CryptoDad

Chapter 9 Facing Resistance

“A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.”

—Kenneth Tynan (theater critic), as quoted by Godfrey Smith, New York Times, 1966

Battling Narratives

Many contemporary observers take it as a given that the media is an accessory to one political party or the other to bring down opponents. And that is actually true of some reporters, I believe. At the same time, most reporters are conscientious professionals. They may not always write the story I want them to write, but they are careful and accurate. There is also no doubt that Donald Trump liked to generate controversy. The media covered those controversies because those stories sold. Both sides were implicated when it came to the fire and fury of the media's relationship with the Trump administration.

To encourage fair coverage, we worked hard to be open and to make available crucial information for market participants, policymakers, the press, and the general public. Most press coverage of the CFTC and its welcoming approach to new technology was fair and impartial. That was due in some part, I think, to our own fair treatment of the press. I believe democratic values demand that agencies and leaders be transparent, open, and informative. Some leaders attempt to control the media by keeping news strictly controlled. Many times in our history, business and political leaders have lied and misled the public about critical events. It happened with weapons of mass destruction before ...