Michael Barone: Does the Media Deserve to Be Respected and Believed?

Is it true that Donald Trump’s bad habits are contagious? Is it true that his Democratic opponents and, even more, his critics in the press are increasingly given to terminological inexactitudes, if not downright lies?

Sure looks like it. Last week, large parts of the press — we’re looking at you, CNN and MSNBC — were gleefully reporting and commenting on the BuzzFeed story about President Trump having allegedly ordered his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to members of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s staff.

There were lots of smiles and (if we can use the word to describe liberals) smirks on their faces as they contemplated the ramifications. Some did note perfunctorily that the story was only noteworthy “if true.” Others pointed out, accurately, that several conservative commentators opined that the charge would justify Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.

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