For decades, powerful leaders have attacked the media in an attempt to deflect criticism. This trend began with President Richard Nixon and has continued through to President Donald Trump. In a recent speech, Trump derided the "failing" New York Times and reiterated his complaint that CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins doesn't smile enough.

Nixon Administration Played Hardball

Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon attacked coverage of police brutality at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention as one-sided in favor of antiwar protestors. Once in office, Nixon deployed Vice President Spiro Agnew to verbally assault journalists for their putative bias and elitism.

In an infamous 1969 speech, Agnew denounced TV newsmen as "an effete corps of impudent snobs," hostile to the president and therefore out of touch with average Americans. Agnew singled out NBC anchorman David Brinkley for his claim that "objectivity is impossible" and that "fairness" was a more reasonable objective.

Denouncing Bias as Deflection

Today, it is widely known that the CBS News division "is on fire," as longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley said, shortly after he was sacked. Newly installed CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who has no broadcast experience, positions herself as an advocate for "free speech and free thinking" and her Free Press newsletter as a reclamation of objective reporting.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.