Category: Media Watch

* If you haven’t yet seen the new 10News Brightside, the makeover at CBS affiliate WTSP, don’t bother. No, on second thought, bother one time. You do need to see what the future of TV news might look like.

In the name of staying relevant, hip and in sync with what’s all abuzz on social media platforms, WTSP has become theater in the round. There are co-anchors standing, apparatus in hand, at what looks like a car-rental counter. Interactivity on steroids.

General Manager Mike Rodriguez explained the new look. “It’s more of a dialogue, instead of a monologue,” he said. “It looks a lot more like what people see on the web.”

Indeed. And good luck, Reggie. Maybe Theater in the Roundtree will be a career capper.

* Dan Rather, 85, the host of “Dan Rather’s America” on SiriusXM, said something the other day that should resonate with all Americans. “We need patriotism, but we have to understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism.” Here’s hoping that those who truly need that underscored, will act accordingly.

The selection of the Bucs as the featured team for HBO’s award-winning “Hard Knocks” series has drawn a lot of media attention–nationally and locally. It has its critics, and it has its fans.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter summed it up for both sides. “I like watching the show. I wish I wasn’t on it.” In other words, it can be captivating TV, but no matter how you couch it–including “They chose us!”–nobody in charge wants an uber invasive, distracting presence on the job site. One that entails a 30-person NFL Films crew that has pretty much unfettered access to everything. And one that is mandatory for the chosen franchise.

The fans of “Hard Knocks” cite its popularity, borne of drama, humor, soap box plot lines and some inevitably charismatic players. It’s a story-telling platform. Ownership can bask in the five-week, national limelight with big-time ratings that average nearly 4 million viewers per episode. And remind themselves that they were chosen, in part, because the Bucs are an ascending franchise. Plus, a marketing windfall looms. And then hope nothing cringe-worthy happens.

“Hard Knocks” is also a graphically entertaining reminder that the NFL is more than football. And more than business. It’s show business. Personalities matter. Like it or not. The bottom line is much more than wins and losses. It is TV ratings and sponsors.

The countdown has begun. First HBO episode is Aug. 8. Dirk Koetter doesn’t have to be reminded.

* “Extremism can only bring unhappiness and division to France. As such, there is no other choice than to vote against the extreme right.”–French conservative Francois Fillon, who did not make the presidential runoff that now pairs centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right populist Marine Le Pen.

* “The era of strategic patience is over.”–Vice President Mike Pence’s warning to North Korea.

* “It looks as if the world is preparing for war–the nuclear threat once again seems real.”–Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

* “Trump has cultivated strategic uncertainty with conflicting, confusing, and sometimes bellicose statements. Nuclear miscalculation and escalation are possible with adversaries besides Russia–most notably North Korea.”–Nate Jones, author and director of the Freedom of Information Act Project at the National Security Archive, and J. Peter Scoblic, author and International Security Program fellow at New America.

* “(Steve) Bannon stupidly picked a fight with Jared Kushner that he was all but certain to lose, and not only because Kushner is kin. Consider Trump’s obsession with appearances, then tell me who has the advantage: the guy who looks like a flea market made flesh or the one who seems poised to pose for G.Q.?”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “I do wish (Trump) would spend more time in Washington, D.C. That is what we have a White House for. … He spends too much money coming and going, and if we’re preaching about spending, we need to be following that.”–Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

* “This would have negative repercussions, not only for Canada, but also for the United States.”–Canadian Transportation Minister Marc Garneau’s assessment of the impact of a border adjustment tax.

* “The Democrats don’t want money from budget going to border wall despite the fact that it will stop drugs and very bad MS 13 gang members.”–President Donald Trump.

* “My organization has not targeted these so-called ‘dreamers,’ DACA. And we have many, many more important criminals to go after and get rid of, and not the DACAs.”–Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

* “In too many of these organizations, there are rewards for cheating and punishments for calling out the cheaters. As long as that’s the case, the biggest financial institutions will continue to put their customers and the economy at risk.”–Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, from her new book “This Fight Is Our Fight.”

