OPINION:
As someone who studies rhetoric and the potential of messages to persuade, I am convinced that all the talk and media hype about Omarosa Manigault Newman and whether President Trump used the N-word won’t change people’s minds. Like so many other recent stories, this one is a distraction, deflecting attention from more important issues. Whether they will admit it or not, most Americans probably believe Mr. Trump has indeed used such derogatory and racist language. Moreover, those who are troubled by this already are strongly anti-Trump and those who aren’t will not relinquish their support of the president.
So what we have is just another daily melodrama in the life of the 45th president of the United States — a melodrama perpetuated by the media, who draw a larger market share from such sensational and titillating stories. As a colleague of mine who spent this summer traveling around the world observed, “There is no news in the U.S. Gone with the winds.” That may not be an exaggeration.
RICHARD CHERWITZ
Ernest S. Sharpe Centennial Professor, Moody College of Communication
The University of Texas
Austin, Texas
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