Adversarial Journalism

That's a stupid question. -- Donald Trump to a reporter

For a journalist, there are no stupid questions. There are only stupid answers. -- Pug Mahoney

Guidelines from the Pug Mahoney school of journalism:

1. We ask the tough questions because they need to be asked. 
2. My opinion is not relevant to what I do.
3. The press is not the enemy.
4. Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.

   Politicians may not like the questions, and any attempt to quash them by attacking reporters and media as "fake news" can only lead to more aggressive questioning and reporting.
   Reporters will keep their cool and continue to ask questions. It's what they do, and they do it on behalf of the public, thereby providing information to voters.
   Nevertheless, continuing to mock, insult and vilify reporters because they do not bow to a politician's every wish and command is itself a mockery of the tradition of a free and independent press, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
   Reporters have thick hides, and it's very difficult if not impossible to control what they do, what questions they ask and in what form the questions are asked. Contrary to what a politician or government official might believe or want, journalists do not work for them. They are paid by their media employers, but in a larger sense they work for the public.
   Any attempt to control the information provided to the public is therefore by definition propaganda -- or, to be kind, it is public relations and advertising.
   In short, the press is not the enemy. Adversaries, yes, and an adversarial press is one of the foundations of a free society. But treating reporters as somehow less than human and deserving of whatever insult you can throw at them will usually be ignored. In a larger sense, however, journalists are human (notwithstanding what a politician may believe).
   A smart politician, therefore, will remember that repeatedly insulting and mocking reporters and what they do eventually will have negative consequences.
   Or, as noted in this space a year ago, there are no stupid questions, but only stupid answers.