* “The way I approach an election, I assume nothing. I run scared as a jackrabbit.”–Florida U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

* “There are all these people who say, ‘Well, what would Jesus do?’ I know what he would do. You know what he would do. Jesus wasn’t just Jesus. He was a liberal Democrat.”–John Morgan.

* “They’re as frustrated, those rural, white working-class voters, as much as the black and the Latino working-class voters. Don’t let them separate us in that way. We have a lot more in common than we do that separates ourselves.”–Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee and 2018 gubernatorial candidate.

* “Others are going to have to deal with what we do or don’t do today. So we need to be good stewards of what we’ve inherited and keep this ball moving forward so this airport can be the pride of the community that it’s been.”–TIA board chairman Robert Watkins on airport expansion and the need to keep ahead of the growth curve.

* “As our population increases, our potential to excel and compete as a region is only constrained by our lack of transit options and our inefficient regional connectivity.”–Barry Shevlin and Jeff Vinik, co-chairs of Tampa Bay Partnership’s Transportation Working Group.

* “I found myself supporting transit after traveling to other metros across America that offer myriad transportation options to young professionals who would rather work on their laptops while commuting than grip a steering wheel and fume over road congestion.”–Mark Sharpe, executive director of the Tampa Innovation Alliance and former Hillsborough County commissioner.

* “Somewhere, and I don’t know where the somewhere is, between Ybor and downtown, I think is the best (stadium) location, and my sense is the Rays are looking at fairly strongly.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “I fell in love with Ybor City, with its history and culture. It’s all there, and it’s rare.”–Darryl Shaw, prominent investor and developer in Ybor.

* “I’m going to be investing $15- to $20 million over the next five years because Ybor City is going to be a place to live.”–Columbia Restaurant owner Richard Gonzmart.

* “This is great news for Tampa and the region. Our thriving job market and economy is just another indicator of Tampa’s re-emergence as a national and international player for both small and large businesses to relocate.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the region’s unemployment rate falling to 4.1 percent in March–down from 4.5 percent a year earlier–and leading all Florida metros in job demand.

* “We certainly have a great, healthy market right now. I don’t see any adverse influences to cause it to slow down.”–Charles Richardson, senior regional vice president of Coldwell Banker, in underscoring the red hot Tampa Bay housing market.

* “I think this is an amazing opportunity for us to, as much as I don’t want to say it out loud, partner with charters.”–Hillsborough County School Board Chairwoman Cindy Stuart, in acknowledging that charter schools could help ease a looming financial crunch brought on by growth in future years.

Among the, uh, incongruities of the Trump presidency, is White House spokesman Sean Spicer. His high-profile role doesn’t make sense on multiple levels.

No PR-aware business would want to be courting Gaffegate on a daily basis, including a private-family-brand “businessman.” No government would want to be risking unintended, counterproductive signals being sent across the geopolitical spectrum. And no pathologically narcissistic commander in chief would want a fool for a daily de facto surrogate.

But here we are. Spicer, who serves by the appointment of and at the pleasure of the president, has become a liability–as well as a late-night-comedic piñata. It’s what happens when you debut with “alternative facts” and double down with a reference to Adolph Hitler, “who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” And more. Does he have a “dossier” on Trump?

Here’s some unsolicited media advice for this–or any other–administration:

Look for someone who’s a quick study, projects candor and gravitas and has a sense of humor. The White House press corps can be a preening, gotcha crowd. They know when they’re being stonewalled, and they resent encountering spokespeople who consider the media as the opposition. They can also tell when a spokesman is a true “insider” or just a talking-points mouthpiece. But they prefer to respect and actually like that person.

President Barack Obama had a good one in Robert Gibbs and Josh Earnest was acquitting himself well at the end. Jay Carney always looked in over his head. President George W. Bush was well represented by Ari Fleischer and the late Tony Snow. President Bill Clinton had the well-regarded Mike McCurry.

But all things being (seemingly) equal, a relevant rule of thumb would be to hire a former journalist. They know what’s news and what it’s like to track it down. They also know the level of professionalism and honesty they want from a spokesperson. And the ability to engage in repartee doesn’t hurt. The podium is also a stage.

Most White House spokespersons last, on average, about two years. It can be a demanding slog.

