New York Times political correspondent and Illinois State University alum Carl Hulse says the Trump administration has put journalism and media in unfamiliar territory.
The rise of “fake news” claims has fueled a negative stigma towards reporters and news outlets, Hulse said Monday on GLT's Sound Ideas.
“There is a lack of respect for the media that we have never seen before,” Hulse said. “Some of it is truly unwarranted… they are just (calling a story 'fake news') trying to undermine the criticism.”
Hulse, a 1976 ISU alumnus, returned to campus Monday to speak at the university’s annual Constitution Day. The focus of this year’s event was the role of free press in democracy.
Trump has often publicly ridiculed Hulse’s employer, calling the organization “the failing New York Times.” The irony, Hulse says, is that the Times' readership has grown since Trump took office in January.
“We are not failing,” Hulse said. “The funnier thing is that we are actually succeeding. Digital subscriptions are way up, print is even up and we are reaching more people than ever before.”
Hulse, who has covered eight presidential cycles, says that tweets from Trump’s official Twitter account have made him more transparent to the public. He also said that Trump's tweets are regularly used as news items and are covered in stories.
“You have to consider tweets as a statement from the president,” Hulse said. “In fact, we know about this president’s thinking and what’s going on with him more than previous ones because they wouldn’t expose themselves like this.”
You can also listen to GLT's full interview with Hulse:
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