THE STORY IN tRUMP'S MIND

Once Upon a Time Fairness Was the Law - Now It's Fear

Corporate media loves to say it “presents both sides” of every political story. Once upon a time, that was actually the law.

The Fairness Doctrine, established by the FCC in 1949, required broadcasters, radio and television using public airwaves, to
(1) cover controversial issues of public importance, and
(2) present contrasting viewpoints on those issues in a fair and balanced way.

This applied only to FCC-licensed broadcasters, not to newspapers or cable networks.
I say applied because in 1987 the FCC abolished the doctrine, arguing it violated free-speech rights and was no longer necessary given the explosion of media outlets.

The only rule still standing is the Equal Time Rule, which applies narrowly to political candidates’ airtime during elections, not to general news or commentary.

Today, networks aren’t legally required to air both sides. Most still pretend to, for credibility or audience trust. But legally? They don’t have to.
Except when they kind of, sort of, do, because the President of the United States sues the pants off any outlet that dares to voice a negative viewpoint about him or his administration.

Case in point: Paramount Global’s $16 million payment to tRump in July 2025.

So here’s my honest question:
Are there really always two sides to every political story?
Should networks avoid running a story altogether if they can’t, or won’t, find a “reasonable” rebuttal?

Of course, I’m talking about mainstream media here, not fake FOX News.

And yes, I have a specific political story in mind.

Trump’s massively diminished cognitive abilities.

It’s the elephant in the Oval Office. Even his supporters are having a hard time ignoring, much less explaining, his mumbling, stumbling, and increasingly obvious inability to process or answer a question in any meaningful way.

And yet, silence from the mainstream media. Even from those outlets everyone knows lean left.

Why the silence? Why won’t anyone in the media spit out the truth?

I’m not suggesting that a broadcaster declare Trump’s mind is gone, that he needs to be institutionalized, or that America is in imminent danger.

How about something simple, factual, and responsible, like:

“The President appeared out of sorts and incoherent during his recent televised address.”

That’s it. Just state what millions of Americans can see with their own eyes.

Because here’s the thing: once one reporter says it out loud, there will be a collective sigh of relief, and a deluge of like-minded reports will follow.

The Evidence

The confusion, verbal miscues, and odd remarks are hard to dismiss. A few recent examples:

• During a televised press event, Trump twice said he was “going to Russia” instead of Alaska for talks with Vladimir Putin. (YouTube)

• In a speech to graduates at the United States Military Academy (West Point), one commentator called it a “rambling, ranting, incoherent, dementia-laden… just diarrhea of the mouth.” The Daily Beast

• In mid-July, Trump falsely claimed his uncle had taught Ted Kaczynski (“the Unabomber”) at MIT, even though his uncle died in 1985, MIT states they have no record of Kaczynski ever being enrolled there, and Kaczynski became known much later. The Guardian

These examples don’t prove dementia or catastrophic cognitive collapse, but they do create a clear pattern of repeated misstatements, abrupt topic shifts, factual errors, and what mental-health professionals might label confabulation, making up details to fill memory gaps.

And I believe there should be a national discussion about it.

So, Why the Silence?

Why isn’t mainstream media routinely saying something as simple as,

“The President appeared confused or out of sorts during this address.”?

Well, that brings us back to the “I’m gonna sue your pants off” threat, or to fears of defamation and libel claims, or to plain editorial and political caution.

But it’s time, if not past time, for this conversation about Trump’s mental and cognitive decline to become a dinner-table, coffee-break, and newsworthy topic across America