It’s interesting to note who holds the longevity record: James Hagerty. He served eight years as the White House spokesman for President Dwight Eisenhower. He had insider cred; he had a candid demeanor; and he projected a certain empathy for the media and its job. Before that, he had been press secretary for New York Gov. Thomas Dewey. Prior to that, he had been a reporter for the New York Times.

Sean Spicer had been communications director for the Republican National Committee.

* “If you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken.”–Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

* “One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved but has rather deteriorated.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.

* “Russia will continue to support Assad because he is the only guarantor of Russia’s military presence in Syria and hence of Russia’s military presence in the Middle East over all.”–Aleksei V. Makarkin, deputy head of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank.

* “(Trump’s) foreign policy has gone from mere homeland protection to defending certain interest, values and strategic assets abroad. … With a president who counts unpredictability as a virtue, he could well reverse course again.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “I explained to the president of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem … North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!”–President Donald Trump.

* “It’s unlikely that we will build a wall or physical barrier from sea to shining sea.”–Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.

* “… A very left-wing, anti-American president.”–Sen. John McCain’s assertion of what will result in Mexico as a result of the Trump Administration’s bellicosity toward it.

* “The definition of criminal has not changed, but where on the spectrum of criminality we operate has changed.”–Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

* “There is such a profound lack of trust between the two parties. It clearly affects the country.”–Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine.

* “Trump is working to be the blue-collar president–you’re already seeing that in is outreach to unions.”–F. Vincent Vernucci, director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center, a Michigan-based, free-market think tank.

* “Economic nationalism is predicated on a state-of-the-art infrastructure.”–Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

* “(Trump’s) mastered instantaneous Twitter. It’s like owning newspapers.”–House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

* “I like Donald. I guess I shouldn’t call him that. I like President Trump. He’s affable. He’s funny. He’s good company.”–Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide.

* “I am passionate about the unfinished business of the 21st century. The rights and opportunities for women and girls.”–Hillary Clinton.

* “Never say never. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I mean, hell, Donald Trump’s going to be 74 (in 2020). I’ll be 77 and in better shape. I mean, what the hell?”–Former Vice President Joe Biden.

* “Investors want something that is going to go up in orders of magnitude in six months to six years, and Tesla is that story.”–Karl Brauer, senior editor at Kelley Blue Book, on why Tesla surpassed Ford Motor in market value for the first time.

* “People suspect that special interests dominate policy decisions, and it’s on clear display when (amendments) pass overwhelmingly but are hijacked for other purposes.”–Susan Glickman, Florida director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

* “What I will tell you is that (St. Petersburg) police officers will arrest anyone who violates the law. What they won’t do, they won’t ask, ‘Are you an illegal immigrant?’ and ‘Can I see your papers?’ They don’t do that, and they’re not going to start doing that.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “We think that there is a certain group of people that don’t want a roommate, and this is a great opportunity for somebody to live by themselves, save on the expense of a car and live downtown.”–Omar Garcia, manager of Urban Core Holdings, which is under contract to buy a downtown Tampa office building and convert the top eight floors into micro-apartments.

* “In 1890, Tampa started what became Florida’s largest port. In 1971, we opened one of America’s greatest airports. Both the port and airport are undergoing major investments in new capacity. We must have the same commitment to moving people and goods around the region once they get here.”–Tampa attorney Ron Weaver.

* “We tested the water. It is safe to drink, and we are treating the reservoir.”–Tampa city spokeswoman Ashley Bauman, in addressing the algae bloom in the Hillsborough River that had put a bad smell and taste in tap water.

* “We’ve got to get to a place where the Riverwalk is just its own place to go. We’ve got great attractions in Tampa, and this is one of them. It’s not just a park, it’s an attraction. But it’s free, and the public owns it.”–Jason Carroll, executive director for Friends of the Riverwalk.

* “Criminals are coming to SoHo because people leave their cars unlocked.”–TPD Lt. David Fernandez.

* Veteran sportswriter Joey Johnston, who wrote for both the Tampa Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times, has formed Johnson Communications. He scored a coup on Sunday with a prominent piece in the “Your Money” section of the New York Times that chronicled the family-first efforts of mixed martial arts fighter Martin Vergara, a Mexican-American living in Tampa. Vergara now works as a trainer at Jaye Maddon’s Epic Boxing and Fitness on W. Kennedy Boulevard.

