This President Stood Up To The Russians. Since Trump Won't, Here's What Journalists Need To Do.

By Zamboni

Over the course of our nine lives, we cats grew up on the notion that a free and independent press should cover the government, and particularly the executive, fairly but relentlessly — holding feet to fires and, without fail, asking, asking, asking. In our experience, each side understood the game, its advantages and disadvantages — but most of all, each side understood and accepted its responsibilities.

In a healthy American democracy, that scenario could be sophisticated and joyful (JFK, above), or tortured and excruciating (Nixon), but the basic jobs of the journalists and the White House communciations office never changed.

Well, now they have.

The Trumpsters have proven themselves to be such enthusiastic agents for the Russian government that we cats are calling on members of the Washington press to put the brakes on everything. After multiple outrages — the latest one: that the White House will no longer publish summaries of Benedict Donald's phone calls with foreign leaders — it's time for journalists to change course.

Here is the new set of media marching orders:

1. Refuse to attend the White House press briefings.

2. Or, if you do attend, stand up and walk out as soon as Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells her first lie. (Don't worry, it won't take long.)

3. No more live television coverage, unedited, of Trump rallies. They are filled with so many falsehoods, and represent such a small sliver of American public opinion, that they aren't worth the air time. Run edited videotape later, with the lies pointed out.

4. Refuse to cover Trump doing anything unless he's taking questions. No questions, no coverage. That includes Easter egg rolls, Christmas tree lightings and wreath-laying, anywhere.

5. Instead of serving as this treasonous administration's handmaiden, spend all your time working to out their perfidy and corruption. That would make us cats PURR.

UPDATE, July 26: Since the White House has banned a CNN reporter from the premises, now would be a good time for the cable news networks to refuse to provide live coverage for Trump's appearances in the Midwest today. Alas, however, we fear no backbone will be shown.