Opinion: Explaining the difference between fact and opinion to Trump supporters

To the editor: I find it sadly telling that supporters of President Trump, who objected to critical opinion pieces in The Times, had to be instructed about the difference between straight news and opinion pieces as explained by Deputy Editorial Page Editor Jon Healey. (“The Times Editorial Board having an opinion on Trump does not make the whole newspaper biased,” Readers React, April 8)

So let’s spare the opinion and stick to the hard facts. Trump’s three major initiatives were repealing and replacing Obamacare, banning Muslim immigration and building a wall at our southern border. All of these issues have been blundering failures.

Yet some believe that Trump is doing well. What will it take to have these deniers admit the Trump presidency is off to a horrible start?

James Regan, Carlsbad

..

To the editor: Healey explains that his “group of nine” editorial board members are technically “speaking as the voice of the paper.” But he assures us that that the paper’s “flagship” news reporters remain unaffected by the board members’ partisan political opinions.

Of course, we know that is baloney. Employees of every organization, especially the brightest and most productive “flagship” employees, are highly attuned to “the voice of the paper.”

Healey reveals the smugly patronizing bias at the top of The Times.

James Willis, Oxnard

..

To the editor: As a long-time subscriber, I want to thank Healey and the rest of The Times Editorial Board for its series on Trump.

As a democratic society, we cannot let this version of the presidency become the new norm. Not even his voters support all his tweets, but they claim that they are his honest, unfiltered opinions and therefore he is to be trusted. Likewise we are supposed to believe his claims about business success and lack of cupidity with little actual proof.

The free press is a counterforce to this, and I sincerely thank The Times for its efforts.

Susan Nikas, San Dimas

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook