Tell the New York Times: Stop Sanewashing Donald Trump

The New York Times is failing one of its most basic responsibilities: telling the truth clearly and without distortion.

In a recent example flagged by Oliver Willis at Daily Kos, the Times once again softened and normalized Donald Trump’s rambling, incoherent rhetoric. 

As Willis put it, this pattern turns "unhinged rhetoric" into something that appears coherent and presidential, masking what the public should actually be seeing and evaluating.

We must act now to defend media integrity before this pattern becomes the norm.

When major media outlets “sane-wash” Trump’s words, they mislead millions of readers about the reality of his statements and behavior. Voters rely on trusted institutions like The New York Times to present facts accurately. Instead, they’re getting a filtered version that strips away the very context needed to understand what’s at stake.

At a time when democracy itself is under pressure, clarity matters. Accuracy matters. Accountability matters.

The press has enormous power to shape public understanding. When that power is used to clean up or reinterpret extreme rhetoric, it distorts political reality and erodes trust in journalism as a whole. It also shields powerful figures from the scrutiny they deserve.

The New York Times can choose a different path. It can commit to reporting Trump’s words as they are—without translation, without normalization, and without editorial smoothing that changes their meaning. 

Tell The New York Times: Stop "sanewashing" Donald Trump. Report his words accurately, in full context, and without distortion. Our democracy depends on an informed public—and that starts with honest journalism.