[roywiggins]

It's -possible- this is an intentional strategy: people who want to believe the administration are peeled away from news media that aren't 100% in line with the administration's agenda. If you like Trump and want to believe what he says, reading the NYT has got to be an exercise in frustration.

Once all remaining supporters don't watch any media that isn't Trump Approved(TM), they're locked in permanently.

[gizmo686]

There is another potential strategy: attack the concept of honesty. If we get to a point where a significant portion of the population believes everyone, media and Trump, are lying then Trump has much more reign to do what he wants because any reporting on it will instinctively be branded as a lie. So will Trump's defense, but the net result is still a win over believed reporting on <bad thing>.

[tempodox]

> attack the concept of honesty.

This. When others are lying, they make a “decent” effort to hide that fact, while Trump doesn't even try. The resulting confusion, when everyone is fighting over who lied about what, is one of his most effective weapons. People are distracted, cachink, goal achieved.

[dukeluke]

What makes things difficult is that the legitimacy of corporate media was seriously in question before Trump was elected. There seems to have been massive collusion between the mainstream media & the DNC to keep Bernie Sanders a fringe candidate. And it's tough to say "the mainstream media is rigged, but a president saying so openly is bad."

[roywiggins]

"Massive" is overselling it, unless there's a large body of evidence that I missed (which, given my preoccupation with Trump, would not be impossible).

[Sunset]

Trump did not force the media to be douche canoes for years on years.

[mcphage]

Not did the media force Trump to lie continuously, yet here we are.

[simplemath]

It's the annihilation of truth and its terrifying.

[iamatworknow]

I genuinely believe that we are entering the "disinformation age".