The Tribune

ONE day this week, the front page of one of America’s most liberal big-city daily newspapers featured three stories “above the fold” of the paper that is visible when the paper sits fresh in the morning on your desk or breakfast table.

The word “Trump” appeared in big bold letters in each story. Now nearly two months after he was pretty soundly defeated in the national election, the US president continues to dominate the news cycle.

The name of the man who beat Trump headlined the least visible front-page story, which appeared “below the fold.”

The reasons for Trump’s continued preeminence are not particularly mysterious. He remains a master showman, and he’s a practical genius at garnering attention. Now that his focus appears to be simply limited to further enriching himself and contesting the results of an election he clearly lost, Trump can seemingly make noise to his heart’s content.

This begs the question of what the American news media will do to attract readers and viewers once Trump departs the White House.

One thinks first of Fox News. Well established as Trump’s favorite network and home to several of his most notorious media enablers, Fox has been the most popular American cable news network since 2002, long before Trump arrived to dominate the national political scene.

In October with the US election looming, Fox drew a larger prime-time audience than ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and “Celebrity Family Feud” and NBC’s “The Weakest Link.” Fox prime time punditry stars like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham regularly clobbered their CNN and MSNBC rivals in viewership. Fox ad revenue for this year could top a record $1.15 billion, according to some published estimates.

Still controlled by 89-year-old Australian-born and Oxford-educated media mogul and billionaire Rupert Murdoch, Fox News might slip without Trump coverage to draw viewers, according to some observers.

Others disagree. They point out that while Fox has doubtless prospered during Trump’s presidency, the network really established itself as the voice of resistance to presidents and powerful politicians with whom its owner currently disagrees ideologically.

In other words, liberals.

“Fox thrives when it is in opposition because they have a real-time bad guy to beat up on,” a former CNN president told reporters in October. “A Biden win would be great for Fox’s business.”

As the media leader in championing the tea party movement a decade ago as one point of resistance to President Barack Obama, Fox really cemented an identification with American conservatism and the Republican Party that has enriched both entities and should continue throughout the Biden presidency.

Fox owner Murdoch, who became an American citizen in 1985, has long been an international star figure. His fame was such that he was erroneously identified as the model for Jonathan Pryce’s manipulative media baron character in the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.” Murdoch is now married to his fourth wife Jerry Hall, the Texas model and actress who was Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger’s long-time common law wife and mother of four of his eight children.

Some speculate that Fox News’ biggest test in the months and years ahead will be to fend off its own primary challenge from even further right-wing upstart networks like One America News and Newsmax, whose extreme programming sometimes makes Fox look almost staid by comparison.

A broader question for the coming years will be whether the current practice of combat interviewing on television will subside or become the norm.

Pushed by angry viewers and their own internal watchdogs, liberal TV journalists this year have increasingly engaged with Trump party and campaign surrogates in direct confrontations about their lies and misinformation. It’s uncertain how many voters’ minds were changed as a result.

The Hofstra University communications department dean told reporters recently that “there’s a growing feeling among television journalists that they need to be seen as pushing back. You can’t let someone just lie on the air.”

And as Trump’s astonishing presidency lurches along to its inevitable conclusion, more “mainstream” publications are taking off the gloves. The Washington Post called Trump “the worst president in American history.” Others have followed.

Yet the president continues to dominate every news cycle.

We’ll see if that continues after January 20.

Early Christmas gift from Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods gave us all, but especially golfers and golf fans among us, an early Christmas gift last weekend. The Albany investor and his adorable 11-year-old son Charlie played in a normally little noticed end of year PGA event staged for winners of major tournaments and members of their families. Tiger played for the first time, and young Charlie was his playing partner.

Observers and commentators made a huge fuss over the numerous Tiger mannerisms Charlie has adopted. But while he hasn’t been stage-managed by his father onto national TV before he was old enough to attend primary school like Tiger was, Charlie has clearly been paying attention when he and his dad visit the driving range.

Reportedly diverted from his soccer passion by Tiger’s amazing Masters win last year, Charlie already hits the ball better than most amateur golfers.

“Just making sure we had fun. I think he did,’’ Tiger said of Charlie’s television debut. “He enjoyed being out there. I loved the fact that we got off to such a quick start, with him hitting some of those incredible shots. And he was able to carry his game from the range to the golf course. That’s the difference between playing at home and playing tournament golf.’’

Tiger was uncharacteristically stoical during most of his Saturday round with Charlie, but even he couldn’t hide his excitement on the Par 5 third hole. Charlie, getting to tee off about 100 yards ahead of the adults, smoked his drive, aced a 3-wood approach and sank a short putt for an eagle. The Woods team played Charlie’s ball all the way.

In the process of joining his son on national television, Tiger allowed viewers and fans a rare look into his personal life, largely hidden away since the sordid revelations of his adulterous profligacy eleven years ago. It was a welcome sight for his millions of fans and should accelerate his rehabilitation on the world golfing stage.

Meantime, Safe and Merry Christmas to all!

A tremendous success for Miami Dolphins

This past weekend was quite eventful for each team in the eastern division of the NFL’s American Conference, perhaps most especially for the Miami Dolphins. Their gradual ascent past the Patriots toward the top of the division was emphatically affirmed as they defeated New England on Sunday.

The Fins may make the playoffs this year, but even if they don’t, their season will have been a tremendous success. The team has a young quarterback who looks like he can really succeed in the NFL with plenty of young talent around him, plus extra draft choices in early rounds of the annual college player draft upcoming this spring.

The long-dominant Pats were eliminated from this year’s playoffs as they lost in Miami, and New England faces an uncertain, unresolved future without Tom Brady at quarterback.

While Miami was eliminating the Patriots, the Buffalo Bills clinched the division title in dominant fashion over the Broncos in Denver. And while Buffalo seems to be a team also on the rise, the division-rival New York Jets may have ruined their chance to draft much celebrated Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence by winning unexpectedly in Los Angeles against the Rams.

Elsewhere, Kansas City and Green Bay continued their march toward their conferences’ only first-round playoff byes and the inside track to a February Super Bowl showdown in Tampa.

In the AFC, five teams are contending for four remaining playoff spots. The Dolphins face by far the biggest challenge with only road games remaining against the dangerous Raiders and in Buffalo’s snow against the Bills.

The playoff picture is much murkier in the NFL’s National Conference, where Brady’s Buccaneers seem likely to make the post season but there is lots of confusion everywhere else.

It should all add up to plenty of uncertainty and confusion about playoff scenarios. That will make the NFL and their television broadcast partners happy in a season where the COVID pandemic has minimized in-person revenue for team owners and continues to expose players and staff to deadly contagion.