Once the “Fourth Estate,” now the sideline observer. When did journalism start treating democracy’s meltdown as casual news? It’s time to ask: where’s the outrage?

When did journalism become the noble art of tiptoeing around democracy’s flaming wreckage, like it’s just the charred remains of a backyard BBQ gone wrong?

The job (as I learned it) is to deliver facts with a dollop of reason and research. But here we are, staring down the barrel of Fascism 2.0: The Sequel Nobody Asked For, and the press is still weighing the pros and cons of calling a fascist a fascist.

We’re past the point of “both sides.” We’re past “maybe it’s bad if.”

When the world’s on fire, reporting “some say it’s not that warm” isn’t brave — it’s complicit. If journalists can’t bring themselves to point at a full-blown authoritarian and say “this is some bad shit,” then maybe they should switch to weather forecasting, where at least the stakes are lower.

The time for milquetoast coverage is over. Either tell the truth, naked and ugly, or don’t act surprised when your freedom to write anything at all goes up in smoke.

Fascism isn’t just a word you throw around at dinner parties to sound edgy — it actually has a definition: a dictatorship that crushes opposition, hoards power, and props up a leader who insists he’s the only one who truly “gets” the people. Sure, comparing anyone to Mussolini or Hitler used to be called hyperbole, but at this point, the resemblance is doing jumping jacks in our faces.

Ernest Hemingway summed it up best: “Fascism is a lie told by bullies.” And if journalists can’t be bothered to call out those lies, they’re just stenographers for the strongman of the month.

In Trump’s second term, it’s time for journalists to step up, to write with clarity and courage, and to stand on the side of truth and democracy. And when I talk about journalists — I’m using the modern definition of the word. I’m not just talking about NYT both-sides hacks. I’m talking about TikTokers, Substackers, everyone and anyone who communicates the news to their audience. This is on all of us.

The job of journalists under Trump isn’t to blanket his supporters as fascists; it’s to tell the truth about his policies, actions, and behavior when they cross into authoritarian territory. There’s a difference. Journalism should illuminate the reality of his tactics and the impact of his decisions without resorting to blanket condemnations of everyone who supports him. Calling out fascist tendencies in a leader is about accountability, not casting every voter as the enemy. Good reporting helps people understand the stakes and complexities without feeding into division – by focusing on facts, journalists can show how these actions affect democracy, rather than just bluntly alienating everyone and anyone who feels unheard and defensive.

The Cost of Soft Coverage

When journalists downplay a whiff of authoritarianism, they’re basically handing the keys to the bulldozer and saying, “Have fun flattening democracy.”

In the early 20th century, as fascism swept through Italy and Germany, some journalists tried to cover it as a curious political experiment, hedging their words and relying on neutral descriptors that avoided sounding alarms. In 1928, American journalist Dorothy Thompson wrote of Hitler as a man of “startling insignificance.” How much did those soft descriptions contribute to a world unprepared for what would come?

Other journalists, like Edgar Mowrer, recognized the rising dangers earlier on. Mowrer described Germany as “an insane asylum” in 1933, not shying away from calling out the full weight of what he saw. Mowrer’s directness is the approach that journalists must now revive.

To cover Trump’s brand of authoritarianism — built on division, scapegoating, and the consolidation of power — means refusing to downplay the severity of the threat.

We can’t keep force-feeding people a mix of both-sidesism, nonsense, and elitist commentary, then act shocked when they absorb it and then label them as ignorant or backwards – it’s a cycle the media helps create, then pretends to stand above.

Recognizing Fascism in Real Time

To say fascism could emerge in America is no longer speculation; we are seeing it happen in realtime, streamed on X (when the platform doesn’t shit itself and break down) and podcasted by Joe Rogan. Journalists must know these signs and use them as a basis for thorough, unflinching coverage.

Fascism isn’t on the rise because half of America are fascists – it’s on the rise because half of America listened to a fascist and believed he could help them. They were drawn in by promises to fix a system that felt broken, and instead of a clear alternative, they were handed either dismissive media coverage or a political landscape that had long ignored their struggles. Many people didn’t get real, grounded information about what was happening, or worse, they were bombarded with coverage that treated every outrageous claim like just another side of the story. When people feel unheard and underserved, they’ll look to whoever says they’re listening, even if that person is leading them somewhere dangerous.

