Melania Trump’s crusade against cyber-bullying invokes skepticism

On Nov. 3 Melania Trump gave a speech for the first time since the Republican National Convention. Her message, a call to end cyber-bullying, struck some media outlets as hypocritical.

Major Garret, Chief White House Correspondent with CBS, said of the speech, “She said as first lady she would focus on online bullying, something her husband has been accused of doing.”

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Tom Llammas, Correspondent for ABC, explained Mrs. Trump’s speech this way, “The woman, whose husband is known for his scathing tweets, says she will champion kids who are bullied on social media.”

NBC did things slightly differently. After playing a segment of Mrs. Trump’s speech, NBC’s Katy Tur says “[Trump’s] words, a contrast, as her husband has built a campaign around personal insults often lobbed on twitter.” The broadcast then airs three examples of Donald Trump attacking others while campaigning.

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All three networks point out the contradiction between Mrs. Trump’s words and her husband’s actions. Was this fair coverage? Is Melania Trump allowed to be at odds with her husband? Did the networks go a step too far? Would Bill Clinton be equally scrutinized if his message conflicted with his wife’s?

Ken Auletta, of The New Yorker, says he believes the networks were justified in their coverage.They exposed what he sees as the absurdity of Mrs. Trump’s crusading against cyber-bullying, while ignoring her husband’s excessive cyber-bullying as a candidate.

Auletta also said “When Bill Clinton declared several weeks ago that Obamacare was a troubled program whose costs were soaring, contradicting his wife’s support for the program, the press exposed [that] gap.”

Auletta is referring to a speech Clinton gave in Flint, Michigan, where he called Obamacare “the craziest thing in the world.” Hillary Clinton has consistently said she will defend and build on Obamacare.