These are dark times for many of us, including the press—which, when you think about it, is especially bad, because the news media helps hold offending parties accountable, but not if its members are barred from briefings (when they happen at all). In fact, the fourth estate as a whole has been under attack, having been declared an enemy of the American people by the leader of the American people. Individual reporters are also facing rough treatment, including being body-slammed, also by an (eventually) elected official.
With recent reports of a lack of due diligence at outlets with as extensive of resources as CNN, some might find it difficult to feel sorry for these muckrakers, but not the brave folks at Playboy. These longtime champions of pairing airbrushed nudes with Fahrehnheit 451 excerpts are tired of the combative Trump administration. One writer in particular, Brian J. Karem, lost his patience with deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was filling in for Sean Spicer at a briefing yesterday. Huckabee Sanders was following the president’s example in railing against the press, going on about how the media can’t be trusted, even as the Republican-led Congress holds votes in the middle of the night to circumvent proper reportage (among other things). She’s also long since picked up his cue to spread unfounded or improperly vetted information, encouraging those at the press conference yesterday to watch a video that’s making the rounds, despite not being entirely certain of its accuracy.