When Donald Trump delivered his first White House address in over 18 minutes, all major US networks aired it without hesitation. The speech was aggressive and misleading, with Trump misstating facts, blaming his predecessor, and exaggerating his accomplishments. This raises the question of whether network executives should grant airtime to a president who clearly has an agenda to promote.
Former NBC executive Mark Lukasiewicz notes that while presidents have used the Oval Office for political speeches before, Trump’s address was outside the norm. News executives are often reluctant to flout the historical standard that allows the president to speak when they feel it’s necessary. However, with Trump’s history of browbeating journalists and suing news organizations, it’s hard to imagine that network executives didn’t consider these factors.
Presidential addresses typically begin with a discussion of a major national issue or security matter. In this case, however, Trump’s speech was more focused on his personal agenda and attacks on his predecessor. The fact that the White House only shared the substance of the speech with journalists hours before the address suggests that networks were given limited information.
The decision to air the speech has sparked debate about whether network executives should grant time to a president for a clearly partisan address. Mark Lukasiewicz points out that business realities and the pressure from an unhappy president can make it difficult for executives to say no. However, with Trump’s history of challenging media outlets, it’s clear that networks need to consider their own journalistic integrity when making decisions about airtime.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-address-tv-networks-c9704130f09f607f82f9e0054dfc3c02