A disturbing thing for an average citizen to believe needs to be done because the President doesn't like what's being said about him.
The fact is, the President made perfectly clear during the campaign, that anything negative about him should be considered fake by his supporters, anything and everything and you want to have that media "reigned in".
Dangerous sentiment for average citizens to be having.
I think that many in the electorate can identify which is legitimate criticism of Trump, and that which isn't.
Why else would the media's credibility and trust poll results go down, continue to go down?
There's good Trump, when he advances the agenda that elected him.
And there's bad Trump, when he fails to advance, or retards, the agenda that elected him, such as stupid twitter slap fights, or when he shoots his own administration's message in the feet with something stupid.
When Trump is being good Trump, he deserves accolades.
When Trump is being bad Trump, he deserves criticism.
Criticism of the public policy agenda that elected him is separate from Trump and his administration and their performance.
The media appears to be ignoring when Trump is good, or when there is something positive to report about the Trump administration, and have instead decided to only focus on the bad Trump, and, at times, make **** up (spin, worst possible interpretation, anonymous single source leaks without even basic verification, fauxrage, etc. etc.) if they don't have enough negative stories to report.
That which is labeled 'fake news' isn't the legitimate criticism, it is the spin, worst possible interpretation, anonymous single source leaks without even basic verification type coverage. Those who take offense at Trump calling out the 'fake news' seem to get the two mixed up, legitimate criticism and the other. Perhaps its politically convenient for them, or serves their confirmation bias.
Suffice it to say that this extreme version of media bias could easily and legitimately be called journalistic malpractice, as it doesn't serve inform the electorate, it misleads them and manipulates them, it doesn't serve to speak truth to power, nor does it hold elected officials and the government accountable. Instead, all it serves is to de-legitimize and marginalize a legitimately elected president and his administration.
This should give you as much, or even more, pause concern than your observation of the average citizen holding the opinion that the media needs to be reigned in.
The media needs to get out of the business of 'fake news', as defined above, and back into the real news.
I seem to recall when Trump had that hour long press conference, fielding every question, where he stated that he was willing to take legitimate criticism. The only question that I have, has legitimate criticism from the press been attacked by Trump as 'fake news'? (Of course it would depend on what one would consider legitimate criticism, I suppose).
