Keller @ Large: Consider Where You'd Be Without The Media

BOSTON (CBS) -- It's among the oldest tricks in the contemporary political playbook.

When you're doing things that are drawing negative news media coverage, don't stop to reconsider what you're doing--just demonize the messenger.

Just the other day, President Trump renewed his proven-false claim that the media underreports incidents of Islamic terrorism in the service of a pro-Muslim political agenda.

Hillary Clinton and some of her fans continue to perpetuate their bogus complaint that unfair reporting on her hacked emails helped cost her the election.

And I can assure you, hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't let me know they mistrust or even hate the media, to the point where some GOP strategists say they intend to try to run against the press in next year's congressional elections.

I'm not going to insult your intelligence by claiming the news media are flawless, free of political or social bias. But before you swallow the fake medicine of media-bashing, stop and think-- where would you be without the news media?

Consider what Vice President Spiro Agnew said during a famous 1969 speech indicting media bias.

"It must be recognized that the networks have made important contributions to the national knowledge, thru news, documentaries and specials, they have often used their power constructively and creatively to awaken the public conscience to critical problems," Agnew said.

If you really trust on-the-make pols to give you the straight story all the time, good luck to you. If not, keep in mind why the founding fathers believed the media's role was so important it deserved constitutional protection.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.