Peter GleickSep 24, 2025
Hello? Media?
The news story isn't that an escalator stopped working at the UN.
The news is Trump gave a batshit insane, lie-filled, egocentric, incoherent speech there in front of the world's leaders.
Show threadMarkus
@petergleick No. Had Trump given a coherent, fact-based, common-sense speech, THAT would have been news!
Sep 24, 2025 at 5:29amWeb
Show threadMarkusSep 24, 2025
@petergleick ...but leaving everyone's established familiarity with Trump's insanity aside, I agree with your view on what media should be reporting.
Show threadWesDymSep 24, 2025

@markus_quandt Media's job is to report facts, as best they can, and that includes the facts that deranged people in prominent positions might say deranged things. If a PM said the Moon is made of cheese, that's newsworthy, even though it's not true. News ANALYSIS -- a different media role from REPORTING -- evaluates statements and claims, but that role is necessarily separate.

There should indeed be much more sober analysis, I agree.

Show threadWesDymSep 24, 2025
@markus_quandt It also would not be believable. It would be like my cat solving sudokus. I'd know instantly that something was up.