Talking about fascism might alienate people – but not if we’re clear that we’re not calling them fascists for following Trump and his crew. Instead, we’re showing them the truth, unvarnished and untarnished about what the man lying to them actually wants to do to others.

Ultra-Nationalism as a Weapon

Trump’s rhetoric has always painted a stark divide between an idealized “us” and a demonized “them,” invoking a vision of America that is exclusionary and nationalistic. Ultra-nationalism, as seen historically, demands loyalty to an idealized version of the state while suppressing diversity and dissent. In Trump’s America, this vision includes a wall around the country, a distrust of immigrants, and the denigration of anyone questioning this agenda. This brand of nationalism leads to one outcome: dehumanization, the dangerous mindset that sees outsiders or dissenters as obstacles to be removed.

Most people in America, whether they voted for Trump or not, aren’t out to dehumanize anyone – they’re just ordinary people navigating a chaotic world, doing what they believe is right with the information they have.

And it is up to us to give them better information. Honest information. To call it like it is, to call Fascism what it is, but to do it with integrity and without recrimination and shame for anyone but the man himself.

Silencing Opposition as Policy

Fascist regimes do not merely oppose dissent — they aim to eradicate it. From direct attacks on the press as “enemies of the people” to the weaponization of law enforcement against political rivals, Trump’s behavior follows a classic authoritarian blueprint. Journalists have already faced harassment and intimidation during his rallies, as have members of opposing political parties. We cannot afford to cover these actions as isolated incidents; they are pieces of a larger pattern to dismantle institutional checks and erode any form of accountability.

Cult of Personality over Institutions

Trump’s appeal hinges on a mythologized version of himself as a savior of the people, a notion that transcends policy or fact. This cult of personality is the most alarming feature of modern fascism, a gravitational pull that prioritizes a leader over democracy itself. Albert Einstein once warned that “Nationalism is an infantile thing. It is the measles of mankind,” and the reverence for a singular leader to the exclusion of democratic structures is precisely that — childish in its simplicity, catastrophic in its implications.

The Risks of “Both Sides” Reporting

Media neutrality is not a strength. Sitting on the fence and pretending you like the feel of the wood up your ass is bullshit. In the face of rising authoritarianism, it is a crutch that lends undue legitimacy to anti-democratic ideologies. Fascism thrives when opposition is treated as just another perspective, another valid point of view in the marketplace of ideas. But journalism is not a platform for validating oppression; it is a tool for truth.

History has shown that fascist leaders rely on a passive media to cloak their agendas, to pass off their radical moves as mere politics. Coverage that dances around the truth or refrains from calling a spade a spade fails the public and enables the slide into authoritarianism.

When Donald Trump incites racial divides, spews hate, encourages violence, targets political opponents, makes blatant threats or attacks democratic processes, journalists must state plainly that these are tactics of authoritarianism. This is not about left versus right, conservative versus liberal — it is a choice between democracy and its dissolution.

Essential Practices for Covering Fascism

Given that we’re all dangling over the edge of fucking oblivion all the time – that’s what history is – journalists need a framework that lets them cover these trends with the stubbornness of a mule in a thunderstorm. It’s a three-part plan, because two’s too flimsy and four’s just showing off.

Research and Historical Context

We — all of us — need to exercise a deep and nuanced understanding of fascism’s history and mechanics, encompassing its ideological foundations, rhetorical strategies, and the methods by which it consolidates power.

Reporting on Trump’s maneuvers is going to take more than surface-level analysis; it demands a recognition that his tactics are part of a well-established, often-recycled playbook designed to erode democratic norms and manipulate public sentiment. These tactics are neither novel nor isolated, they draw from a long lineage of authoritarian strategies aimed at weakening institutional checks, stoking division, and centralizing power.

Without this historical grounding, journalists risk falling into a reactive stance, inadvertently echoing or amplifying the very narratives that these tactics seek to impose. Strong, insightful coverage has to go beyond the immediate spectacle to uncover the underlying patterns and connections, framing today’s actions within a broader historical and ideological context. When journalism lacks this depth, it becomes vulnerable to manipulation, trading critical inquiry for mere commentary and missing the proactive stance essential to safeguarding democratic values.

