OH PLEASE – AT 7:31 A.M. ET:   Nothing impresses me less than a journalist in love with himself.  Jeff Zucker runs CNN, and is running it into the ground.  But he feels uplifted whenever he sees the fruits of his labor.  From Deadline Hollywood: 

This is an extraordinary time in journalism,” said CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker this morning referencing the Donald Trump era. “Many organizations in the United States have never done better work. This is really the renaissance of journalism in America because of the nature of what’s going on,” he told a packed audience at Keshet Media Group’s INTV conference in Jerusalem.

Maybe he thinks so.  The best work?  Or the worst and most corrupting?

Zucker also allowed that the Trump era has been financially prosperous. But he wouldn’t necessarily “send a thank you note” to POTUS. Still, “the reality is doing good journalism is also good for the bottom line.”

I wish he'd learn that lesson.

With regard to Trump having called the media the enemy of the people, Zucker said it was “an incredibly dangerous statement.” The key, however, “is to not be intimidated by it and not back off in any way.” Still, Zucker said he has been shocked “to watch many members of the political set in Washington not stand up to that statement. Many are just afraid in general and afraid of him. Many have abdicated their responsibilities in not standing up for the free media.” Zucker cited two exceptions, Lindsey Graham and John McCain, but still called it “a stunning and complete abdication of responsibility.”

COMMENT:  So it's our job now to defend the press, which apparently is incapable of defending itself.  What a compliment to the press.

Zucker is a perfect example of the D.C. echo chamber.  I'm sure he'd be happy to say that he "speaks truth to power," but I wouldn't trust most modern journalists to find the truth, or care much about it.

May 14, 2017