Alternate headline: Newsweek Digs for Literal Dirt.

Does Newsweek have a running feature on fast-food health inspections? Or do they only do that when Donald Trump charms a battleground state a couple of weeks before an election?

Trump, a big fan of McDonald's food and a self-professed germophobe, wore an apron over his shirt and tie but did not wear gloves or a hairnet during his visit, stating that his hands were "nice and clean." According to the Meidas Touch, he went straight to work without washing his hands.

Employees not washing their hands was one of the reasons that restaurant failed its most recent inspection.

I'd guess that, as a self-professed germaphobe, Trump uses enough sanitizer on a regular campaign day to render an entire city block bacteria-free. He might have even improved matters by shaking hands with the entire staff. 

Put that point aside for right now, though. What does a previous health inspection for a locally owned fast-food joint have to do with this campaign appearance? Nothing at all, except that it provides a media outlet a way to make Trump look bad and to counter-act any positive impressions of the event. 

Did that work? We'll see, but color me skeptical, as the story reflects much more poorly on Newsweek than Trump, especially with this note:

Newsweek has contacted McDonald's and the Trump campaign for comment outside business hours. This article will be updated if a comment is received.

Ahem. Was this news about a failed previous health inspection so important that Newsweek couldn't wait until the business opened to publish it? Why not wait for a response? Did Newsweek expect to get scooped by the New York Times or the Joy Reid show? 

The obvious conclusion is that any delay would have lessened the true value of this story. That value has nothing to do with informing the public on an acute public issue, but to counter-act the feel-good aspects of the campaign event. Trump's brief stint at the fryer and the drive-thru window would be old news if Newsweek had bothered to wait for a response and give the local business owner a fair opportunity to rebut the story, or at least explain it. Despite the fact that (a) this is not news and (b) this is not expirable, Newsweek rushed ahead to publish it without giving anyone a chance to respond to it. 

That may be many things, but journalism it ain't. It's campaign messaging.