Los Angeles 
Big news: I’m porting my old-timey blog over to a new-fangled video series.
I’ll still bring you real-world case studies of best practices and media missteps, but there’s one public figure I will not be covering, and that is President Donald Trump.
It’s not that he doesn’t make mistakes. The average Trump interview unfolds like a master class in what not to do in front of reporters.
So why not talk about it? Three reasons:
Where is the Lesson?
The whole purpose of my newsletter is to present cautionary tales. But where is the lesson in a politician who violates every rule of media engagement, but rarely if ever suffers consequences? Donald Trump’s approach to the media would ruin the career of just about anyone else. It helped get him elected twice (or at least it didn’t hurt). I think I would get tired of saying, “Sure Trump got away with this, but you can’t.”
Is he Actually Making Mistakes?
Trump’s media behavior is erratic and unorthodox, but so are many of his policies. So when he talks about annexing Canada or removing all Palestinians from Gaza, is he really committing a media faux paus, or truthfully describing controversial positions? I’m a media consultant after all, not a political strategist.
Enough Already
Whether you’re a supporter of the president or a never-Trumper, I think you’ll agree Donald Trump analysis is played out. He’s keeping countless columnists and pundits employed, and filling every minute of cable news. I’m going to keep this series a place where we can talk about other Media Masters and Disasters.
