Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 5 July 2017
Trump’s Twitter battle with press may come with a price

By JILL COLVIN and CATH- a media stand-in. Media
ERINE LUCEY watchdogs quickly called
Associated Press him out.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unrepentant, Trump ar-
Whether by whim or de- gued over the weekend
sign, President Donald that his outsized Twitter
Trump keeps adding fuel to presence was part of a cal-
his incendiary Twitter bat- culated redefinition of the
tle against the media. The presidency.
press is an easy target for “My use of social media is
the Republican president, not Presidential - it’s MOD-
and one his supporters love ERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL,” he
to hate. tweeted.
But the escalating conflict Trump spent the weekend
has diverted attention not at his private golf club in
just from Trump’s failures New Jersey. None of his
but his claimed successes top advisers traveled with
as well. him and his activities were
Trump tweeted Monday closely held. There was
that “at some point the no telling how much of his
Fake News will be forced to anti-press drumbeat was
discuss our great jobs num- a calculated strategy to
bers, strong economy, suc- divert attention from his
cess with ISIS, the border & policy struggles vs. a capri- In this June 30, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House
so much else!” cious reaction to criticism. in Washington.
It’s his own campaign But Trump was clearly be- Associated Press
against the press, though, ing egged on by his sup- When a CNN reporter president who seems to- Likewise, Kathleen Hall
that keeps changing the porters, including his eldest tweeted, “Isn’t pro wres- tally consumed, which he’s Jamieson, director of the
subject from that more son, Donald Trump Jr., a tling fake?” Trump Jr. re- been since the election, Annenberg Public Policy
substantive policy debate frequent attack dog for his sponded: “Yes, just like your with the press as his adver- Center at the University of
Trump claims to crave. And father. coverage.” sary,” Zelizer said, describ- Pennsylvania, said that by
it has hindered Trump’s The younger Trump on Senior White House coun- ing the wrestling tweet as provoking a running battle
ability to push his agenda Monday contrasted the selor Kellyanne Conway unprecedented. with the press, Trump has
through Congress, where more accepting way the also piled on, tweeting While Trump’s electoral “minimized accountabil-
Republicans complain media have treated a New that lately the “role of the base may be urging him ity for his failures but he’s
about the president’s lack York production of “Julius media has been to retract on, Zelizer said, the presi- also not getting credit for
of focus as his health-care Caesar,” in which a Trumpi- false stories & fire liars” and dent risks alienating many his successes when he dis-
plan is struggling, work on an Caesar dies in a bloody that “patriotic vets died” Americans who have real tracts us.”
next year’s budget is stuck group stabbing, with the so the press can “talk non- problems. Jamieson blamed Trump
and talk of a big infrastruc- outcry over the wrestling sense.” They may get a rise out of for stoking the battle, but
ture deal is fading. clip. Princeton University histo- Trump knocking the un- also chided the press for
Trump’s latest bash was a “CNN & dems calling Trump rian Julian Zelizer said that popular press every once in giving it undue attention.
repurposed old video he assassination play ‘artistic while presidents from Frank- a while, he said, but “when People care about jobs,
tweeted on the weekend expression’ but WWF joke lin D. Roosevelt to Richard you’re focusing on ‘Morn- defeating terrorism, pre-
of him fake-pummeling a meme is ‘a call for vio- Nixon and George W. Bush ing Joe’ instead of health venting election hacks and
wrestling promoter whose lence’? Hilarious reinforce- have long distrusted and care, it could alienate vot- the like, she said.
face had been replaced ment of FNN,” the younger made derogatory state- ers” and make them think “Trump’s shenanigans in
by the CNN logo. Trump tweeted Monday, ments about the press, the president is not en- his relations with the press”
It was unprecedented, using an acronym for what Trump’s sustained and per- gaged in issues that affect would be very low on the
even for Trump: a sitting the president has begun to sonal attacks are some- them. list if the public were given
president, in effect pro- refer to as the “Fake News thing entirely new. “This does have conse- a checklist of priorities to
moting physical assault of Network.” “We haven’t really seen a quences,” he said. choose from, she said. q

TV executive Jamie Horowitz abruptly fired from Fox Sports

By LYNN ELBER ics. al conduct at all times,” or an inability to adhere to ing Skip Bayless, and away
AP Television Writer Fox Sports President Eric Shanks’ email said. professional conduct.” from newsgathering.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ja- Shanks, in an email to An attorney for Horowitz, Glaser said that Horowitz Before moving to Fox,
mie Horowitz, who oversaw employees announcing who joined Fox Sports Na- “performed in an exem- Horowitz had a brief ten-
programming and digital Horowitz’s exit, alluded tional Networks in May 2015 plary fashion. Any slan- ure with NBC’s “Today.” He
news operations for Fox to a question of conduct. and served as president, derous accusations to the was with ESPN from 2006 to
Sports, was abruptly fired Fox Sports is an arm of me- immediately fired back. contrary will be vigorously 2014 and with NBC Sports
Monday after two years on dia magnate Rupert Mur- “The way Jamie has been defended.” from 2000 to 2006.
the job. doch’s 21st Century Fox. treated by Fox is appall- In his statement, Petrocelli In his email, Shanks said
The move was “fully war- “Everyone at Fox Sports, no ing,” attorney Patricia L. called her remarks “ill-in- he will take on Horowitz’s
ranted,” Daniel Petrocelli, matter what role we play, Glaser said in a statement. formed and misguided.” responsibilities, including
a lawyer for Fox Sports, said or what business, function “At no point in his tenure During his Fox Sports ten- programming, marketing
in a statement released or show we contribute to, was there any mention by ure, Horowitz reoriented and scheduling for chan-
Monday by the company. should act with respect his superiors or human re- much of the programming nels FS1 and FS2, until a re-
He didn’t offer any specif- and adhere to profession- sources of any misconduct to talk personalities, includ- placement is hired.q