* According to the America’s Most Literate Cities survey, St. Petersburg ranks second nationally in newspaper readers per capita–behind only Washington, D.C. “This is a wonderful hometown for the (Tampa Bay) Times, and we try to return the favor by giving our town a good newspaper,” said Paul Tash, chairman and CEO of the Times Publishing Co.

Moreover, imagine where St. Pete would rank if the Times hadn’t had to resort to such a barebones product–even after it absorbed some talent and readership from the late Tampa Tribune. Were it not for obituaries and Rooms to Go ads, it would be beyond embarrassing.

* Iranian-born author and television host Reza Aslan has acknowledged that he has sometimes told people that he was Mexican to stay clear of any issues over his Muslim faith. “That tells you how little I knew about America,” he says. “I didn’t realize you guys don’t like Mexicans either.”

His diversion from his Tehran roots is reminiscent of a similar ploy by another Iranian, Farrukh Quraishi, who was one of the original Tampa Bay Rowdies back in the day. I once asked him how he was handling his heritage in the context of the then-Iranian hostage crisis and how he answered questions about his roots. “I tell them I’m Persian,” said Quraishi, “and they just nod.”

* A recent study by the Federal Reserve compared predictions of key economic indicators–unemployment, inflation, interest rates, GDP, etc.–with the actual outcomes. And noted wide-spread errors. The well-publicized study’s conclusion: “Considerable uncertainty surrounds all macroeconomic projections.” It didn’t reference the “Trump market.”

No wonder the economic musings of a frustrated President Harry S. Truman, who once drolly noted his preference for “one-handed economists,” still resonate today. HST’s rationale: They wouldn’t be inclined to say “but on the other hand.”

* “From now on, we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.”–Joint statement from Russian, Iranian and Asad–backed forces.

* “If you gas a baby, you will see a response from this president.”–White House spokesperson Sean Spicer.

* “Terrorists want us to be afraid, to not live our lives normally. Terrorists can never defeat Sweden. Never.”–Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

* “Self-inflicted coup.”–How Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, characterized the move by Venezuela’s Supreme Court to strip the national legislature of its powers.

* “(President Trump) doesn’t like to telegraph all the cards he’s holding.”–Sean Spicer.

* “The most consequential decision I’ve ever been involved in was the decision to let the president being elected last year pick the Supreme Court nominee.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

* “We’re heading into a world where you don’t need one person from the other side to pick a judge. The judges are going to be more ideological, not less.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

* “The Supreme Court has become more than ever a superlegislature.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “(Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump) are going to have to walk a fine line between matters they are involved with financially and the policies they are helping create and legislation they may be advocating.”–Scott H. Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight.

* “Populism will always stand in tension with democracy.”–University of Texas political scientist Kurt Weyland.

* “Deficit spending is justified when the benefits of borrowing exceed the costs of borrowing.”–William L. Holahan and Charles O. Kroncke, co-authors of “Economics for Voters.”

* “Bill O’Reilly needs to go to jail.”–U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

* “The United States of America is truly an exceptional country. It is clear that something is wrong. Since the turn of the century, the U.S. has dumped trillions of dollars into wars, piled huge debt onto students, forced legions of foreigners to leave after getting advanced degrees, driven millions of Americans out of the workplace with felonies for sometimes minor offenses and hobbled the housing market with hastily crafted layers of rules.”–JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

* “Restoring Florida Forever funding ensures that we do not lose the best parts of Florida forever.”–Former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham.

* “In general, the economic outlook is very positive, and the positive sentiment will aid the economy to expand even further.”–Hector H. Sandoval, director of the University of Florida’s Economic Analysis Program, on survey results that show Floridians optimistic about their own finances, current economic conditions and the future of the economy.

* “The campaigns never end. Why do we need two years instead of five months?”–Trial lawyer John “For the People” Morgan, on not yet committing to run for governor in 2018.

* “There’s such a rich history. Writing a medical marijuana law should not be a reinvention of the wheel.”–Ben Pollara, executive director of Florida for Care, the advocacy group that led the campaign for Amendment 2.

