Say What?

   Recent quotes from President Donald J. Trump:

   "I have an absolute right to do what I want."
   "There is no collusion with Russia."
   "All forms of media will tank if I'm not there because without me their ratings are going down the tubes."
   News outlets "have to let me win" because they are profiting from the presidency through the extensive coverage of what he says and does.

   As if the revenues of newspapers, magazines and TV news channels depend on how they cover the actions and comments of the president.
   Reality check: The price of a daily newspaper barely covers the cost of the paper it's printed on. The main source of revenue is from advertising.
   Cable news channels were profitable before he took office, and will be so after he leaves. Viewership may have increased as a result of coverage of this president's behavior, but that has no direct bearing on revenue. News programs are not like entertainment shows, which can rise or fall depending on how many viewers they attract. All-news cable channels carry the news, and while some are slanted in their coverage -- Fox, for example, is a clear Trump supporter while MSNBC is not. CNN tends to work from the middle. Furthermore, network news programs are more neutral in their coverage.
   As for the print media, the amount of space they devote to any news story involving a politician depends almost exclusively on editorial decisions on its news value.
   Newspapers are not in the entertainment business. To talk about them as if ratings dictate how they cover the news betrays an ignorance of how journalism works.
   But then, why should this display of ignorance be any different from the ignorance displayed in so many other fields, ranging from economics to government and international policy?
   Or the Constitution, for that matter. No president has an "absolute right" to do whatever he wants, whether it be dictating legislative policy or firing those investigating legal wrongdoing by government officials -- including the president.