JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

I hope some of you have been watching New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefings on the coronavirus.

Where President Trump’s White House briefings are meandering and boring, Cuomo’s are well organized and compelling. Where Trump’s are equal parts wishin’ and hopin’ and recrimination, Cuomo’s are a combination of illuminating facts and exhortations for Americans and New Yorkers to rise to the unprecedented challenge.

Even the settings of the Cuomo and Trump briefings present a striking contrast. Cuomo sits at the center of a long table with three of four aids spaced to his left and right, each of them a safe distance apart. During his opening remarks, he works his way through prepared presentations that are accompanied by slides that he himself controls with a remote. Although the briefings are very structured, Cuomo delivers them with an informality and easiness that reflects his command of the subject matter.

The question-and-answer periods that follow Cuomo’s presentations are marked by a substantive and respectful give-and-take between him and about 10 members of the media.

Cuomo’s press briefing from Thursday, April 2 (Photo from the governor’s office)

Contrast that with Trump’s briefings, where the principals too often are standing almost side by side (in no way setting a “safe distance” model) while he blathers on like a parrot.

White House briefing on Saturday, April 4 (AP photo)

Then, when it’s time for questions and answers, the room becomes a veritable battleground because Trump sees “the mainstream media” as his enemy. From listening to him, you would think the media was a bigger enemy than the virus.

To give you an example of the difference in the two men’s approaches, I transcribed parts of each leader’s briefing from Saturday, April 4.

Certainly, Trump was very sobering when he talked about the “difficult” week ahead and acknowledging, “There will be a lot of death.” But he reverted to form when he soon segued — illogically — into a foray against his sworn enemy.

Here’s Trump…

Every decision that we’re making is to save lives; it’s really our sole consideration. We want to save lives. We want as few lives lost as possible. It’s therefore critical that certain media outlets stop spreading false rumors, creating fear and even panic with the public. It’s just incredible. I could name them, but it’s the same ones — always the same ones. I guess they’re looking for ratings. I don’t know what they’re looking for. So bad for our country and so bad. The people understand it. You look at the levels and approval ratings and they are the lowest they’ve ever been for the media. It’s so bad for our country, so bad for the world. They ought to put it together for a little while. Get this (pandemic) over with and then go back to your fake news.

Here’s Cuomo…

Personal opinion? Look, I want this all to be over. It’s only gone on for 30 days since our first case; it feels like an entire lifetime. I think we all feel the same. This stresses this country, this state, in a way that nothing else has, frankly, in my lifetime. It stresses us on every level. The economy is stressed; the social fabric is stressed; social systems are stressed; transportation is stressed. But the most difficult level is the human level. It is for me, anyway. It’s every day and it’s everywhere…This is so emotionally taxing. You can’t even quantify the effect on society and the effect on individuals and the burden that we’re dealing with.

So, yes, I want it over. If there was anything I could do to accelerate getting it over, I would. In some ways I want to get to that apex; I want to get on the other side of that apex and let’s just slide down that mountain. On the other hand, we have to be ready for the fight, and we have to handle the fight. And that’s where we are. So, what so we do? You have to get through it. You have to get through it. There is no simple answer. You’re not going to wish this away. You have to get through it, and you have to get through it intelligently, saving as many lives as you can.

That’s hard work, and that’s perseverance, and that’s mutuality, and that’s community, and that’s finding your better self. And that’s finding your inner strength and dealing with a situation that’s almost unmanageable on every level. Because you are out of control. And this is a painful, disorienting experience. But we find our best self, our strongest self. This day will end, and we will get through it, and we will get to the other side of the mountain. And we will be the better for it. But we have to do what we have to do between now and then. And that’s just what we’re doing here.