\n<\/p>\n
Unable to quash unfavorable reporting by slinging schoolyard taunts and taking away access, the Trump administration has taken a new tack: putting a target on individual journalists, under the guise of calling out \u201cmedia bias.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week the White House debuted a so-called media bias portal<\/a> on its website that catalogs alleged \u201cfalse and misleading stories.\u201d Its database\u2014titled the \u201cOffender Hall of Shame\u201d\u2014is searchable by publication and reporter, and flags reports for offenses such as \u201cmisrepresentation\u201d and \u201cleft-wing lunacy.\u201d On Tuesday, the administration added a \u201ctipline\u201d to the initiative: \u201cHelp expose the worst of the worst,\u201d the page reads<\/a>. \u201cIf you know of any media outlet misrepresenting the Trump Administration, and skewing the truth, link the article below for our team to review it!\u201d<\/p>\n As of Friday afternoon, there were 39 \u201cclaims\u201d recorded on the site. Among them: a New York Times<\/em> report<\/a> on the 79-year-old Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s health and stamina (\u201cbias\u201d and \u201cmalpractice\u201d<\/a>) and several reports about the president\u2019s recent suggestion<\/a> that Democrats should be executed for publishing a video encouraging military personnel not to obey unlawful orders (Trump simply \u201ccalled for them to be held accountable\u201d<\/a> for \u201cinciting sedition,\u201d according to the White House). The Washington Post<\/em><\/a> on Thursday was named \u201cmedia offender of the week\u201d for its reporting<\/a> on the second strike the United States conducted on an alleged drug boat in September to kill two men who had survived the first attack\u2014a potential war crime that has led even some Republicans to express concerns, and that has intensified pressure<\/a> on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.<\/strong><\/p>\n The White House claims the Post<\/em> \u201cpublished an unsubstantiated lie to undermine the Department of War\u2019s anti-terrorist operations.\u201d But to some media figures, what the White House is actually doing with its stunt is obvious: It\u2019s the \u201cwrongful and intentional targeting of journalists by government officials for exercising a constitutionally protected right,\u201d as Post<\/em> editor Matt Murray<\/strong> said<\/a> in a statement Thursday night. \u201cThe<\/em> Washington Post<\/em> will not be dissuaded and will continue to report rigorously and accurately in service to all of America.\u201d<\/p>\n