Truest statement of the week

In a CBS interview over the weekend, Acosta spoke about the dangers of Trump's rhetoric about journalists. An angry Trump supporter mailed pipe bombs, Acosta explained, to CNN "and other Democratic targets."
"And other Democratic targets" was clearly a slip of the tongue: CNN is not affiliated with any party. Acosta meant perceived Democratic targets. But the mistake (which he has made before) is nonetheless telling. Acosta has allowed Trump to set the terms of engagement. Trump paints the media as the opposition, and Acosta has accepted the mantle without wondering what he might be giving up in return.

This is most apparent when he uses Trump's tactics to justify his own combativeness: "I don't recall Trump ever apologizing for his behavior," he writes at one point. "Hey, if they can do it, my thought was, why can't we?" he writes at another. But I can think of lots of reasons, starting with the use of the words we and they.

-- Annalisa Quinn, "In 'The Enemy Of The People,' CNN Reporter Recounts His Time Covering President Trump" (NPR).