Dear Media, Stop Saying Trump’s Statements Are “Considered Racist By Some.”

Call them what they really are: Racist! This was settled decades ago. When someone tells a person of color to “go back where you came from”, that’s racist as defined by most every Human Resources department in America, including the government’s. Moreover, members of the white majority don’t get to decide what is racist. That’s up to the victims of racism to decide. If you’re confused, ask them.

When you say one of Trump’s Tweets or remarks is “considered racist by some”, what you’re really saying is that many in the white majority don’t think it’s racist.

And, on a related topic, the white conservative majority doesn’t get to claim “reverse” racism until white Americans’ employment resumes are filed in the trash because they have white sounding names; until their white suburban schools are given less resources than those of people of color; until police pull them over because they don’t look like they belong in the neighborhood; until police shoot and kill them during a routine traffic stop because “they felt they were in danger;” until the best neighborhoods are “redlined” to prevent them from purchasing a home there; until white-face becomes a thing in stage and theater as a way of demeaning them; until they are subject to poll taxes; until it becomes difficult for them to vote because of limited polling places and limited hours; until their congressional districts are gerrymandered to diminish their representation in government; until people of color begin calling the police on them for being white; until they are treated more harshly by the justice system; until they have far less wealth and far fewer resources available to them because of the color of their skin; until they are grossly underrepresented in movies, television shows and commercials because they don’t represent the majority; until they are blocked from attaining executive positions because they aren’t considered capable. That language in your reporting only perpetuates the problem.

So, Dear Media, the next time Trump or one of his supporters says something patently racist, please report it by calling it what it really is: Racist.

And as long as I’m giving advice – advice I gleaned from journalism school – the next time Trump says something verifiably untrue, stop reporting it as “unverified”, “unproven”, “questionable”, or even a “falsehood”. Follow the lead of the Washington Post and CNN. Both are now calling Trump’s lies what they really are: Lies.

It should be easy for you to identify his lies. If his lips are moving, or if it’s from one of his thousands of Tweets, there is a roughly 75 percent chance that it’s a lie.

Finally, Dear Media, stop giving Trump live coverage for his “chopper talks” and impromptu statements to the press. You haven’t done that for previous presidents. Anyway, almost everything he says in these sessions is an outright lie and all he really wants is to feed his narcissism by seeing his face on the news each evening. Better that you record video or audio and take notes. Then report only those things of truth and substance later. I guarantee you won’t be missing out on any bombshells or breaking news. No competitor will beat you to a story…unless the story is about his propensity to tell lies. Indeed, delaying your reporting will make your news media seem more insightful, more honest.

By refusing to participate in Trump’s propaganda effort, you’ll be doing the public a real service. And you’ll be secure in the knowledge that you’re not being treated as a modern day Leni Riefenstahl.