Opinion: The same media that gave us Trump now report his every tweet. This must stop.

To the editor: I agree with Warren Olney about President Trump benefiting from round-the-clock news coverage, but CNN is not the only outlet that helped him during the campaign. Broadcast TV outlets like CBS, ABC and NBC seemed enthralled by Trump’s antics and gave him a tremendous amount of exposure. (“Trump can thank the ‘fake media’ for his presidency,” Opinion, July 14)

As an entertainer, Trump provided the networks with exciting free specials almost daily. Viewers of Fox News did not need all of that hoopla, as they were already in Trump’s corner after years of propaganda from talkshow hosts.

We were sold down the river by the free press. And now, the same reporters anxiously check Trump’s Twitter feed and write new stories.

Al Jackson, Irvine

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To the editor: During the last election, my “news” antennae ran very hot as I watched, with extraordinary disappointment, national coverage by the media giants.

Often I reflected upon what my late father, the assignment editor at documentary producer at KNXT in the 1960s and 70s, would have thought. As the producer of “Newsmakers,” he and his panel conducted important interviews with politicians and many other news makers as well.

Olney exquisitely articulated his as well as my belief that television news has become a ratings game, and we viewers are the losers. He is one of the last of the real news journalists. His opinion piece was an inspired, powerful and comprehensive story of the loss of balanced journalism and how critically important it is to our country.

Lucie Fischer Bava, Cheviot HIlls

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To the editor: I take exception to Olney’s statement that “gratitude is not a quality possessed by Trump, before or since he attained the White House.” He has obviously not been paying attention.

Trump has consistently expressed immense gratitude in rally after rally and in speech after speech to those people who matter the most: We the American people. Our president’s gratitude to his supporters is and has always been fervent and fervently expressed.

Even though Trump has repeated his statements of gratitude to us over and over again, I for one never grow tired of hearing them. Olney needs to wake up.

Carole Eastman, Redlands

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