Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

This article was originally posted on Edwin Eisendrath’s Substack newsletter on Aug. 9.

Do you remember three weeks ago when a determined and relentless press corps yelled and interrupted a White House press briefing? Reporters demanded information about logs showing a Parkinson’s doctor had visited the White House, and they were willing to be rude and even a bit hostile if that’s what it took to get the facts. (Some went too far over their skis, wrongly accusing White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of withholding information.)

What happened between then and now? Because that commitment to finding the facts was entirely missing last week at Donald Trump’s press event at Mar-a-Lago. For 64 minutes, Trump did what he always does: respond to questions not with answers but lies. And the assembled press corps sat by quietly and let him do it.

Again.

Much like the RNC meeting in Milwaukee and the June presidential debate before that, the news reporters covering Trump’s hastily called “news conference” functioned more as props than as journalists. They are all quite willing to let the former president and convicted felon lie with abandon.

I can’t say this enough: Real journalists have a sacred bond with the American public, a bond based on a commitment to truth. Journalists break that bond when they use their pens, their video recording devices and/or their microphones to platform and amplify lies.

I’m not saying Trump and his lies should be silenced. But after all this time, I think we should expect reporters to call out those lies as part of the reporting. Yet, as MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell noted: “Not one of them dared to yell at Donald Trump today. Not one of them. Not one of them dared yell ‘You are not answering the question.” O’Donnell is correct when he says the political coverage in 2024 looks too much like the failed coverage in 2016:

Four days after the Trump news conference, a NPR analysis found that the former president made “162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies in 64 minutes. That’s more than two a minute.” This comprehensive fact check is important, but it’s not as impactful as confronting the lies and misinformation in real time.

Lawyer and writer David Lurie said: “An unhinged nutcase ran incoherently and mendaciously, while the assembled press corps collectively pretended it was a normal question and answer session. It was surreal. And it was darkly funny, until one considered the huge price the nation has already paid for the farce.”

Journalist James Fallows points out that the unhinged performance requires follow-up coverage about Trump’s mental acuity: “Every *single* a big-media reporter who did a story on ‘concerns about Biden’s cognition’ has a journalistic, civic, intellectual, and ‘both-sides’ obligation to devote comparable energy to Trump’s neurological state.”

The press corps cannot make up for breaking faith with American news consumers by being extra tough on Kamala Harris. Given their easy treatment of Trump, that just makes them look biased. As MSNBC’s Joy Reid says: “The unearned deference Trump gets from the media is a terrible habit that must be broken and ignoring the Democratic candidate while hectoring her for access is not a good look for the media or for democracy. My profession must do better.”

Of course, the vice president should sit down with journalists for in-depth interviews. Of course, reporters should dig into her positions on issues. But when they get the chance to ask her about these, will they rise to the occasion, or will they just ask her to respond to Mr. Trump’s lies like they did in a short gaggle last Thursday?

Since that embarrassing news conference, Trump has, of course, continued to spread misinformation. His latest lie is a laughable claim that the large Harris-Walz rally crowds are fake, generated by AI. In fact, the Democratic ticket has drawn thousands of enthusiastic people to big events in five swing states.  Tomorrow, Trump will surely lie about something else. Will reporters confront those lies, or will they continue to be props in his media show?

Jennifer Schulze is a Chicago journalist reporting on journalism. Follow Jennifer on Threads @newsjennifer_schulze or Twitter/X @NewsJennifer.