the kennel stalls that President Obama Sin Baldwin recently vacated. (Who let the dogs/thugs out?)
But I am only a cross-party moderate by nature, not a henchman. A few hundred deposits in the abysmal Pelican Bay State Prison in California may be motive enough to stop the anarchy being inflicted on the wholesome 90% ‘heart of this great country’.
Oh, don’t mince words, Doc. Tell us what you really think.
Indeed, this is not a good precedent to be setting so early in a new administration. Thanks, Doc, for writing in.

Wow. When an untelevised press briefing was held, and some media outlets weren’t invited, you’d think we were having a Constitutional crisis.
Let me explain. Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretary, held an off-camera press briefing in his office on Friday, February 24th. In press parlance, this is known as a “gaggle”. You know, like a gaggle of geese. (Their word, not mine.) However, when reporters from the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BuzzFeed, the BBC and the Guardian  tried to enter Spicer’s office for the gaggle, they were told they could not attend because they were not on the list of attendees. Conservative news organizations, like Breitbart, the Washington Times and One America News Network, were let in. This, of course, sent the anti-Trumpers into full outrage mode (which they seem to be in 24/7, so it was hard to tell).
So consider this: I agree that this was probably not a good idea. The press has been very consistent in staying unified when one organization is being treated unfairly. When Obama froze out Fox News and wouldn’t give it interviews, the press corps would not stand for it and complained loudly. Yes, even for Fox News. In this case, reporters from The Associated Press, Time magazine and USA Today walked out of the meeting in protest, and the Wall Street Journal – generally a right-leaning paper – complained loudly. This is as it should be. Yes, all the news organizations would still get the same information ultimately, but boldly playing favorites is not presidential. Yes, Presidents of the past from both parties have played favorites and manipulated the press,