Trump Etch a Sketches, Media Swoons

The media was besides itself in talking of a Trump 'reversal' last night on immigration.

Adrian Carrasquillo:

"Trump, who wants to build a wall and deport 11 million, soliciting ideas on how they can stay legally is a big deal."

https://twitter.com/Carrasquillo/status/767166573815668736

Note he hasn't changed a thing. He was simply in a room with Hispanic GOP operatives who made suggestions. But Carrasquillo and the rest of the media don't wait to ask questions. It's a 'huge reversal.'

"In Major Reversal, Trump Indicates To Hispanic Leaders Openness To Legalization For Immigrants https://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/in-major-reversal-trump-indicates-to-hispanic-leaders-openne?utm_term=.tgK30K8pM …"

https://twitter.com/Carrasquillo/status/767118616999432194

The Trump campaign pushes back:

"Confusing. So Trump team calls this @buzzfeed story re his immigration switch inaccurate "clickbait journalism"

https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/767194144762626052

I'm actually inclined to agree with the Trump team. Carrasquillo wants a scoop. The media wants a new story: Trump pivot.

The media likes to consider itself savvy as Jay Rosen chronicled.

http://archive.pressthink.org/2010/06/14/ideology_press.html

But they sure don't sound savvy when the cover Trump. He etch a sketchs, the media swoons.

Carrasquillo says this:

"My favorite are the ones confident that because the campaign says so it must be true."

https://twitter.com/Carrasquillo/status/767197067496284160

Ok, but why do you assume that what he says-or simply heard-in a room must be true? 

"IDK what's worse @realDonaldTrump pretending to be for #ImmigrationReform or #TrumpKlan Latinos legitimizing him."

https://twitter.com/dreamelder/status/767179385724076032

"Trump will either be radically changing his position on immigration or keeping it the same, according to sources."

https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/767157214930952192

"Like w/ Muslim ban, Trump is giving vague signals behind closed doors on immigration, w/o changing stance publicly, which is what matters."

https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/767145435958042624

Jay Rosen-who has a lot of great insights into the media as this is what he studies at NYU:

"Now as soon as you say "reversal" you may be importing more sense to it than it has. I would be wary of doing this."

https://twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/767224289821155328

Carrasquillo:

"@Only4RM remember trump has done this before."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/that-time-donald-trump-had-a-meeting-with-dreamers-and-said?utm_term=.qiqY0EE0pV#.xhmG4114Wa … What will matter: does he follow thru and do Latinos buy it"

https://twitter.com/Carrasquillo/status/767208923044642817

I don't think this is mostly about winning over Latinos though it is certainly disappointing to see Univision and friends not at all savvy and credulously buying Trump's etch a sketch.

But what this is really about is convincing white GOPers who don't want to vote for a blatant racist that he's not a blatant racist after all.

These are people who want an excuse to vote for Trump but are susceptible to social shaming.

The press buying into this nonsensical etch a sketch are doing everything they can to give these white voters space to believe maybe he's not so bad and was just kidding about what he said for 14 months.

What ever the opposite of savvy is, that's what the media is.