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Unicorns, Gnomes, and Plea to the Press on Covering Trump
Jan 13, 2017
On January 11 finally Trump held his much awaited press conference. And it was a terrifying success. The press faithfully covered a wild and strange show. But we don't need to be told about the show that was performed. What we needed was a consistent grounding in reality.
It was as if, covering the moment when Dorothy and her friends finally get their meeting with the Wizard of Oz, the press covered the strange images the wizard produced and the fascinating way he produced those images. Rather than reporting on the small man from Kansas who had lost his way and had managed to dominate a nation based on is ability to create illusions and distractions.
USA Today was almost unique in cutting through the illusion and reporting only on the lies that were told. Reading their coverage, I felt such a surprising sense of clarity about the way forward for how we talk about the house of mirrors we are trapped in.
The Daily Show's Trevor Noah argues that when Trump starts talking about a competition between unicorns and gnomes, if the press in any way focuses unicorns and gnomes, we have lost. We lose when we enter the world of unicorns and gnomes.
The story of the appalling press conference of January 11 needs to be the story of the lies that were told, the status of the very real and legitimate questions that the reporters asked but which were not answered, and the insistence on the importance of getting answers to those real questions.
We need to stay grounded in our shared and dangerous reality, and not get sucked into an analysis of the illusions created by a master illusionist.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Cynthia Kaufman
Cynthia Kaufman is a writer and educator. She is the author of six books on social change: Solidarity Economics: Building Sustainable Social Relations (Routledge 2026),Consumerism, Sustainability, and Happiness: How to Build a World Where Everyone Has Enough (Routledge 2023), The Sea is Rising and So Are We: A Climate Justice Handbook (PM Press 2021), Challenging Power: Democracy and Accountability in a Fractured World (Bloomsbury 2020), Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope (Lexington Books 2012), and Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change (2nd Edition PM Press 2016). Visit her website.
On January 11 finally Trump held his much awaited press conference. And it was a terrifying success. The press faithfully covered a wild and strange show. But we don't need to be told about the show that was performed. What we needed was a consistent grounding in reality.
It was as if, covering the moment when Dorothy and her friends finally get their meeting with the Wizard of Oz, the press covered the strange images the wizard produced and the fascinating way he produced those images. Rather than reporting on the small man from Kansas who had lost his way and had managed to dominate a nation based on is ability to create illusions and distractions.
USA Today was almost unique in cutting through the illusion and reporting only on the lies that were told. Reading their coverage, I felt such a surprising sense of clarity about the way forward for how we talk about the house of mirrors we are trapped in.
The Daily Show's Trevor Noah argues that when Trump starts talking about a competition between unicorns and gnomes, if the press in any way focuses unicorns and gnomes, we have lost. We lose when we enter the world of unicorns and gnomes.
The story of the appalling press conference of January 11 needs to be the story of the lies that were told, the status of the very real and legitimate questions that the reporters asked but which were not answered, and the insistence on the importance of getting answers to those real questions.
We need to stay grounded in our shared and dangerous reality, and not get sucked into an analysis of the illusions created by a master illusionist.
Cynthia Kaufman
Cynthia Kaufman is a writer and educator. She is the author of six books on social change: Solidarity Economics: Building Sustainable Social Relations (Routledge 2026),Consumerism, Sustainability, and Happiness: How to Build a World Where Everyone Has Enough (Routledge 2023), The Sea is Rising and So Are We: A Climate Justice Handbook (PM Press 2021), Challenging Power: Democracy and Accountability in a Fractured World (Bloomsbury 2020), Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope (Lexington Books 2012), and Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change (2nd Edition PM Press 2016). Visit her website.
On January 11 finally Trump held his much awaited press conference. And it was a terrifying success. The press faithfully covered a wild and strange show. But we don't need to be told about the show that was performed. What we needed was a consistent grounding in reality.
It was as if, covering the moment when Dorothy and her friends finally get their meeting with the Wizard of Oz, the press covered the strange images the wizard produced and the fascinating way he produced those images. Rather than reporting on the small man from Kansas who had lost his way and had managed to dominate a nation based on is ability to create illusions and distractions.
USA Today was almost unique in cutting through the illusion and reporting only on the lies that were told. Reading their coverage, I felt such a surprising sense of clarity about the way forward for how we talk about the house of mirrors we are trapped in.
The Daily Show's Trevor Noah argues that when Trump starts talking about a competition between unicorns and gnomes, if the press in any way focuses unicorns and gnomes, we have lost. We lose when we enter the world of unicorns and gnomes.
The story of the appalling press conference of January 11 needs to be the story of the lies that were told, the status of the very real and legitimate questions that the reporters asked but which were not answered, and the insistence on the importance of getting answers to those real questions.
We need to stay grounded in our shared and dangerous reality, and not get sucked into an analysis of the illusions created by a master illusionist.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.