‘Trump pain’ – an avoidable term by US media

Even before US President Donald Trump was sworn in as President, it appears that major segments of the US media already took a stand and made up their mind to become pledged critics of Trump.

Of course, journalists can write whatever they want, but should they not also care about the need for ethical, honest and fair journalistic practices? A journalist should remain neutral and not have pre-conceived views. A major section of the US media carried out a vigorous campaign during the presidential election to ensure that Trump would be defeated. They also released several pre-poll opinion surveys prominently indicating that Trump would be decisively defeated. Abusive slogans were coined against Trump to create a sense of hatred amongst the people. All this did not work.

What is particularly shocking is that a section of US media refuses to recognise that Trump has won an election conducted democratically as per the established practices and Americans voted for him. This is an unacceptable stance of the US media.

It is a generally accepted principle and tradition that in all democratic countries when a new party comes to power and a new president takes over, the new team would be allowed 100 to find their feet and work out their plans. During these 100 days, even the worst critics would not be critical and would exercise caution in making adverse observations. Why has the US media not followed this healthy practice in the case of Trump?

It is unfortunate that Donald Trump is being subjected to such a level of scathing criticism even before he would assume office and start functioning. In the process, the media loses more than Donald Trump because they are losing their credibility as an unbiased establishment.

- The reader is a founder trustee of an NGO based in Chennai, India.