* “I believe the ultimate arbiter of term limits is the ballot box.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.

* “The department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the nation’s sheriffs are at a standoff. … We chastise our children for bullying behavior, and reward cooperative solutions. We should expect nothing less of our federal government.”–Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

* “They can issue all the executive orders in Washington, D.C., they want, but they can’t extinguish our hope. They can do damage in Tallahassee, but they’re not going to deny our future.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, during his state of the city speech this week.

* “The next couple of years are going to be pretty remarkable in terms of new hospitality products and the caliber of hotels entering the market. … Downtown Tampa and West Shore are absolutely ripe for a luxury hotel, and a luxury hotel would do extremely well in downtown St. Pete.”– Lou Plasencia, CEO of Tampa’s Plasencia Group hotel sales and consulting firm.

* “There’s a pent-up demand for penthouses.”–Tampa real estate broker Toni Everett.

* “My only regret is I’m term-limited.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “We told the Rays that their forever place is right here in St. Petersburg. That’s what this was all about.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, in touting the city’s report on why the 85-acre Trop site is the best place in the Tampa Bay region to build a new baseball stadium.

* “It is amazing. The ferry, I think, has passed the test. We know there is strong demand for water transit.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, on the six-month, Cross- Bay Ferry pilot program.

* “The ball is in the city’s hands. Nothing has changed.”–David Yates, CEO of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, in reiterating that the Aquarium is committed to selling a key piece of downtown property to the city–regardless of outside offers, including Scientology.

If you’re in the opinion-scribbling business, you periodically get asked what it’s like to have to keep coming up with stuff to write about. The good news is that there’s always something to write about. The bad news, alas, is that there’s always something to write about.

That’s life; that’s journalism. As Walter Cronkite once remarked: “No one is interested in all the cats that did not get stuck in trees today.”

But no one could have envisioned this commentary sinkhole. Call it a worst-case perfect storm where a morphing media that’s been blindsided by technology and pop culture meets a reality TV president with an adversarial approach to the media and a toxic take on its role.

Some background on how we got here:

The United States, the most powerful and impactful democracy in history, now has an electorate that has become, frankly, a democratic embarrassment. Lazy, uninformed and overly susceptible to pandering.

Turnout was barely more than 50 percent for last year’s presidential election–when so much was riding on it in so many obvious ways. It’s far less than half in most off-year, gubernatorial elections. And sometimes single digits when it comes to local races. “American exceptionalism,” anyone?

We have a primary system that can encourage, jump-start and nominate less-than-the-best candidates. Those at the ends of the spectrum have more than viable shots given low turnout and the impact of activists and virtually unfettered fundraising. And the No Party Affiliation crowd can’t weigh in to balance the scales.

As a result, if a certain caricature candidate, for example, makes for colorful copy, provides killer optics and furnishes white nationalism-populism sound bites, the media will go where the crowd noise and ratings dictate. I saw a George Wallace rally back in the day. The vibe and code language were not dissimilar. Once the free media-induced momentum was underway, no way was a low-energy Jeb Bush or a high-caliber John Kasich going to out-perform Donald Trump.

Remember the first presidential debate in Las Vegas? In political Freudian slippage, Fox moderator Megyn Kelly previewed “the show.” Her words. It was, of course, an all-too-accurate portrayal of what was to unfold: performance art and stage hustle with the media as self-serving enabler and accomplice. It presaged what was to come.

America, we well know, has an iconic First Amendment. It also has a history of envelope-pushing journalism, shall we say. From the sometimes scurrilous pamphleteers of the Revolutionary era and William Randolph Hearst’s yellow journalism to basic tabloid fare that teased and tittered. Throw in Lenny Bruce and Allen Ginsberg for the hell of it.

To paraphrase the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, we knew it when we saw it. But we thought we had seen it all.

Until now.

Knave New World

Once there were three TV networks, and the national newscast was 15 minutes. News was a loss leader. Yes, its orientation was left-of-center, but hardly hard-core, ideology driven. Prominent anchors–think: Walter Cronkite, Howard K. Smith and David Brinkley–had all been trained as print journalists, not hot-shot, news-reading media celebrities and opinion-drivers.

