Opinion: The American Press Corps Is Not Equipped For This Moment

We’ve never had to contend with a determined autocrat in this country, and it shows.

WASHINGTON — We are not ready for this.

The Washington, D.C., press corps, used to playing small ball for small exclusives, has been suddenly thrust into a presidential administration that appears hell-bent on transforming our constitutional republic into something entirely different.

For decades, the coin of the realm in political journalism was access. Who you knew determined what you knew, and especially what “inside” information the people you knew were willing to give you.

Sometimes this sort of journalism leads to big, important stories that bring out facts that otherwise would never see the light of day.

Far, far, far too often, though, and much more frequently in recent years with a never-ending news cycle, the “scoops” that win reporters’ attention and promotions and higher-profile jobs are stories that “reveal” news that was going to come out anyway. Sometimes you see scoops that brag about some nugget just minutes before it is officially announced.