(Fred Weinberg) – You would think that journalists have learned since Donald Trump announced for President not to be stupid in public.
You would think that the very same people who started last summer saying that Donald Trump would soon implode almost all the way until he was the last man standing in the GOP nominee battle would get the message. Most of them are not nearly as smart as they think they are nor as prescient.
You would think that despite the fact that many if not most of them do not like Trump and are outspoken advocates of Hillary Clinton they would nonetheless want to avoid looking as stupid now as they looked then.
You would be wrong.
Now, they report breathlessly on Trump’s lack of an endorsement by Paul Ryan as if he must have Ryan’s endorsement to win.
And even right-leaning Fox isn’t immune.
You know what was important to, of all people, Chris Wallace, on Fox News Sunday?
A Washington Post piece detailing a phone conversation 25 years ago where Trump supposedly acted as his own publicist under an assumed name. And a New York Times piece detailing Trump’s relationships with women 30 years ago.
THAT’S THE BEST THEY GOT?
Then they have NOTHING!
And if Mr. Wallace insists on 30-year-old stories, let’s tell one about him which is more reliably reported than the NYT or Wapo reported the stories he quoted.
Back when Wallace was at ABC News, the scion of the late and legendary Mike Wallace at CBS, he was (this is ABC News and NABET union lore) alleged to have come into an edit bay in New York whereupon a grizzled old union editor told him, “Chris what we need on this piece…” Whereupon Wallace is alleged to have stopped the editor and said, “You don’t understand. That’s Mr. Wallace.” Whereupon the editor replied, “no, YOU don’t understand. Mr. Wallace works at CBS.”
Despite having done some work at ABC, I wasn’t there and I didn’t see it happen.
But it was reported by a number of sources to me who are no longer with us but were very reliable reporters when they were alive and working with me at ABC.
And, based on Wallace’s aggressive demeanor concerning the NYT and Wapo pieces with RNC chair Reince Priebus last Sunday, I can believe it.
Is that a fair and relevant story to tell, based on the recollections of a few late ABC News employees passed on to me about things which happened in the 25 to 30 years ago range?
Ask Mr. Wallace. The one who works now at Fox.
Or, as he would say, forgive me, but……
Mr. Weinberg is publisher of the Penny Press. Get to know more about him by visiting www.PennyPressNV.com.
