How Wreck-It Donald broke the media

SAN DIEGO -- A few years ago, after I wrote a column listing 10 mistakes that journalists have made in the Trump era, my first newspaper editor tracked me down. He had seen the column, and he was not pleased. He said I should lay off our profession. These times are tough enough for media companies and the people who work for them.

Sorry, Boss. You're not going to like this one either.

People in the news business are paid to think critically, stay curious and be aware of their surroundings.

Yet, these days, if the story is about President Trump, many of my colleagues don't think about being fair. Nor are they curious about how we got here. And they're not all that self-aware about the mistakes they're making.

The last one is a doozy. Journalists are quick to point out an error committed by others but miss it when we commit the same error.

After last week's Democratic debate, Breitbart News reporter Aaron Klein badgered Julián Castro in the so-called "spin room," where journalists gather to interview participants after the last punch is thrown.

Klein tried to get Castro to denounce as anti-Semitic two members of the so-called "Squad" -- Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. Refusing the bait, Castro told the reporter: "I don't know which comment you're talking about, so all I can speak to is, and I believe -- I don't believe that they are anti-Semitic."

Asked and answered. But Klein didn't seem to like Castro's answer, so he kept probing for an answer he might like better. What about the time that Omar tweeted a line about how the support that Israel enjoys in Congress -- from both parties -- is "all about the Benjamins"? he asked. Castro walked away.

Had it been me, I'd have stayed and argued. But then, I'm not running for president with a plane to catch. I've got all day. Castro obviously didn't want to be mired in a back and forth with a member of the Fourth Estate who was acting like a first-class jerk.

Sound familiar? We've seen a variation of this exchange before. In Iowa, in August 2015, the politician being badgered was Trump, and the jerk was the left-leaning Jorge Ramos.

The Univision anchor stood up and confronted Trump over the Republican's plan to build a big beautiful wall on the U.S.-Mexico and stick Mexico with the bill. It took Ramos several minutes of speechifying to actually ask a question, which Trump answered. Ramos didn't like the answer, and so he kept probing for an answer he might like better. Finally, after more jousting, Trump motioned to one of his security people and Ramos was removed from the room. Several minutes later, after NBC News' Kasie Hunt protested the removal, Trump allowed Ramos to return to the room and ask his question again.

Once more, had it been me, I would have told Ramos: "Look, amigo, you asked a question and I gave you an answer. I don't have another response. If you don't like it, come up with your own. And if you want to debate me, file the paperwork and enter the race."

Elsewhere, the resignation of former Fox News anchor Shepherd Smith, after nearly a quarter-century at the network, is more proof that Trump has shattered the news business. Smith was a Trump critic, so there was no future for him on a network that might as well rebrand itself "Trump TV." Left-wing cable networks like MSNBC and CNN are now parodies that simply wait to see what Trump's position is on an issue before taking the opposite one.

Meanwhile, during last week's Democratic debate, CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Joe Biden a question with a safety net. Cooper claimed that Trump had "falsely accused" the former vice president's son, Hunter, of "doing something wrong" while serving on the board of a Ukrainian energy and gas company. Of course, Cooper noted, "there is no evidence of wrongdoing by either one of you."

Biden ought to change his official campaign theme song to The Beatles' "With A Little Help from My Friends."

No wonder many Americans find TV news -- and even some talk radio and newspapers -- undigestible. And so they're tuning out.

What happened to journalism? Has anyone checked the autopsy? It's tempting to say that Trump stabbed it in the heart. But the truth is, he only gave us the knife. We did the rest.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.