Huffington Post, we have a problem. An editorial problem. And it's an editorial problem of your own doing.
Earlier today, the liberal-leaning information site announced it would move Republican Party presidential candidate (and current GOP front-runner) Donald Trump's campaign to the "entertainment" section, rather than treat it as "real" political news.
"If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette," the Huffington Post stated.
Really?
That Trump is making some horrible and divisive statements is bad, but the fact the other declared GOP candidates are by and large refusing to take a serious stand to refute him is very serious and relevant news. It says a lot about the people supporting Trump, as well as those who refuse to shout him down. And while it may be "entertaining" to some, it does not deserve to be shoved to the entertainment section.
If you don't want to report every Trump tweet, fine. No problem with that. (Trust me, there are plenty of other sites that will do the honors.) But if he says something that could be future GOP policy ... and if Republican voters agree with that position ... then it is the responsibility of an alleged "journalistic" site to present that information as it would for any other candidate.
Trump responded on his Facebook page (of course), and laid out some interesting arguments along the way:
If you don't want to report every Trump tweet, fine. No problem with that. (Trust me, there are plenty of other sites that will do the honors.) But if he says something that could be future GOP policy ... and if Republican voters agree with that position ... then it is the responsibility of an alleged "journalistic" site to present that information as it would for any other candidate.
Trump responded on his Facebook page (of course), and laid out some interesting arguments along the way:
Mr. Trump is number one in the unimportant Huffington Post poll, along with all other recently released polls including Reuters, FOX, USA Today/Suffolk University and The Economist.
Mr. Trump is in first place in Nevada, where he is also number one, by a wide margin, with Hispanics. He is number one in North Carolina and expects to win Iowa and New Hampshire.
Mr. Trump singlehandedly raised the issue of illegal immigration and started a national conversation about what has turned out to be one of the most important topics of this election cycle.
Likewise, Mr. Trump is the leader on issues such as the terrible United States trade deals, strengthening our military, taking care of our great Vets and the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
If you read previously written Tweets, Mr. Trump has never been a fan of Arianna Huffington or the money-losing Huffington Post.
The only clown show in this scenario is the Huffington Post pretending to be a legitimate news source. Mr. Trump is not focused on being covered by a glorified blog. He is focused on Making America Great Again.
HuffPo, if you're going to be considered a "serious" news entity, you need to reverse this decision and keep Trump's campaign in the news section. And at this point, even a 180-degree reversal might not achieve that. It isn't the job of a news service to decide who is, and who is not, a candidate. Whether you like it or not, Trump is officially a candidate (and is the front-runner, at that). He's got backing from many Republicans, including friends of mine who I consider to be rational, intelligent members of the human population. I'm no fan of Trump, but believe he should get the same kind of coverage any of the other candidates receives.
Like with any other news outlet, it should be the public's right to choose what to follow and what to ignore. The Huffington Post has just made a very ugly editorial decision - uglier than Trump's wild hairpiece.
THE FINE FIVE:
(1) Caitlyn Jenner spoke publicly about her gender transformation during Wednesday night's ESPYs awards ceremony, where she was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Many people endorsed this decision; many others said there were better options to represent "courage in athletics," such as Noah Galloway (an athlete who lost an arm and leg in war) or Lauren Hill (who achieved her dream of playing college basketball before she died of brain cancer). Others suggested that Lauren Still, the five-year-old daughter of professional football player Devon Still, was more deserving, given her battle with cancer.
The problem here is that we are trying to determine who is the "most courageous" or "most deserving" when each are courageous or deserving in their own way. All of us are courageous in our own way, whether it be going into a war zone, speaking in front of a crowd, asking a crush out for a first date, or dealing with paranoid hatred by segments of society for being black, or gay, or transgendered, or whatever might be the irrational and misguided flavor of the day. Jenner, despite the accolades, dealt with a personal self-doubt, self-esteem issue that the vast majority could never understand; to do so in such a public manner, with all the vile comments (oral and written) raining down relentlessly, is a model of courage under fire.
