"The parameters of any conflict are determined by the opponent with the least interest in morality."
In other words, if the press deceptively edits documentaries about gun-related issues, if a network anchorman blatantly lies about his experiences, if the moderator of a Sunday morning political gab-fest openly advises the president to "destroy" the opposing political party, sooner or later the other side in the conflict is going to begin to behave in a similar, and starkly brutal, manner. This is similar to a battlefield atrocity leading to further atrocities committed by the other side in revenge until the result is what Sherman described as the hell of war.
I suppose that's true when the media become not just dishonest, but trivial. We'll see it reflected in the reaction of the political class.
Would Donald Trump have killed the gorilla? https://t.co/Im5ig7cqp0 pic.twitter.com/87BIbSWQwC— CNN (@CNN) May 31, 2016