Chuck Todd on the Effects of the Trump Administration and the Future of Journalism

Chuck Todd speaks on the state of journalism, the effects of the Trump era on the media and the future of reporting during Milwaukee Press Club event.

On February 29^th Chuck Todd addressed professional and student journalists in an event hosted by Charles Benson by the Milwaukee Press Club.

Benson asked Todd about the current state of journalism and how the changing political climate has affected this.

“How we judge the last 4 years depends on what happens in the next 10,” Todd said.

“It’s a fascinating time,” said Todd. “There has never been more demand for a trusted news source, and it has never been harder to have that status.”

Todd believes that we need more diverse thoughts to be presented in the media. We get stuck in our own beliefs and do not travel outside of them to report anymore.

“You get punished inside the tribes for trying to understand the other hand,” said Todd.

According to Todd, it is very difficult to be a reporter to that is trusted by both sides these days.

We are still trying to figure out how to gain back the public’s trust and people are not happy.

“Gen z is very skeptical of the set ways that we have been in,” said Todd.

Unfortunately, Todd believed that we let the Boomers define the red/blue divide.

Journalists are hostage to government officials trying to avoid accountability by not speaking to certain press outlets which has created an antagonistic relationship between the press and the government. This was only enhanced by the Trump administration.

He spoke on the war on information that is plaguing our media currently and the effects of the political war on truth and fact. Todd attributes many of these issues to the rise of Donald Trump and his presidency.

Trumps popularity, campaign and presidency was based in alternative facts, Todd claimed.

“Donald Trump didn’t change,” said Todd “He did it his whole life and turned it into a political weapon.”

“We’re in an aera where you just can’t be wrong,” Benson said.

“If one makes a mistake, it’s a stain on all of us,” responded Todd.

In an age of mistrust in the media and the spread of alternative facts, fact-checking has become more crucial than ever.

“Our credibility builds together,” Todd said. “The individual tarnish, hurts all of us.”

Todd said that the media is currently attempting to detox from the Trump era and “hit refresh.”

Journalists were paid to constantly update the public on what the President was up to at any moment and now we are operating back to how all government used to interact with the press.

“We have time to breathe and dive into other topics now,” said Todd.

This new era will allow the press a chance to cover larger issues and more planned and predictable news.

Todd also spoke about social media as a platform for news.

“We are far too negative,” said Todd.

He shared that he actually “quit” twitter recently and does not engage anymore through that media platform anymore.

“It is terrible for your mental health in this profession,” Todd said. “I encourage you, get off of it.”

He commented on how the baby boomers poisoned the Facebook community the same way that millennials are now ruining twitter communities.

Instagram and TikTok are much gentler, he added.

“We are missing local columnists, the point of view on the ground,” said Todd.

He claims that it is not healthy for corporations to own all of the news. We need local reporters again.

But most of all, “We have to diversify our information diet,” he said. “I really want every flavor.”

The future of journalism needs a diverse information palette to regain the trust of the public.

Todd hopes that the negative cycle of journalism will calm down in the near future and that we can “reverse engineer” the news cycle so that the public see them as trustworthy and truthful again.