Major daily newspapers were differentiated by their editorial pages, but the mainstream news stories were found on all fronts. The New York Times and the Washington Post were still iconic. Recall the impact of the Pentagon Papers’ publication and Watergate coverage. For the most part, everybody was reading or watching the same news. And that included President Lyndon B. Johnson, who famously noted that “Now we’ve lost Cronkite,” when the CBS anchor did politically devastating commentary pieces from Saigon.

And rest assured, no establishment media back then would have been lulled into using “Obamacare,” the demonizing Republican shorthand for the Affordable Care Act, in such routine, clueless, counterproductive fashion. And, BTW, it’s not likely that local network affiliate anchors would have had to be reminded that “Barack” was a first name and not to be used alone on second reference. It sounded, you know, kind of partisan. And, yes, that really happened here in this market in 2008.

Fast forward to right now. Reading a daily newspaper or watching the evening network news is so old school to so many. High-octane talk radio and cable news networks that feature loud, conflict-driven exchanges have become a marketable blend of politics and show business, not necessarily in that order. It’s a world where impartiality means lack of conviction, and partisanship ensures a loyal market sector.

Rupert Murdoch presciently founded Fox, because he was a savvy businessman and saw an unaddressed niche: news, and more importantly, news analysis that was on the conservative side of the spectrum. But Sean Hannity is no William F. Buckley Jr. If you were “fair and balanced,” it’s obvious what was to be inferred about the other side. Smart, however disingenuous, marketing. Game on.

And then, of course, there’s the societal game-changer that is the internet. The echo chambers range from social media opinion-sharing to “fake news” websites to bloggers who can act as their own editors, proof-readers, publishers and, presumably, libel attorneys. It’s never been easier to cherry pick the media that validates a position or confirms a bias. Don’t like Politico or HuffPo? Try Breitbart or Drudge. Battling insomnia? See if there are any 5 a.m. tweets from POTUS.

This is the knave new communication-and-information world we now inhabit. Where aforementioned “fake news” can resonate with those who need to believe that the Pope endorses Donald Trump or the Hillary Clinton campaign is connected to a “PizzaGate” pedophile ring.

And how ironic, if not karmic, given the media’s supportive role in Trump branding over the years–that this president would now unleash his utter contempt for the mainstream media. That it is, in his opinion, “dishonest” and the intentional, agenda-driven purveyor of “fake news.”

It’s a narcissistic overreaction to that which Trump can’t control. He also misses the nostalgic days of lionizing, ego-stroking tabloids.

And all of this from the Fabulist-in-Chief who has trafficked in “fake news” long before its current coinage. From one who has acknowledged–OK, bragged–that he, indeed, does “play to people’s fantasies.” He’s used aliases (“John Barron” and “John Miller”) to spin complimentary lies about himself to the New York tabs and made blatantly false claims about the sham that was Trump U. He’s also the perpetrator of the unconscionable “birther” lie about Barack Obama and incredulously claimed his predecessor had him “wire-tapped.” And more. It’s pathological. Obviously.

And let’s not forget his Tweeting obsession. It’s a function of a hair-Twitter temperament, as well as a strategy of diversion and scapegoating. Plus, he gets unfiltered access to his fan base. It’s a modern version of a familiar ploy for populists and would-be authoritarians.

Yes, this is a challenging, gut-checking time for the media.

The onus is really on the media to make up for being played. For having made personality more of a priority than policy during the presidential campaign. For having allowed a false “equivalence” between candidates to get legs. For accepting increasingly flawed polling as if it were still Gallup calling land lines in the 1960s.

For now, the media can double down on fact checking and substantiating anonymous sources. It can make “accountability” more than an ideal. And it can re-embrace what the “fourth estate” means to American democracy. This isn’t a matter of off-putting personality and a culture of arrogance. This is about truth.

As Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald so unsubtly put it: “Trump has dragged journalism into a back-alley brawl, and we’ve been trying to fight it by the Marquess of Queensberry rules.”

There can be no backing down. This is, after all, our country too.

* “This is a historic moment from which there can be no turning back.”–British Prime Minister Theresa May, on the UK’s formal start of “Brexit” from the European Union.

