Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Trumping Hit-And-Run Smears

Senator Joseph Paine: He can raise public opinion against us. If any part of this sticks...
James Taylor: Ah, he'll never get started. I'll make public opinion out there within five hours. I've done it all my life. I'll blacken this punk so that he'll--you leave public opinion to me.
--Mr Smith Goes to Washington

In the old days a slanted media could smear targets by disseminating rumors and hearsay grounded in 'unnamed sources.' The key to effectiveness here was time lag. Before the target could post a denial in front of large numbers of media consumers, people had processed the false message thru their System 1's and stamped it as 'true.'
Thru his entrepreneurial use of social media, Donald Trump is limiting the effectiveness of hit-and-run smear campaigns. His counters not only reach millions, but they do so quickly. Before large numbers of people can process libelous info, Trump neutralizes disparagement in a timely manner.

By doing so, Trump accomplishes more than an entire White House media relations staff.

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