PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

That question is making the rounds of news offices these days, given the proclivity of the nation’s incoming president, Donald Trump, to turn to the social media site, Twitter, at the drop of, well, a hat such as the baseball cap he often wears to keep his hair in place.

The basic answer from responsible media figures today appears to be “yes.”

Even though there is concern about the character of the president-elect’s tweets, media experts believe they cannot ignore what the nation’s political leader says, including on social media. Good reporters will spend some time and effort trying to put into context what Trump tweets, but ignore them – no.

Since election day, Trump, via tweets, has proposed a U-turn in American diplomatic relations with Cuba, boasted about negotiations with a major manufacturer (Carrier), trumpeted (pardon the play on words) false claims about millions of illegal votes, and hinted that he might upend current free speech laws by banning flag burning.

All, as the New York Times put it, “in 140 characters or less.”

Thus, editors are grappling with how to cover a president-elect who appears to have a new idea about presidency-media relations. Less access. Fewer, if any, press conferences. More White House press room reporters sitting on their hands. More social media, even at unpredictable times, such as at about 12:15 a.m. when Trump tweeted to criticize Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live.

“Anything that a president would say – even if it was libelous or scandalous – it’s the president talking, and I think you report it,” according to Chris Wallace, the host of the Fox News Sunday broadcast. “Under any definition, it’s news, whether it’s sensible or not, factual or not, productive or not.”

A Washington Post editor was quoted in the New York Times as saying that, if Trump tweets, it is much like what presidents have said on the walk to a helicopter ride away from the White House. “In this post-election period, anything he (Trump) says, in any way, you have to consider it, and you have weigh whether it deserves a story.”

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) President Steve Bass – the news operation at OPB reports to him – said much the same thing in a meeting earlier this week. He said it was not right to ignore tweets, but also said it was important for reporters and editors – including those at OPB — to provide context for them.

Wall Street Journal columnist Daniel Henninger, in a piece this week, went farther by labeling Trump a “performance artist.”

“He is challenging what we think is normal—first for a presidential campaign and now for the presidency.

“He’s Andy Warhol silk-screening nine Jackie Kennedys. You can’t do that. Oh yes he can. Currently Donald Trump is silk-screening American corporations: Ford, Carrier, Rexnord, Boeing.

“Lady Gaga once talked about the doubters in an interview: ‘They would say, ‘This is too racy, too dance-oriented, too underground. It’s not marketable.’ And I would say, ‘My name is Lady Gaga, I’ve been on the music scene for years, and I’m telling you, this is what’s next.’ And look . . . I was right.’”

“Who does that sound like?

“In ‘The Art of the Deal,’ Donald Trump described what he was up to: ‘I play to people’s fantasies.’

“Anti-Trumpers will say: Precisely. We can’t have a performance artist as president of the United States.

“That’s irrelevant now.”

Reporters and editors would do well to keep the performance artist image in mind as they work to determine how to cover this new, mercurial president.

A footnote: At least at the moment, it appears that we do not have political leaders in Oregon who try to make news via tweets and other social media outlets. Good. I say make news the regular way by doing good public policy and work with reporters and editors to write about the process and the results.