“I think Caitlyn’s decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance,” said ESPY co-producer Maura Mandt. “[This] is what the Arthur Ashe courage award is about: somebody from the athletic community who has done something that transcends sport.”
The Arthur Ashe award is named after the tennis star turned AIDS activist, and acknowledges bravery in the field of athletics. Oftentimes, that means breaking down barriers. Jackie Robinson. Michael Sam. Jason Collins. Renee Richards. Jim Abbott. Hank Greenberg. Billie Jean King. Jesse Owens. All had to deal with adversity based on the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs.
“For people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, well, I’ll tell you what it’s about: It’s about what happens from here,” Jenner said. “It’s not just about one person. It’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us accepting one another.”
Inclusion. It's coming for you, America. Hope you can deal with it.
“I think Caitlyn’s decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance,” said ESPY co-producer Maura Mandt. “[This] is what the Arthur Ashe courage award is about: somebody from the athletic community who has done something that transcends sport.”
The Arthur Ashe award is named after the tennis star turned AIDS activist, and acknowledges bravery in the field of athletics. Oftentimes, that means breaking down barriers. Jackie Robinson. Michael Sam. Jason Collins. Renee Richards. Jim Abbott. Hank Greenberg. Billie Jean King. Jesse Owens. All had to deal with adversity based on the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs.
“For people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, well, I’ll tell you what it’s about: It’s about what happens from here,” Jenner said. “It’s not just about one person. It’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us accepting one another.”
Inclusion. It's coming for you, America. Hope you can deal with it.
(2) Tomorrow, Stanley Steemer is coming to my condo to do a thorough carpet cleaning. It's been real fun cleaning my condo, putting stuff away (temporarily, at least) to allow me to get my money's worth. Should be interesting to see how much better life (sinuses? allergies?) becomes after seven years of living there.
(3) Also hoping to return to the gym (or the mall) for a good cardio session tomorrow. Last Saturday, I overdid it - more than 17,000 step, mostly in a three-hour period, led to blisters on the bottom of my right foot and pain in my lower right leg. I get that it was probably due to actually working out, but I had trouble placing weight for several days. Now the issues appear to be gone, so tomorrow, it's time to get back on track.
(4) The Wellington Debate Team's Facebook page post of my "NSDA Distinguished Service Plaque - Second Honors " recognition received more than 2,000 views in the first 24 hours of its being posted. Wow ... I mean, really. I am totally blown away. I never saw that coming.
(5) On the whole, I'd rather be in Colombia, South Carolina tomorrow, protesting the planned KKK rally on the state grounds. You know, to channel my inner rambunctious youthful political nature. But South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has asked I not attend (well, not me specifically). I'll respect her wishes. (BTW, if I did attend, I'd probably need someone to bail me out of jail afterward.)
CAMPAIGN 2016 NEWS OF THE DAY:
From ABC News: "AP-GfK Poll: Minorities, Young Americans Still Backing Obama" - Captain Obvious strikes again!
FACEPALM NEWS OF THE DAY:
From Deadspin: "Wisconsin Senate Votes To Give $250 Million To Billionaires" - Peter Pocket, meet Paul Pocket.
FLORIDA NEWS OF THE DAY:
From The Miami Herald: "Fish with breakfast: Fish tank bursts in FIU food court" -"All I said to my wife was, that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah!"
WEIRD NEWS OF THE DAY:
From CTV News: "Mouse bandit wanted: Police search for robbery suspect disguised as rodent" - I'd label this as Goofy News of the Day instead, but that's a different Disney character.
SPORTS NEWS OF THE DAY:
From Yahoo! Sports: "Every NFL team's logo changes through the years, in one GIF" - Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
VIDEO OF THE DAY:
The Magnus Effect, or Why I Can't Shoot Free Throws.
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY:
a-ah, "Take On Me"
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