* “The Chinese like to say that relationships matter, but their interests always matter far more.”–Evan Medeiros, former Asia director for the National Security Council under President Obama.

* “If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will.”–President Donald Trump.

* “I think Trump is looking for real commitment and follow-through on North Korea. It can’t be an ask. It must be a demand.”–Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation.

* “The problem that (Rep. Devin Nunes) has created is he’s gone off on a lark by himself, sort of an Inspector Clouseau investigation here.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

* “This is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss) by media and Dems.”–President Donald Trump’s response in support of an immunity request by former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

* “Politics aside, private markets in many areas of the economy have substantive advantages over a government program. They create competition, which leads to innovation and lower prices. But private markets in medical care tend to be more complicated and less successful.”–David Leonhardt, New York Times.

* “Americans now think government should help guarantee (health-care) coverage for just about everyone.”–Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.

* “The Freedom Caucus wants the freedom to vote no on everything, which makes governing complicated for the Republican majority.”–John Feehery, Republican strategist.

* “Crisis reveals the character, the essential nature of a White House. Seventy days in, that is my worry.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.

* “Trump is, indeed, prophetic. Washington under him doesn’t resemble the same old swamp. It looks like a sandbox. There’s commotion aplenty, noise galore and not much evidence of adult supervision.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.

* “Hollywood has been preparing us for a presidency like this for years.”–Novelist Teddy Wayne.

* “A lot of this election was turned by white, college-educated women who now would maybe like to forget about this election and go back to watching HGTV. I would want to urge them: ‘You can’t look away’ because it doesn’t affect you this minute, but it’s going to affect you eventually.”–Comedian Tina Fey at an ACLU benefit.

* “We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has encountered. What happens next is up to you and me. Don’t be afraid. This moment of danger can also be your finest hour as a citizen and an American.”–David Frum, former speechwriter for George W. Bush.

* “What’s happening is, the mainstream media are making Americans suffer from information underload–for all the great things the president is doing.”–White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.

* “This White House does not seem to value an independent press. There is a word for that line of thinking. The word is un-American.”–Jake Tapper, CNN.

* “The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by ‘intelligence’ like candy. Very un-American!”–President Donald Trump.

* “America is capable of being un-American.”–Richard Cahan, author of “Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese-Americans During World War II.”

* “Until people start feeling less partisan and less hateful of the other side, I think there’s going to be a tremendous market for fake news.”–Bob Shaw, vice chairman of the board at the First Amendment Foundation.

* “A couple of weeks ago, I was a block and a half away (from Trump Tower), and it was not the New York that I recognize. It’s like a police state around there–unimaginable.”–Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg.

* “Foreign-born entrepreneurs are frustrated by the delays inherent to our outdated immigration system–and more recently are turned off by intense anti-immigrant rhetoric and sentiment among some in the United States–and are going to places like Canada and Europe instead.”–Roly Marante, chairman of government relations for the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

* “A new, modern facility properly located with a team that’s competitive will draw in that market. That’s why we put the team there in the first place. And we continue to believe that’s true.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, on the sustainability of the Tampa Bay Rays.

* “This is the beginning of a major, major project to redevelop the West Tampa area.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on beginning the process of moving the city’s maintenance hub for wastewater departments out of West Tampa–to make room for a key piece of the West River development.

* “We see it as an innovation gateway.”–Mark Sharpe, executive director of the Tampa Innovation Alliance, on design concepts for a more eco- and pedestrian-friendly Fowler Avenue.

* “Let us not lose perspective. (Today’s challenges are) in no way comparable to those faced by our founding fathers.”–Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission.

* “They have taken one of the most productive trade relationships in the world and amazingly have turned it into a problem.”–Michael Camunez, president of ManattJones Global Strategies and former assistant secretary of commerce in the Obama administration, on the Mexican-American impact of NAFTA uncertainty under President Trump.

* “I’m a very instinctual person, but my instinct turns out to be right.”–President Donald Trump.

* “Most politicians recoil from controversy. Trump seems to be convinced that controversy serves to amplify his message. The burden of added scrutiny is outweighed, in this Trumpian calculus, by the benefit of extra attention for whatever message he is peddling.”–Ruth Marcus, Washington Post.

