Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” former “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather discussed President Donald Trump’s ability to use all types of media in promoting his administration’s message.
Rather called it the “most powerful platform for propaganda” in human history.
“[L]ook, we have to deal with reality,” Rather said. “This is a whole new age. And the president has the strongest, the most powerful platform for propaganda that humans have ever had. No president has ever had this kind of reach, the combination of television, radio, the internet, social media, tweets.”
Rather went on to take a shot at Trump for being “anti-science” and decried Trump’s “unrelenting” use of social media.
“With all respect, I don’t think his age, 72, is an excuse for not keeping up,” Rather added. “He’s basically anti-science. When you talk about what he says about climate change, that’s in a wider context of actually this administration led by the president is downgrading science at the very time we need to be leaping forward, keeping up with science. They’re cutting research and that sort of thing.”
“But, you know, with Twitter, much of the time, not all the time, much of the time, I sense the public has a sense that they’re facing a manure spreader in a windstorm,” he continued. “It just keeps coming and coming and coming at you. It’s ridiculous, but it’s unrelenting. And he understands the value of that. But for the rest of us, and for the public at large, it’s time to take a deep breath, say to yourself, stay steady. Keep in mind that this is a tremendous tool for propaganda. See it in that context and do the best we can.”
(h/t RCP Video)
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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