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Op-Ed

Here’s A Good Idea

August 25, 2017

For just one day, why doesn’t every newspaper, TV station and internet news site in the United States refuse to cover what Donald Trump said yesterday, and devote that space to raise money for curably sick children whose parents can’t afford the medicine?

Robert Kahn

By Robert Kahn

Deputy editor emeritus, Courthouse News

For just one day, why doesn’t every newspaper, TV station and internet news site in the United States refuse to cover what Donald Trump said yesterday, and devote that space to raise money for curably sick children whose parents can’t afford the medicine?

Granted, that wouldn’t solve all our national problems. But it would do more good in one day than our press has done in two years covering that vicious man day after day.

It wouldn’t undo it all. But it might help.

I’m not suggesting that our still somewhat-powerful newspapers, our internet news sites and The TV Lords coordinate this. Heavens, no. That might violate antitrust law.

Not that Jeff Sessions would ever prosecute an antitrust violation. Heavens, no.

Except, perhaps, in this case.

We don’t need an agreement. We should just do it: the same way Big Oil coordinates the price at the pump, and grocery chains coordinate the price of milk and eggs.

I’ve been in the news business for 33 years. I understand it. I know that glorious as it is, and as much fun as it is, news people are a bunch of sheep.

Everyone’s covering the Kardashians? Wow! Who the hell are they? Who’s our Kardashian reporter?

People love some pretend-“reality” TV show? Wow! Who’s our pretend-reality TV show reporter?

This is bread and circuses. Grubbing for ratings. It’s vile and stupid and it should stop.

Let’s pick a day, some day in the middle of a week in September, perhaps, that’s not notorious for anything. We could study the saints’ calendar, and do it on the day of a particularly mild saint: the saint of equivocation, perhaps.

On that day — let’s call it Thursday — all of our nation’s daily newspapers, TV broadcasts and internet news sites will devote the Lord’s Share of their attention to sick children who could be cured if their parents had the money. And inform good Samaritans about how they can contribute to doctors, charities and church organizations that already are doing that. Or to the parents and children themselves.

We won’t scrub the words “Donald Trump” from our broadcasts and print news. We just won’t pay much attention to what he did Wednesday.

We’ll try to help sick children instead.

Late in Ronald Reagan’s second term, when he was selling missiles to Iran in defiance of Congress, and using the money to arm terrorists in Central America, also in defiance of Congress, Reagan asked all the major networks to provide live coverage of one more speech about funding the Contras in Nicaragua.

The Iran-Contra scandal hadn’t broken yet, but anyone who was paying attention, including Senator Barry Goldwater, knew that something fishy was going on, and Goldwater, among others, didn’t like it.

All the major stations refused to cover the speech live. Now, any one of them could have scored points against the others by doing so, but they all decided, independently, that what the president said, again, wasn’t really news.

That was a great moment in journalism.

Do we really need daily coverage of who, or what, racists and neo-Nazis are? No, we do not.

Do we really need daily coverage of people who say that global warming is not happening, and is not a problem? No, we do not.

I suggest Thursday, Sept. 28 as our Day to Heal Sick Children by ignoring Donald Trump.

Even if our newspapers and TV stations reject the idea, as I assume they will, maybe we could all send a little check to someone — not to a political party — but to a medical foundation, or — dare I say this? — to a university, for research in basic science.

To make it even more fun, let’s all of us stop talking about him that day too.

What do you say, America?

Is it a deal?

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