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 to 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 press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as 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.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I remember the time many months ago when I read a major story in The Atlantic reporting that the Trump presidential campaign intended to rely on what was labeled “disinformation” to push Trump to victory.

As usual with Trump and his sycophants, there was no commitment to honesty and accuracy.

The good news:  It didn’t happen.  At least not in sufficient supply to re-elect the worst president in U.S. history. 

Now, the question is what to do about the disinformation, which still lurks in the background of the just-concluded presidential election race.  Or, perhaps in the foreground as Trump refuses to admit defeat says he might run again in 2024.

Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan dealt with the topic in a piece for the Post last weekend by contending that the media should play a role in separating fact from fiction as the U.S. recovers from the Trump debacle.

To me, her thoughts are important for at least two reasons.  First, I got my start in my professional career in the news media business, so writing about media responsibilities catches my attention.  And, second, if we are to return politics to a solid, ethical process in this country, we will have to recover from Trump excesses.

Under this headline, Sullivan posited what “journalists must do about it” – meaning about disinformation:

The disinformation system that Trump unleashed will outlast him.

“President Trump didn’t create the media cesspool that he’ll bequeath to a troubled nation,” Sullivan wrote.  “He just made it exponentially worse — not only with his own constant lies, but with his ability to spread the ugliness.

“Just days ago, he tweeted out a debunked conspiracy theory that a company that makes voting machines had deleted millions of Trump votes.  And though he — barring true disaster — will leave office in January, the widespread disinformation system that he fostered will live on.

“Social media platforms, streaming ‘news’ channels and innumerable websites will spew lies and conspiracy theories, and will keep weakening the foundation of reality that America’s democracy needs in order to function.”

Sullivan proposed three actions:

First, she says, “the media should be bolder and more direct than ever in telling it like it is.  No more pussy-footing or punch-pulling.  No more of what’s been called ‘false equivalence’ — giving equal weight to truth and lies in the name of fairness.

I add that “false equivalence” is a critical topic because all of us – reporters an editors included – should not equate lies with truth.

Second, Sullivan maintains that “the only hope is for mainstream journalism is to appeal to passion as well as reason — providing moral clarity along with truthful content.  

“In other words, the reality-based press has to unapologetically stand for something.  Otherwise, it’s just a pallid alternative to the excitement of burgeoning lies.”

Third, Sullivan advocates that journalists and news organizations should get much more involved in media literacy — working with educators and advocates to teach people of all ages, but especially students, to distinguish lies from truth, propaganda from factual reporting.

All of this can be an uncomfortable role for journalists because it smacks of advocacy, something that mainstream journalists – at least those my age — were taught to avoid.  When I worked for a daily newspaper in Oregon, I was expected to focus on facts and context, not opinions.

So, Sullivan poses the bottom-line question.  “Can journalists, mired in our ‘how we’ve always done it’ mind-set, really change their stripes to fight the war on disinformation?  Can we be more clear and direct, embrace a moral purpose, help to educate news consumers? And even if we do, will it make a significant difference?”

The jury is out, but here’s hoping quality journalists will rise to the occasion – an occasion that is very important because the current occupant of the Oval Office is on the way out.  The goal should be that the disinformation campaign should be gone with him.