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President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive branch has taken a dislike of the media to a new level. Three media experts, including two OHIO alumni, weigh in for ohiotoday.org on the relationship between the Trump administration and the media.

Ray Locker, MSJ 鈥�84, editor at USA Today

On Trump鈥檚 relationship with the media:  Trump鈥檚 displeasure with the media is 鈥渙ff the charts,鈥� he says.

The day Locker was interviewed Trump held a televised press conference where he said the traditional American press was being 鈥渄ishonest,鈥� 鈥渙ut of control,鈥� and producing 鈥渇ake news.鈥�

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 often get called out in public by the president of the United States,鈥� says Locker, who oversees USA Today鈥檚 White House reporters and the paper鈥檚 Washington bureau for investigative reporting. 鈥淩ichard Nixon used to do it. But not much anymore. [President Barack] Obama had some testy moments, but nothing on this scale,鈥� he said.

On journalists staying the course: As a veteran newsman, Locker has had his share of government officials expressing a distaste for news, he says. However, he says, the job of a reporter remains the same.

鈥淸Whether] you鈥檙e covering [the] Athens County Commission[ers], or you鈥檙e covering the president of the United States, people try the same games, and the same principles apply here as they do elsewhere: fairness, diligence, enterprise. All those things work鈥� (to get the story right), Locker said.

Gregory Korte, BSJ 鈥�94 and AB 94, White House correspondent for USA Today

(Korte was awarded the 30th Annual Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in May. The award recognizes reportorial excellence and the fostering of better public understanding of the presidency. 鈥揈d.)

On reporting from the White House press room: Korte reported from the press briefing room in the White House West Wing during the end of the Obama administration. It was 鈥済host town,鈥� he said. With the Trump administration, it鈥檚 a full house. As of March (when he was interviewed for this story) Korte said he had not experienced any stonewalling or obstruction of information by the Trump administration. Yet reporters were trying to find the correct contact person for various pieces of information they sought, he said.

On Press Secretary Sean Spicer: He鈥檚 more accessible off-camera than his on-camera persona, Korte says. The 鈥渢heater that goes on in the press room is part of a bigger communication strategy鈥� that appeals to Trump鈥檚 base who are suspicious of media, he said.

On Trump鈥檚 communication team鈥檚 style: They prefer person-to-person contact, rather than email, which was preferred by the previous administration, Korte said.

鈥淭hat was something that was in [Trump鈥檚 book] The Art of the Deal,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you negotiate, you negotiate face-to-face. That ethic pervades the White House and I think it鈥檚 constructive, because when you meet people face-to-face, you start to understand each other a little better than how most of Washington operates, which is by email and canned statements,鈥� he said.

Korte agreed there is irony in Trump鈥檚 relationship with the media: he at once consumes it and discredits it.

鈥淗e鈥檚 [one of] the most avid consumers. Obama read a lot,鈥� he said, and noted that for Obama to credit the news source was rare. 鈥淲hereas Trump will mention specific stories, but even if he's not mentioning specific stories, you can tell, you'll see his tweets and if you're watching, you know, 鈥楩ox & Friends鈥� or 鈥楳orning Joe鈥� or whatever it is, that he was watching.鈥�

Stephen Koff, Washington Bureau Chief for Cleveland.com

On White House message control: Koff says every White House likes to keep tight control of information. For example, Obama was known for sidestepping the media while harnessing the power of new media. According to a 2014 , his vice-presidential announcement was strategically made via text. The article also cited that he also criticized the press in off-the-record meetings. And, in 2013, the Associated Press and The New York Times that in an effort to crackdown and prosecute leaks, the Obama administration secretly gathered phone records from Associated Press reporters in 2012.

On navigating heady headlines: In the media storm that followed the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, Fox News Trump threatened to end press briefings, and CNN.com and other national media outlets he wanted journalists jailed.

On presidents and social media: Koff said that Obama understood social media, and the Trump campaign took advantage of it like no other campaign.

I bet [for] most people in Washington, D.C., the first thing they look at is 鈥榃hat鈥檚 he tweeting.鈥� And he knows that,鈥� he said. But Trump鈥檚 tweets don鈥檛 bother him unless Trump announces something Koff wanted to report on first, which hasn鈥檛 happened yet, he says.

On reporting: Besides the style of the presidency making headlines, Koff said the public should be aware of some very serious issues.

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about Russia. We鈥檙e talking about Michael Flynn [national security advisor from January 20 to February 13, 2017]; We鈥檙e talking about incredibly important and serious things. And leaks are coming out of his administration. 鈥� It鈥檚 serious stuff and to attack it as, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 just the lying media.鈥欌€�

To report fairly on his assignments, Koff says he reminds himself, 鈥渢here is perhaps another viewpoint. There are people who have grievances with the government and don鈥檛 believe the government is the answer to all our problems.鈥� He noted that some people had reasons for voting for Trump and it鈥檚 not because the voters were 鈥渆vil,鈥� 鈥渞acist,鈥� or 鈥渕isogynist.鈥�

Trump and journalism ethics

The Trump Presidency may have ignited a rebirth in public affairs reporting. E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Director Robert Stewart and Cleveland.com writer and journalism school Professor Thomas Suddes weigh in on how the school is using today鈥檚 media landscape as a teaching tool for journalism ethics classes.

Bob Stewart

On White House pushback: OHIO鈥檚 E.W. Scripps School of Journalism teaches a comprehensive curriculum that informs tomorrow鈥檚 reporters on media issues, including government pushback.  

鈥淎t this moment, it is much easier for us to underscore the consequences of not pushing back and...of just rolling over. We are seeing a lot of journalists standing up and saying 鈥榮olidarity, solidarity, solidarity,鈥欌€� said.

Thomas Suddes

On Trump鈥檚 view of democracy and the media: Trump鈥檚 characterizing the media as dishonest and fake does not necessarily erode at our democratic ways.

鈥淎ll officeholders are defensive to some extent about criticism. I don鈥檛 think the president is not unusual in that respect,鈥� he said.

On Trump鈥檚 relationship with the media: The press鈥檚 treatment of Trump is fair and natural considering the office he holds and when you look at Trump鈥檚 relationship with the media over time.

鈥淭he president is a remarkable officeholder in terms of the presidency. [There hasn鈥檛 been] anybody quite like him for a long, long time, if ever. He has been in the public arena all his life as a developer and a business person and so forth,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he kind of attention he鈥檚 getting I think is not only inevitable but natural. I will say that I think it is arguable that media had been more aggressive and more persistent in looking at presidential administration actions.鈥�

On media and the internet: The internet and 鈥渦niversality of the web鈥� means more people are in a position to challenge and debate ideas. That鈥檚 a good thing, Suddes says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the American process.鈥�

On reporting to benefit the reader: When teaching students how to cover public policy, it鈥檚 important to teach how legislation can affect people and families.

鈥淗ow will cutting taxes affect a family in Medina, in Nelsonville, or in Columbus? Because when we talk in generalities, it鈥檚 just too easy not to look at the individual impact of things. Sometimes the impacts [of the policy or legislation] are good,鈥� he said.