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.'

A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017

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.