When you get down to it, the takeaway from the year is pretty basic.
It struck me as I was speaking with Ms. Palmieri, who harked back to how President Obama’s nominee to lead the Health and Human Services Department eight years ago, Tom Daschle, withdrew his name after news broke that he had failed to pay taxes on his use of a chauffeur and car service. “Imagine a Trump nominee dropping out because they didn’t pay taxes on their car and driver,” she said.
If there’s anything that Mr. Trump proved this past year, it’s that something that led to a certain eventuality yesterday won’t necessarily do so tomorrow. Maybe a piece of scandalous news will sink a Trump nominee; maybe it won’t.
That means that even as the news media reports the heck out of the story — as it must — it needs to avoid getting ahead of it; let the facts lead, and let them do it at their own pace, not that of Twitter. Every incorrect leap only helps those who are so aggressively seeking to undermine journalism for their own political ends. It’s also just bad journalism.
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