Whereas soon-to-be-inaugurated U.S. president Donald Trump has often been criticised for his constant use of Twitter to communicate his views, he defended the practice last night. During an interview with Fox News he accused the mainstream media of being “dishonest”.
“I don’t like tweeting, I have other things I could be doing,” Trump told Fox News last night. “But I get very dishonest media, very dishonest press. And it’s my only way that I can counteract. When people make misstatements about me, I’m able to say it and call it out.” He also said: “If the press were honest, which it’s not, I would absolutely not use Twitter.”
However, there are historical precedents for US presidents using less than orthodox means of communication with ordinary Americans. Franklik D. Roosevelt bypassed the press by having fireside chats where often revealed important information or communicated a specific message.
Likewise, Ronald Reagan regularly addressed the public via radio every Saturday, without any interference from journalists.
“Between Facebook and Twitter, I have I guess more than 40 million people and that’s a modern day form of communication,” Trump said during an interview with NBC on 7 December. “I get it out much faster than a press release. I get it out much more honestly than dealing with dishonest reporters.”
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