It’s convenient to blame the media for Trump’s rise, but the reality — made dishearteningly apparent this week — is that the press isn’t powerful enough to be responsible for his success or failure. It can’t even control the campaign narrative, never mind the outcome…

Robinson is exactly right. The media can’t just decide to get tougher on Trump, or to ignore Trump, and bring an end to his White House ambitions. And if he turns the election into a three-ring circus, then reporters have to cover a three-ring circus. They can point out how tawdry his act is — how unpresidential it is — but it’s up to voters to walk away from him.

There are many words to describe the week, but for the media, “humbling” is probably the most apt. Journalists might take some small comfort in knowing they didn’t actually create the Rise of Trump, but they’re likely even more dismayed that they seem to wield so little influence over how, and whether, they cover the clownish antics of his big-top campaign.