As an avid news junkie, I took note of how media outlets (outside of President Trump's favorite channel) made a little bit of a stink about the award. Although Trump has given the Medal of Freedom to at least one questionable individual in the past, was Tiger Woods really a controversial pick? It is well known that Woods and Trump have golfed together in the past, and it would not be wrong to assume they have mutually benefited from their association with each other. However, that does not mean Tiger Woods did not deserve his award.
The Medal of Freedom can be awarded to "any person selected by the President," including individuals who have made cultural impacts. Tiger Woods has indeed made an impact on American culture. As noted by ESPN, legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus was awarded the Medal of Freedom in the past. Other notable recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Hawking, Tom Brokaw, Warren Buffett, Yogi Berra, and Colin Powell, just to name a few.
One of the biggest issues President Trump has with the "mainstream media" is that he is not covered fairly. We can look at his Twitter feed and see what he likes to watch, which is the heavily right-leaning Fox News organization, because they generally speak more fondly of him than more liberal-leaning news organizations. Journalists report the facts, but just because someone is on television and has their own show does not make them a journalist. Many celebrity news shows are hosted by people with work experience in politics or in law, where many did not come from a school of journalism. We have to take each piece of reported news and apply critical thinking to decide which category can be assigned to a report: right-leaning, left-leaning, or just the facts.
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