While in Ohio this weekend, former President Donald Trump said the following: “We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it.”

Across the U.S., the media reported, “Donald Trump says it will be bloodbath if he is not reelected.” This was reported by alleged mainstream media such as CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, NBC, and countless other less credible outlets such as Rolling Stone. Even the Biden/Harris campaign opted to comment about it, clearly informing the media as to how to report it. Joe Scarborough of MSNBC posted that Trump warned of a bloodbath, but eventually took it down hours later. Then on his show the following day, doubled down on it.

Trump’s comments were about the auto industry, but the “reporters” omitted that. Sadly, this isn’t the first time that they have deliberately misled the American people when it came to Donald Trump. Trump’s infamous interview with “60 Minutes” and Lesley Stahl, where she has been proven wrong on multiple accounts, has not garnered a single apology or correction on the part of CBS. From the Russian Collusion to the misrepresentation of what Trump said about Charlottesville, and the editing of what he said on January 6^th, all have been not only tolerated, but praised. Not a single member of media has lost his job for lying or misquoting the former President.

The same media do not apply the same standards to Joe Biden. When Donald Trump stumbled, there were cries for him to be tested for mental acuity by the media. When Joe Biden fumbles over words or falls, it is glossed over or simply not covered at all. 

So what has happened to American journalism? Several things have conspired to rot the very core of what was independent journalism in our country. The first domino to fall was Watergate. The Washington Post’s coverage of the Nixon presidency was instrumental in his resignation. Woodward and Bernstein morphed into media figures. Journalists began to believe that it was not just their job to report the facts, but taking down public officials, especially conservative ones, was seen as a mandate.

The rise of social media and the online news agencies was the next level of corruption in professional journalism. Reporters are often paid by their popularity, measured in clicks on their articles. The more sensational the headline, the more clicks, the more they were rewarded. It encouraged journalists to move away from facts and report more on things that got liked on the internet.

Next, journalists morphed into entertainers. We have people reporting the news who have never taken a journalism class. Online bloggers claiming to be journalists may not have even completed high school. Any background in journalism is no longer a requirement when hiring. What matters is having a diverse news team that looks good. 

Reporters used to shield their personal politics from the public, and many were good at it. Now, journalists write to their political slant. They are open about what they believe and it clearly clouds how they do their jobs. 

The training of journalists in college has clearly devolved. The corruption by the Left of colleges and universities all but ensures that each new breed of journalist has no standards to follow. 

Finally, there are no ramifications for being wrong. In the past, a journalist who made a mistake or deliberately reported something wrong was fired. It was publically done to help bolster the credibility of the reporting organization. It is rare that someone is fired or disciplined when they blatantly lie or politically mispresent facts.

It isn’t the job of journalists to take down political figures or to try to sway elections. Their role is to report the facts, on both sides. We have wandered far from that and our nation is paying the price for the arrogance of the Fourth Estate. With the election upon us, we will be facing more of this twisting of the facts to fit a narrative.

Blaine Pardoe is a New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author cancelled by one of his publishers in 2022. He is a regular contributor to a number of conservative sites. His conservative political thriller series, Blue Dawn, includes A Most Uncivil War, Confederacy of Fear, and No Greater Tyranny. This series tells the story of the violent overthrow of the government by radical progressives. He also authors the bestselling military science fiction series, Land&Sea.

Image: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress