LEAKS: Play it straight, media

Reference Steve Cameron’s column, “Haylie: ‘Is truth too much to ask?”

A HUGE chunk of the blame for general public disgust with the media goes to the media itself. Comey even stated as a matter of course that an enormous number of published “reports” are completely false. And just to prove it, in the same edition of the Press we have the AP article “Comey’s release of Trump memo to newspaper draws criticism.” (Distortion is a form of lying and has the same objective: to deceive the reader.)

The very definition of LEAK is to secretly disseminate data. The AP “reporters” call this particular example a “release.” Throughout their article they use other euphemisms: disclosure, savvy use of media, skills as a Washington operator, the move, to act, get his account out quickly, share the content, secret gambit. Never LEAK. They use the common term LEAK only to describe the Trump lawyer’s wondering if this event should be investigated ALONG WITH the leaks that have bedeviled the President. And Comey said he told his friend to give ther memo to the press — he himself would not do it “for a variety of [undefined] reasons.” Now that’s a LEAK and the AP write-up is pure distortion to deceive the reader.

Before reporters bemoan the public’s disgust with their product, they should invest in a mirror.

HANS NEUMANN

Spirit Lake