Trump will tell a story tonight — but that’s not the real story

What’s the story?

That’s the starting point, the fundamental question all journalists are trying to answer when they sit down to write. And how they answer that question tonight has never been more consequential.

Donald Trump has announced plans for a 9 p.m. speech that is widely expected to amplify his call for restrictions on voting in this November’s election. In support of that goal, he reportedly will unveil “new intelligence” exposing foreign interference in the 2020 election - which he continues to claim he won, all facts to the contrary.

First things first: Which networks will air the speech live? They’re not obligated to do so, and they have rejected presidential requests in the past when they deemed the topic too political. I think we can safely assume Fox News will, and perhaps the newly supine CBS News will as well.

For the other networks, this is an integrity check. Because the story Trump will tell is not the real story, given how fantastical it’s likely to be. The real story is the speech’s role in Trump’s strategy to bend to his will the outcome of November’s election.

Many journalists are already telling that story:

• Tom Jones (Poynter): Should networks air Trump’s national address live?
• Victor Nava (New York Post): AOC argues networks have ‘ethical obligation’ to not air Trump’s upcoming speech about elections
• Parker Molloy (The Present Age): The Predicate
• John Knefel (Media Matters): The plot to subvert the midterms is getting stranger and more dangerous
• Margaret Sullivan (American Crisis): What we need right now is a big, juicy ‘truth sandwich’
• Brian Stelter (Reliable Sources): To air Trump, or not to air Trump