Focus on Structural Implications

Trump’s rhetoric and policies are too often framed as individual controversies or isolated incidents, leaving audiences to interpret them as mere political bluster or part of routine partisan conflict. But that’s just not good enough. Journalists carry the critical responsibility of connecting these dots to reveal the systemic implications that lie beneath the surface. What may look like standalone events — discrediting election results, undermining trust in the press, stacking the judiciary with loyalists, attacking the independence of law enforcement, and vilifying opponents — are in fact interconnected actions that form a pattern designed to weaken democratic institutions and erode public trust.

If you call these moves anything less than straight out of the authoritarian playbook, you’re basically handing out blindfolds and saying, “Good luck!” while democracy trips over its own shoelaces. Journalistic integrity means digging deep, pulling no punches, and making sure the public can actually see the slow-motion car crash we’re all strapped into.

Every godforsaken slap in the face to democracy is part of a slow, methodical takedown of the whole system of checks and balances. Journalists can’t keep treating these things like isolated incidents — they’ve got to connect the dots, lay it all out, and show the public the full map of where this out of control train is headed. Anything less just muddies the waters and starts making these power grabs look like business as usual. And if that happens, it’s already over: we just sleepwalked democracy straight off a cliff.

Amplify Every Voice

Fascism always saves its nastiest shit for the folks already struggling at the bottom, branding them as the enemy to keep the illusion of “purity” or “stability” alive. Immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, anyone who doesn’t fit the mold — they’re all shoved under the boot as “threats” while authoritarian policies steamroll their lives.

But to be honest – we need to give space and a voice to the Trump voters who are getting hurt by his policies – not to gloat or say, “I told you so,” but to show the real cost of his actions on the very people he claimed to be fighting for. Highlighting the voices of those he openly targeted matters, but it’s not enough to break through the noise. We have to tell the stories of those who believed in him, who saw him as a champion, and are now facing the fallout firsthand. When the damage lands close to home – on workers, families, and communities that put their faith in him – it will reveal more about the truth of his presidency than any statistic, easily dismissed “woke” liberal (eye roll) or talking head ever could.

Journalists can’t just skim the surface here; they need to put these voices front and center, shining a spotlight on the people actually getting ground down by this mess. Because if we don’t hear from those on the receiving end, all we’re left with is the propaganda.

Reporting on how authoritarianism crushes human beings isn’t some optional sidebar — it’s the main story if we’re serious about seeing fascism for what it is. By centering real voices, journalists can’t just talk about abstract policies; they show us the human wreckage left in their wake. This coverage is the only way to pull back the curtain on the true cost of authoritarian rule, making it impossible to ignore the suffering dumped on vulnerable communities. If we don’t hold power to account for this damage, we’re just letting them rebrand oppression as “order” and hoping nobody notices the difference.

A Journalist’s Responsibility in a Time of Crisis

As authoritarianism tightens its grip, journalism has no room for half-measures or polite “both sides” waffling. The public doesn’t need reporters to play referee between truth and propaganda — they need them to cut through the noise and expose the threats right in front of us. Hemingway nailed it: “Fascism is a lie told by bullies.” Journalists need to be ready to rip those lies apart, to show the world as it is, not as power-hungry leaders want it to be. If they flinch now, they’re just handing the mic to the bullies.

Heading into a second Trump term, we are staring down a responsibility like no other. Neutrality? Appeasement? Those aren’t virtues — they’re fast tracks to complicity. If democracy’s going to have any shot at survival, the press needs to drop the “both sides” act and take a stand, unafraid to call out authoritarianism for what it is. This isn’t the time for timid reporting; it’s the time to dig in, tell the truth, and make it impossible to look away.

Franklin D. Roosevelt warned, “The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself.” Journalists have a duty to recognize these shifts in power and to call them what they are: a threat to democracy, a slide into fascism, and a betrayal of the principles upon which the country was founded.

This is the moment of reckoning. Fascism needs to be called exactly what it is — no euphemisms, no dodging.

We’ve got to stand against it with clear eyes, unshakable guts, and a commitment to the truth that doesn’t blink. The survival of democracy — and the entire point of journalism — hangs on getting this fucking right.