Larry D. Lauer

In a crisis, presidential press conferences traditionally are held for two reasons:

1. To bring the country together by inspiring confidence in its leadership.
2. To report new factual information about the crisis important for the public to know.

Today, presidential press conferences have these characteristics:

1. They compel cable TV coverage, visibility, and big audiences.
2. They give a former “reality TV” star a comfortable “rally style” format.
3. They confuse and divert attention when facts were ignored and denied far too long.
4. They allow putting critics on the defensive, including legitimate professional journalists.
5. They strive to create the of illusion of leadership in the absence of knowledge.
6. They keep the president’s political base intact… cruelty and lies have become style characteristics acceptable by far too many.

It’s time for cable networks to stop daily live coverage, and only report outcomes when the two traditional reasons for presidential press conferences are met. This is because:

1. Rambling on for hours only confuses everyone.
2. The integrity of professional journalism must be much better demonstrated.
3. The unmet needs of those in “the president’s base” should be constantly explained by the press.
4. Those who can meet those needs should be identified and challenged to do so.
5. The consequences of ongoing political polarization in Washington should be constantly explained.