“Let’s Think About the Words We Use,” by Henry Frank

…. I want to say something non-political about the “slanted” press. Of course, it’s slanted! All media are slanted. They exist to slant. They all pander to their publics. They are each like an army unit: Their mission is to close with and destroy the enemy. Every president has been on the receiving end of press attacks. It started with George Washington. They attacked his integrity, republican principles, and even military reputation (according to Wikipedia). Abraham Lincoln was called “that baboon in the White House.” (And that was by the Northern press. He vexed abolitionists by waiting two years after his election before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, per Carl Sandberg.) In our own time, well, at least in my time, among certain people, Franklin Roosevelt was called “that man,” never by name. So, when the incumbent complains of the press, he is correct. But, it’s always been that way.

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