* “Donald Trump attracts some of the shadiest, darkest, weirdest people around him.”–Republican strategist Ana Navarro.

* “It’s sometimes said that politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Trump campaigns in braggadocio and governs in bombast.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.

* “(Trump’s) a distraction–in and of himself.”–Jeb Bush.

* “There is no plan B. There’s Plan A and Plan A. We’re going to get this done.”–Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, on the proposed re-write of the nation’s health care system.

* “We’re going to be living with ‘Obamacare’ for the foreseeable future.”–House Speaker Paul Ryan.

* “So much about political power is about perception. And if the perception is that you can’t get your first big initiative done, then that hurts the perceptions down the road about your ability to get other big things done.”–Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala.

* “So much for the art of the deal.”–Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

* “Convenient how Trump flips from an all-powerful master negotiator to well-intentioned simpleton duped by Snidely Ryan at the drop of a hat.”–Conservative columnist Ben Shapiro.

* “We all learned a lot; we learned a lot about loyalty.”–Donald Trump.

* “It collapsed under its own weight and the unmasking of the huge tax breaks to wealthy special interests while raising costs for everyday Americans and weakening Medicare and Medicaid health services.”–Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.

* “I’ve been saying for years that the best thing is to let ‘Obamacare’ explode and then go make a deal with the Democrats. And they will come to us. We won’t have to come to them.”–Donald Trump.

* “We were a 10-year opposition party. Being against things was easy to do.”–Paul Ryan.

* “Do I regret not being president? Yes.”–Joe Biden.

* “The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) serves Congress; the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) serves the president. Given the constitutional separation of executive and legislative powers, both offices are needed.”–Alice Rivlin, founding director of the CBO and former director of the White House OMB in the Clinton Administration.

* “There is arguably nothing more important for the government to do now than pursue competitive markets in sustainable energy.”–Alan Green, Stetson University economics department chairman.

* “It’s a great day for American jobs and a historic moment for North America and energy independence.”–Donald Trump, in granting the permit for the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline.

* “(Constitutional) ‘originalists’ must honor not just the original understanding of words ratified in 1787-88, but also the letter and spirit of language added by later generations of amenders.”–Akhil Reed Amar, Yale law professor and author of “The Constitution Today: Timeless lessons for the Issues of Our Era.”

* “My personal views … I leave those at home.”–Judge Neil Gorsuch.

* “I don’t feel like a winner right now, if that’s what you’re getting at.”–Rachel Maddow, when asked about enjoying a record number of MSNBC viewers as a result of the election of Donald Trump.

* “We have no (transit) vision. In Tampa Bay, we haven’t built that foundation yet. The first step really is merging the MPOs (Metropolitan Planning Organizations). We need to get our house in order.”–Florida Senate Appropriations Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg.

* “We will never be able to make the progress we want until we take a regional (transit) approach.”–Florida state representative Ben Diamond, D-St. Petersburg, a former board member of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.

* “He’s going to be hard to beat if he really gets into that race.”–Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s assessment of John Morgan’s chances if he runs for governor in 2018.

* “In Florida, economic development and tourism get respect, but education does not.”–Ruth Eckerd Hall President and CEO Zev Buffman.

* “The number of passengers. The operating costs covered by fares. Just the overall use of the (Cross-Bay) ferry has exceeded our expectations. … March, from what we can tell, is going to be our strongest month.”–St. Petersburg city development administrator Alan DeLisle.

* “I would not have made the deal allowing (the Rays) to look around the region if I didn’t have complete confidence in St. Petersburg and the opportunity that the Trop site presents them.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

* “The distressed segment of the market is down to a very, very low percentage of the market, and what that means is that the market is healthy. Right now, it’s probably the healthiest market we’ve had in the last 10 years.”–Charles Richardson, senior regional vice president of Coldwell Banker, on soaring Tampa Bay home prices.

* “I think West Tampa is a hidden secret among young people as a place to live.”–Jeanette LaRussa Fenton, economic development consultant for the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

* “The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce is ready for the (TBX) conversation and looks forward to working with the communities and FDOT. Together we can find the answer.”–Mike Griffin, chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.