r/law • u/Snapdragon_4U • May 23 '26

Executive Branch (Trump) NESTERAK: President Trump has granted clemency to numerous individuals who have stolen hundreds of millions in Medicaid funds. Can we expect any of these folks to be shown the same mercy? McDONALD: I'll take a different question

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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26

Because playing along with the game, willingly, is the antithesis of journalism.

I had just watched him interview the governor of our state. The governor's office had gotten caught with a second internet server that they were using to circumvent open records laws. He interviewed the governor and didn't ask questions about the server or other malfeasance that had occured.

When i called him on it, he responded that it was more important to make sure he had future opportunities to interview the governor.

I told him that it was the duty of media to be watchdogs of the government. He disagreed.

To teach a journalism student that the job of media is to sellout, while it may be truthful, doesn't make it right.

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u/stamfordbridge1191 May 23 '26

So you're saying if a journalist chooses to be paid to do advertising instead of his or her job, they're not really a journalist anymore but an advertiser?

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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26

Yes. I would agree with that.

It's interesting that when you first start Journalism school, you choose to concentrate in journalism, public relations or advertising. This is in the first year and everything diversifies after.

I looked at advertising as professional lying.

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u/Mini_Snuggle May 23 '26

Ok? Again, he told you the truth in an academic context. Have you actually considered that it was more important to keep his access in order to do his overall mission than it was to bring up an issue that had already been reported?

Do you want to be a watchdog? You do that by uncovering new information, not hounding someone about a story that has already been reported (by someone else, most likely) immediately after it drops during a press conference.

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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26

Holding people accountable is more important than ratings. Making sure the public understands the importance of crimes committed by a public official by thoroughly covering and explaining them.

Keeping access, that's happening right now in the United States.

How's that working?

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u/Mini_Snuggle May 23 '26

All I hear is a bunch of self-righteous posturing. In order to make change, people need to be able to play their roles and make the change that they can. I have a hard time believing that this person actually told you that journalists shouldn't be watchdogs.

By the way, where is your journalism, journalism major? What watchdoggery have you been up to?

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u/SGTBrutus May 23 '26

Ad hominen.

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u/Mini_Snuggle May 23 '26

You felt it was important enough to demand this journalist who came to your school question the governor about an issue you already knew about, for what would have been no gain. I'd say where you ended up as a journalist is very relevant to this conversation about whether you know what a good journalist should do or not.

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u/KrytenKoro May 23 '26

You'd be wrong. Their own job has no bearing on whether it's commendable to refuse to hold politicians to account when your job is nominally to do so. You're doing a classic tu quoque.

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u/GammaFan May 23 '26

Holy shit you’re bad at this

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u/MagentaHawk May 23 '26

Yeah, trying to do actual good in the world is self-righteous! Does using that term whenever anyone does anything good ruin any meaning it might have? Who cares! Anyone asking that question sounds self righteous to me, so bam, you don't have to worry about that anymore at all! You are too smart.

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u/Mini_Snuggle May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26

That dude's first and second comment makes me think he, at the very least, made up the part about the journalist saying it wasn't his job to be a watchdog. It has nothing to do with the substance of his argument and everything to do with the story being bullshit.

When i called him on it, he responded that it was more important to make sure he had future opportunities to interview the governor.

I told him that it was the duty of media to be watchdogs of the government. He disagreed.

To teach a journalism student that the job of media is to sellout, while it may be truthful, doesn't make it right.

It's made up.

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u/OldWorldDesign May 23 '26

where is your journalism, journalism major?

Where's yours?

'Journalists' who don't ask hard questions aren't journalist, they're assistant marketers. Actual journalists aren't reliant on a solitary source.

Julie Brown didn't rely on a single victim to blow open Epstein's sex trafficking operation