Tell The Media: End Donald Trump’s Extraordinary Phone Privilege
![Tell The Media: End Donald Trump’s Extraordinary Phone Privilege](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/styles/scale_w1024/s3/images/2019-05-07/trump_cable.png?VersionId=lkWduOyUZsPhDsVPgEV0X9Fg8RTtNjva&itok=ePagl00m)
The news media coverage of Donald Trump has been abominable. Media outlets have treated him with kid gloves, obsessed over him, and given him free run of the airwaves for the entire news cycle.
It’s even worse than that: The news media has given Donald Trump a special phone privilege, allowing him to call in to shows instead of forcing him to appear via satellite or in studio. As a result of this privilege, Trump can appear on more shows, and he can avoid being confronted by images and demonstrations showing his lies for what they are.
It’s time for it to stop. CBS refused to let Donald Trump call into its morning show. This is a start, but other networks and other shows are still letting Trump call in. Sign our petition, and tell news networks that it’s time to take away Trump’s special privilege:
Through the course of this election, time and time again your network allows Donald Trump to call in to shows. We fully recognize that sometimes phone interviews are necessary. But Trump’s reliance on phone interviews is completely unprecedented and far exceeds what any other candidate has been allowed to do. By letting Trump phone it in, you’re just enabling media manipulation and reinforcing the idea that the more he takes, the more you'll give in. It's time for that to end.
Tell Donald Trump that going forward, he will be treated like every other candidate and will no longer be given the extraordinary advantage of calling in to your news programs.
This campaign is now closed.