It is instructive that Ms....

It is instructive that Ms. McCleery does not mention a major part of the problem the mainstream press is facing; to wit, their tendency to publish factually incorrect stories. While several dozen such stories could be mentioned, just consider Time's erroneous report that the bust of MLK was removed from the Oval Office, the false equivalence of an inaugural crowd (Obama) and a pre-inaugural crowd (Trump) presented by both The New York Times and Reuters (kudos to CNN for publishing their gigapixel of the Trump inauguration which exposed the true crowd size), or the three articles by Josh Rogin that The Washington Post had to correct after publication, or the false report that the new Treasury Secretary had foreclosed on a house for a 27-cent error..

When news organizations commit errors like these, the error is an attack on their readers' confidence in the accuracy and impartiality of their reporting. And it does not help when some individuals within those organizations argue that a politician is so extreme that he must be opposed, not just reported on.

Whatever our political views, we should all recognize that we tend to be hypercritical of positions we disagree with and are disposed to uncritically accept reports that discredit such views, while not being critical enough of views we agree with. Reporters and editors who dissent from President Trump's political positions, therefore, need to take particular care in what they write and publish lest they make similar mistakes and contribute to the ongoing distrust in which the U.S. mainstream media is held.