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Surrounded by security, face bloodied, hand raised defiantly above his head, US flag waiving in the background. There has never been, nor will there likely ever be, an image that better crystallises the meaning of MAGA (‘Make America Great Again’) for Donald Trump supporters than the one taken by Associated Press photojournalist Evan Vucci showing the former President moments after the attempt on his life, Christian Christensen wrote in an article first published in Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter.
For the political right, the photograph has gained instant iconic status. But, the photo symbolises a great deal more than a defiant Trump. It symbolises the profession of journalism. It symbolises the power of the image in contemporary politics. It symbolises experience. And, finally, it symbolises the “mainstream media.”
As such, the position the image now holds within the imagination of the political right is deeply ironic and contradictory, as it is a product of the very industry and profession – mainstream journalism – that Trumpites claim to be the genesis of so much disinformation and national disloyalty in US society.
An attempt on the life of a presidential candidate (who also happens to be a former President) is a seminal moment for news reporting. What is required is a level-headed approach to facts, a resistance to sensationalism and a refusal to amplify or pander to voices calling for further violence or social division.
In other words, it requires journalism of the highest order from news organisations that citizens can trust. The problem? Journalism outlets – in all forms – and the profession of journalism have been under attack for years from the political right in the US. Trust in journalism is at an all-time low.
While political attacks on journalism abound, X/Twitter owner Elon Musk has made it his mission to attack and undermine the practice of journalism at every opportunity, framing his social media platform as a better place for citizens to find accurate “news” and information.
For anyone who has to struggle through the ocean of disinformation, hate and lies spread by X “Blue Check” users (who literally pay Musk to have their material amplified), the very suggestion that the platform is a reliable source for news is a sad joke.
In the aftermath of the Trump shooting, X has been a digital tsunami of conspiracy theories (Biden had Trump killed) and disinformation (identifying the wrong people as the shooter). This is what we might call the Muskification of US public debate. And there is no worse time for Muskification than right now.
So, is lack of trust in US news purely the fault of the political right? No. It is also a wound US journalism has inflicted upon itself and US citizens for decades.
Make no mistake. I will never write any love-letters to US journalism. I’ve spent the last 30 years of my life examining and writing about mainstream journalism. To me, corporate US news, from CNN to the New York Times, have failed to hold political, corporate, military and social power to account.
US journalism has vigorously defended the economic and political status quo, and in doing so has largely and deliberately ignored structural problems such as poverty, racism and disproportionate corporate power in US society. And, make no mistake, ordinary US citizens can smell that failure.
This brings me back to the now iconic image of a bloody Trump.
The photographer, is a Pultzer Prize winner. He ran in front of Trump immediately after the shooting, at great personal risk, to get that picture. In fact, the photo was so “perfect” that many have stated that it must have been staged. There is a legitimate argument that the picture and the reaction to the picture also reflect much of what is wrong with commodified media and politics. That the image is more important than the substance.
But, let us place that criticism to one side for a moment. The image represents core elements of journalism: a combination of experience, professionalism, knowledge, skill and judgement.
Attacks on journalism in the US in Europe do not simply target individual stories or outlets, but the entire profession. They are attacks on journalism as a social institution.
But the picture of a bloodied Trump is a reminder that smartphone pictures and short posts on social media can never replace professional journalism. A reminder that journalism done well is central to democracy, and disinformation is democratic cancer. Yes, that’s a worn-out cliché, but cliches don’t have to be false.
Trump and his supporters place a great deal of blame on journalism for the state of the country. Yet it is that same journalism that has provided them with the image that encapsulates their discontent.
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There are two choices in front of us. We can say journalism maintains a central position in contemporary society, but that it should never be above criticism or reform. Or, we can declare journalists and journalism to be enemies that damage the nation.
The former keeps roads open on behalf of citizens. The latter is a nihilist view that brings us to a dead-end. To a world where, ironically, that picture of Trump would never have been taken.