Journalism 101's mantra is "Who, what, why, where, when, and how," although "how" is often shunted aside like an exiled stepchild because it doesn't fit neatly in the five "W" meme. I'm gonna go with the full sextet because, of course, we all want to know how.
On Tuesday, in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Donald Trump took a good chunk of the morning's news cycle to lambaste the national media -- more specifically the national political media -- for being just too darned intrusive (and "sleazy," his words, not mine) by asking the six basic questions related to Trump's January ad-hoc rally to raise money for America's veterans. Let's look at one reasonable list of questions any reporter could, and should, ask:
- How much did you raise?
- Who were the donors?
- Where did the money go?
- What was the criteria for selecting recipients?
- When will they get the money?
- Why is it taking so long to let the public know?
There isn't anything sinister (origin from Latin root, sinistr,"from the left") about these questions, though the list is very liberal (origin from Latin, liberalis, "suited for a freeman, generous"). They simply reflect the public's right to know how their elected officials, or presumptive candidates for national office, respond to a call for action -- in this case, a publicly-stated call to action by Trump himself to raise funds for veterans.
Raising money for veterans is wonderful. We can all agree on that. That Mr. Trump used his name and a politically-repurposed opportunity in Iowa to hold a rally to encourage donations for veterans is perfectly legit. Where the wheels of a good intention began to fall off the Trump train can be traced to the moment when Mr. Trump and his staff tried to separate the once-private businessman from the now-public candidate. The national media's job during an election year is to make sure that political candidates' once-private habits do not become public practices.
The public's right to know, in this instance, is informed by the very nature of Mr. Trump's national-office candidacy. If he had not entered the political arena and had decided on his own as a private citizen to hold a fund-raising event for veterans, he'd be entitled to a measure of privacy not accorded public figures. But he gave up that entitlement when he announced his run for office. At that point, it was reasonable for, if not incumbent on, the news media, acting under the First Amendment, to act as a check on Mr. Trump's motives, methods, veracity, and accountability.
Ironically, Mr. Trump could have avoided the media-bashing kerfuffle altogether had he simply been polite and to the point. Maybe start with apologizing for taking four months to reveal the final tally; then move on to clear up the differences in the numbers cited by Trump and his staff; then wrap it up with a recitation of the fundraising's beneficiaries. The whole event could have taken place in 10 minutes, 15 tops. There's nothing shabby about raising $5.6 million for veterans' organizations, even if the final one million was written by Trump himself. It's the thought that counts, right? And he really could have helped himself by not insisting that he didn't want the credit, over, and over, and over. We get it; you don't want any credit. We'll give you credit for being so uncreditable. But no, that is not Mr. Trump's style; and to top if off, he felt compelled to lob several ad hominem grenades into the media pit for no reason whatsoever except that he hates the media. ABC News reporter, Tom Llamas, sitting in the front row, emerged with Trump's red badge of sleaze. A high honor, considering the circumstances. CNN's Jim Acosta was also accosted by Trump, who called the reporter, "a real beauty."
The public has a right to know how its leaders, or aspiring leaders, carry out their plans, policies, and promises. It is one thing to command a private-sector business; it is another thing entirely to oversee the totality of the federal government. A vibrant, active, investigative media is required to make certain that those who seek high office are held accountable for their actions. Mr. Trump clearly does not agree, and even more clearly, he finds it necessary to chastise, bully, and even attack with venom-laced, personally directed insults, members of the media who ask one or more of the six basic questions. And he's made it clear that the White House press corps will be given no quarter either, should Mr. Trump achieve the presidency.
It would seem, after watching Mr. Trump on Tuesday castigating and excoriating the political media as a group, and specific journalists by name and network, that his version of the six questions goes something like this:
- How dare you ask me those questions?
- Who the hell do you think you are?
- Where can I hit you the hardest?
- What rock did you crawl out from under?
- When will you get off my back?
- Why do I have to put up with such a bunch of sleazy losers and nobodies?