New York Times columnist talks Trump, news and how we protect our biases
On Nov. 22, 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump visited the New York Times. But not before a whirlwind of confusion.
Fewer than 24 hours before it was scheduled, Trump announced on Twitter he would not be attending, claiming the Times had made changes to the terms of the arranged meeting.
"Also as it happens, not true," said Frank Bruni, a longtime New York Times columnist during a recent speech at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis.
But this seemingly random claim is part of a bigger strategy implemented by Trump.
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"We at the Times, for all of our many imperfections, really do care about accountability, facts and truth," Bruni said. "And our president, I'm sorry to say, cares about marketing, myth and ratings."
By denying the Times' and similar news sources' accuracy Trump is attempting to delegitimize all media. He does so in the hopes it will allow him to create whatever narrative he likes around a situation, regardless of if it's based in fact, said Bruni.
Trump and his campaign do this in a few ways but the most shocking is the use of phrases like "fake news" and "alternative facts."
The only reasons these phrases can flourish as legitimate viewpoints in the minds of Americans is because modern technology has allowed us to edit down every one of our experiences to just the parts we want to see and hear, Bruni said.
There have been amazing breakthroughs in communication and information gathering but instead of taking advantage of the variety we use them to collapse our worlds into a single method of thinking, Bruni said. This also applies to how people consume the news — biases go unchallenged because we don't even try to see other viewpoints.
Bruni is the author of "Ambling Into History," "Born Round," and "Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be."
Use the audio player above to hear his talk.
Further reading
• Social media: Amid allegations of bias, Facebook explains how 'Trending Topics' works
• Megyn Kelly on Trump and the media: 'We're in a dangerous phase right now'
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