Retiring Washington Post Executive Editor Regrets the Washington Post's Reluctance to Call Out Trump

[DonViejo]

Marty Baron Regrets the Washington Post’s Reluctance to Call Out Trump’s ‘Lies’ From ‘Very Beginning’

By Reed RichardsonFeb 10th, 2021, 5:06 pm

In a wide ranging interview, retiring Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron discussed the world-wide embrace of conspiracy theories over facts, the resulting threat to media and democracy, and the mistakes his newspaper made in its coverage of former President Donald Trump.

In a conversation with German newspaper Der Spiegel, Baron offered some frank responses to blunt questions from Marc Pitzke and Roland Nelles, but he ducked when his interlocutor singled out one cable TV network after his answer about the modern news diet is polluted by outlets that peddle self-fulfilling prophecies and deranged conspiracies.

“That’s the business model of some media outlets: to provide so-called ‘news, so-called ‘information’ that tells them that their feelings are right, that their instincts are right, that there are people just like them who think exactly like them,” Baron said. “If people have suspicions, those media outlets try to reinforce those suspicions. They have no fidelity to the facts or to truth.”

“We assume you’re talking about Fox News, among others,” the pair replied.

“I’m not going to get into names,” Baron said, demurring.

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[SkeezerRedux]

1. Another enabler arriving late to the party with hat in hand.

[Delmette2.0]

2. To little to late.

Fuck off, Marty Baron.

[agingdem]

3. It's the "woulda coulda shoulda" defense...

Trump sold papers...that's the bottom line

[jrthin]

4. I loathe people like this. When they had the

opportunity to do the right thing, they lacked the courage and decency to do it. Now that he has nothing to lose, he pulls another gutless and cowardly move by saying I should have done something.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Marty Baron is a great editor.

And his work for the Post and the Globe before speaks for itself.
I believe this interview shows honesty and thoughtfulness.
It's a shame he's retiring.

[harumph]

6. Would not have made any difference. Print media speaks to the choir.

[gratuitous]

7. "I'm not going to get into names"

That's a part of the problem, right there. The Post was one of the first media outlets to (at long last) call a lie a lie, and that's to Baron's credit. But other media outlets continue to feed into the misinformation and disinformation. When Baron declines to call them out, it means the problem persists. Steve Prefontaine said that not giving your best is to give away the gift. He was talking about physical prowess in sports, but it can also be imputed to Marty Baron, who has been gifted with an elevated status in the news industry but gives less than his best.

[Polly Hennessey]

8. How many times have we heard this song.

The print, cable news, and pundits all knew who tRump was before he became the Republican nominee. They let him slide because they also knew that a carnival barker would bring in the many Americans who will believe whatever a smarmy creep tells them. Rush Limbaugh showed them the way. I remember when Rush first started and how the media fell over each other promoting him. Surprise, surprise, enter The Orange Moron and his hideous family.