I recently came across an article regarding Trump’s reaction to Twitter fact-checking one of his tweets. This reminded me of the Room for Debate article “Media in the Age of Trump”, which focuses on the question of how the media should proceed in the future facing Trump’s antagonistic nature. Journalists had different perspectives on the situation, for example, Ann Cooper claimed journalists should unite and support each other. On the other hand, Bob Garfield suggested that it is a journalist’s duty to “document events, illuminate wrongdoing and, not least, warn our audiences of approaching peril”, and continue doing so regardless of Trump’s retaliation against the media. However, instead of having journalists change their methods in conveying media to the public, should Trump be the one to change?
This brings me back to the article I mentioned earlier, called “The President Versus the Mods”. This article is about Donald Trump issuing an executive order against Twitter after the media company hid and placed a warning label on a tweet posted by the president. The tweet was promoting violence against looters during the Minneapolis protest, which violated Twitter’s policies. Furthermore, Trump threatened to do the same against other social media such as You-tube and Facebook. Is Trump overstepping the boundaries as a political leader in regulating social media which HE claims is going against his campaign? Should his posts on social media be regulated when it is deemed offensive by social media companies? Is trying to assume control over social media platforms contradictory to the First Amendment(freedom of speech)?
First and foremost, let it be known that President Donald J. Trump has been the topic of heated debate for years. It has not been until recent months that President Trump has taken drastic actions that have led many Americans to question his competence as President of the United States. To answer your first question, Kimberly, Trump should change. No person—regardless of the office they hold—has the power to silence the truthful press. It is the right of the people to speak and express themselves freely, as long as they do not commit libel that infringes on the rights of another. President Trump has brought criticism from the media upon himself because of his actions and his words.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your second paragraph, President Trump holds no constitutional power to silence media organizations. Trump willingly violated Twitter's policy guidelines and provided misleading/incorrect information. Twitter had and still has every right to link reputable sources beneath Trump's post. Social media platforms should hold all users, especially politicians, accountable for the things that they share and say. President Trump's executive order against the media was both unconstitutional and immature. His actions do not demonstrate a proper American president.
I completely agree with you, Chiagozie. As president, it is Trump's responsibility to uphold all the rights of the people. His multiple attempts to control social media is just another example of how he has taken advantage of his position to abuse his power. Not to mention he was completely in the wrong in his accusation towards Twitter, as it clearly went against the guidelines. Trump misconstrued Twitter's intention and claimed the social media company was harming his campaign. Thanks for your input on this situation, it seems we share the same opinion.
DeleteTrying to take control of social media is something that Trump can not do. Each site has their own rules and regulations that you agree to follow when you sign up. These rules are also protected by the First Amendment. Trump should change his way of expressing himself as poorly worded statements such as the Minneapolis tweet. Throughout his presidency he always has tweeted something horrible and tried to say that's not what he meant. If he were to word things to convey his message maybe twitter wouldn't have to fact check it.
ReplyDeleteIf Donald Trump violated a guideline on twitter, then he should not feel as if he is exempted from the rules. All media platforms have their own guidelines which are accepted once signing up. If he agreed to them, which of course he did, then he should not take advantage of his power to do something against the platform once he has violated terms. In this case, Donald Trump should be the one to change. I also believe that his posts on media should be regulated when it is deemed offensive by the media companies. He, many times, like Michael mentioned has put out poorly worded statements. These statements can be taken in different ways, even if it is not what he intended. If this is regulated then a problem or anger from others can be avoided. He needs to know that some things he says are not acceptable and that there are consequences which he, because of his position, is not exempted from.
ReplyDeleteI believe, as well as all of you, that Trump is the one that needs to change. Yes, he is our president and he is inclined to say what he thinks, but Twitter is a social media platform used worldwide. Any one person, no matter their power in society, should follow the rules and guidelines that everyone has to agree to before using the platform. If Trump has to say these controversial things, then he can go use another platform to raise controversy. Twitter is not "against" Trump's campaign, but Trump is against Twitter's community guidelines.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question: ”Should Trump be the one to change,” I would say yes, he should be the one to change. Trump shouldn’t try to shut down the press whenever they speak the truth about his actions and he considers it false. It is his own fault that journalists write what they do. Now to answer the questions stated on your second paragraph, Trump is overstepping the boundaries as a political leader in regulating social media which he claims goes against his own campaign. His posts on social media should be regulated when deemed offensive by social media companies. Trump being president makes him no different than anyone else on social media. Every platform has their own guidelines and rules that everyone knows they must obey when they first sign up. Trump voluntarily went against one of Twitter’s rules, what did he expect when they hid his tweet that promoted violence? Trying to assume control over social media platforms is contradictory to the First Amendment because it is literally going against it.
ReplyDeleteThe current president has a serious issue when it comes to criticism. His "my-way or the highway" approach displays how unfit he is to be the President of The United States. Trump for the most part refuses to recognize his own faults or mistakes. Furthermore, whenever he gets fact-checked over a certain subject he either gets extremely offended or deems the correct information as "fake news". In response to the question, no, Trump is not justified in his accusations towards the media. The reason is because he seems to believe that he is above the law. Which he is not.
ReplyDeleteHim trying to hush the truth (in the form of the executive order against twitter) is a perfect example of violating the first amendment of the Constitution. Everyone who uses social media including the president agrees to the terms of service when they sign-up. Social media companies have the right and responsibility to protect users from hateful comments or content that causes violence.