Even the best reporters can make glaring errors.  The key is to admit them when they occur and to work hard to avoid them in the future.  Such happened to PBS’ Judy Woodruff when she was discussing Israeli and Hamas peace talks.  She repeated a story from another news source about President Trump and the slow-moving talks without realizing that the story had already been denied by Trump and Israel. She apologized on-air for the error, which was proper, and she preserved her reputation for accuracy.  Bad mistake. Good recovery.  

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If he had done the least bit of fact checking, he wouldn’t have made this bone-headed mistake.  

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With stories like this, it is hard for Israel to maintain its reputation among nations.  The baby had done no harm nor had his mother who was killed nor his brothers who also died.  The photo of the toddler inflames passions and revolts viewers. One asks how the IDF can justify harming innocent civilians and the answer is stark.  It can’t. Israel comes off as a heartless bully, a perception that will take decades to live down.  

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Israel says its strike on a tent complex yesterday used highly accurate weapons. Still, a claimed 40 men, women and children died.  Does it matter the precision of bombs if innocent civilians are still killed?  Israel’s reputation as an armed bully hounding the Palestinian people is deepened with every attack like this.  With every civilian death, Israel is raising up new enemies of the future with implacable hatred for the country.  There must be a better way.  

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The Washington Post is reporting that former President Trump is struggling in his campaign against Vice President Harris.  He hasn’t found a personal attack against her that resonates with his audiences.  His advisers are finding him undisciplined and low energy.  This helps Harris but sooner or later, Trump will find a groove and swing for effect.  Harris can’t rest, not for a minute, especially in battleground states.  Trump’s ad hominem attacks are lousy PR but they work with his voters.  What does that say?  

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The presidential campaign has turned into a slog for the candidates.  It depends on ground level communications now — door knocking, events, hand-shaking, baby kissing.  Old fashioned politics.  The winner will be the one who organizes best.  Social media has a role but it is not definitive — not yet, anyway.

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Political campaigns cost money — lots of it — and volunteers to do ground-pounding voter contact. It is interesting that the Harris-Walz ticket is ahead on both.  That doesn’t guarantee an election but it is a good sign.  Trump must be concerned or anyway, his strategists.  Political campaigns are communications on steroids for a one-day sale. 

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There is a he-said he-said argument over Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery.  The Defense department says Trump’s campaign operatives had no right to film Trump visiting a section of the cemetery.  Photographs are not permitted.  Trump’s people say they had permission to shoot and the DOD is wrong.  The standoff apparently resulted in a physical altercation.  It doesn’t matter who was right.  It presents a poor image of the Trump campaign that has already riled veterans.  So positive PR turned negative in an instant. Reminder to communicators.  Always check before conducting a campaign on government property.  

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Vice President Harris is inching out to the media with her first sit-down interview yesterday.  According to press reports, it was ordinary and the only news was why it took her so long to do it.  The unanswered question is how long will it be before she does it again.  She is apparently afraid of a “Gotcha” moment when she slips up as all do at one time or another.  She apparently doesn’t understand that the public wants to see the person behind the candidacy, how she reacts when something goes wrong.  Maybe in time she will settle in and be more forthcoming. 

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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis went on strike to protest the death of hostages at the hands of Hamas.  Their message to Netanyahu was to call a ceasefire and to negotiate the return of the remaining prisoners.  The unknown is whether Netanyahu is listening.  He seems dead set on the destruction of the terrorist group and an implacable foe.  The communications to him could not be more clear although some sections of the country did not protest.  He is playing a risky political hand and at some point he stands a good chance of losing altogether.  When is it right for a leader to ignore what citizens are telling him?  

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