When the Hindenburg burst into flame and crashed in 1937, radio reporter Herbert Morrison’s reaction became one for the ages: “Oh, the humanity!” If you watch White House advisor Stephen Miller’s interview with Jake Trapper on CNN you have to echo those words.
“Oh the humanity!”
Miller was doing an expanded riff on our 21st century style of spin control/propaganda. It has several elements a)name call but don’t point out specifics b)go on the attack against the media c)try to change the subject d)try to shout over and filibuster a professional broadcast journalist in the hopes (more often than not realized) that the spin by repetition will get out and be accepted as far and the journalist will be sufficiently bullied or stunned not to ask a follow up.
And assuming that the journalist would never cut off a boorish spin machine regurgitating talking points and most certainly never point out that the spinner’s real subject was not the audience — but his boss watching TV. But there is an old saying “assume” makes an “ass” of “u” and “me.”
CNN’s Jake Trapper would have none of it.
When Miller began to vomit up talking points and try to shout over him, Trapper finally brutally cut the interview off.
Firstly, it’s important to point out that this kind of behavior (applauded by those partisans who feel angry confrontation, rage and name calling is real debate that answers questions and means winning an argument or decimating one) isn’t as typically encountered by print reporters because it’s not being broadcast.
Here is the full 12 minute interview segment so you can savor Miller reciting spin and trying to woo his boss. The Von Hindenburg moment is during the last 90 seconds. Watch it in full:
Watch the whole thing and make your own decision. But my reaction?
Oh, the humanity!
Graphic by Murray Becker/Associated Press (eBay front back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.