Journalist Matt Taibbi said Tuesday that the press is destroying itself because people who work in the media “are afraid to report certain things” due to potential backlash from their colleagues.
Taibbi explained on Hill.TV his June 12 piece entitled “The American Press Is Destroying Itself,” saying that there has been a “dramatic escalation” of incidents, where reporters face public criticism and sometimes consequences for their work.
“Essentially the problem is if you say a certain thing, and an employee accuses you of racism, either your career is over, or your reputation is ruined,” he said.
“And what ends up happening is people just sort of shrink back from wherever they perceive the boundaries are and don’t say anything,” he said. “And that’s not a healthy climate for journalism.”
Taibbi said the situation is “long-developing” and arose in 2016 when reporters were hesitant to cover negative aspects of Hillary Clinton’s campaign “because they were afraid of being perceived as … pro-Trump or as helping Trump.”
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