Speaking of the president

The metaphor of the mirror has always attracted observers of the media, just as it once attracted theorists of language. ¹ It has been used in many ways, both simple and sophisticated. Media people themselves often describe the news as a more or less literal reflection of ‘the course of events/a conception particularly useful for warding off political criticism. ² Others have likened the news image to the images of a fun-house mirror, distorted by such factors as the organizational structure of the media, but still essentially reflective. And many have described the media as mirrors not so much of ‘reality’ as of culture, or politics, or social structure, reflecting in their standards of judgement the cultural or social framework or the political balance of forces in their society. ³