Cable news networks air Trump’s comments in real-time. But should they?

Should cable news networks air President Donald Trump’s words in real time?

Since the 2016 campaign, news organizations have evolved in terms of how they have covered Trump. Cable news networks, for instance, no longer air every Trump rally live, instead choosing to monitor the events and bring viewers information from them which is deemed newsworthy.
But while the cable news networks have taken a stringent approach on the President’s rallies, the same networks have continued airing the President’s remarks during lengthy pool sprays and briefings live or as soon as footage becomes available.

On Wednesday, for instance, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News all aired more than thirty minutes of Trump rambling during a pool spray during a cabinet meeting.

In the pool spray, Trump made a number of false claims, including comments on Afghanistan so historically inaccurate that it prompted the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board to say it could not “recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American President.”

In effect, the practice of airing Trump’s remarks in real-time, as networks did this week, gives the President a platform to reach millions of people at once and dominate the conversation — and Trump often uses the opportunity to deceive viewers by peddling misinformation and falsehoods.
Trump’s comments are almost always followed by informed analysis and fact-checking, but some media critics say cable news networks should still rethink carrying Trump on-air as he delivers remarks. The issue has even united some individuals on differing ends of the political spectrum.

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