ANALYSIS/OPINION:
The Showtime documentary series, “The Reagans,” makes the preposterous suggestion that media bosses, deep in the hypnotic thrall of White House spin doctors, either worshipped Ronald Reagan or ordered their minions to cover him favorably.
Some of us who spent time in Reagan’s White House and Reagan political organizations have very different memories. While President Reagan was popular for much of his presidency, it had nothing to do with the media’s affection for him, but it didn’t hurt that Reagan’s team, unlike President Trump’s, deliberately avoided attacking the press.
The general attitude of Reagan’s communications team was that Washington and New York-based media disliked him intensely. Nevertheless, young staffers who groused about media bias, including the authors, were told that attacking the press was rarely if ever a viable tactic. We were told, “You don’t fight with people who buy their paper by the roll and ink by the barrel.