Job has gotten more challenging

Let’s just say we are in uncharted territory.

That much seems clear. Sometimes it seems to be the only thing that’s clear. And that, apparently, is what our president-elect wants.

Donald Trump let America know during the presidential campaign that he likes being “unpredictable.”

Fair enough.

It certainly worked for him as he built his media brand over the past several years. But now, as he prepares to take the oath of office on Jan. 20, it’s a little unsettling, at the least.

While unpredictability keeps us tuning in as a TV or Twitter audience, it doesn’t do much to keep the ship of state moving smoothly through the unsettled waters of the world.

Within a matter of weeks, Mr. Trump has managed to stir things up with China, threaten North Korea, jerk around the stock value of General Motors, and issue a series of tweets that have serious news institutions suddenly debating when to label a false statement a lie and when to use a less confrontational label.

Any 10-year-old knows that politicians have a tough time with the truth. They bend it. They stretch it. They leave out parts in order to make themselves look better.

That goes with the territory.

What’s a reporter’s responsibility in this situation?

Is it merely to act as a stenographer jotting down the statements of those in authority? Or does it require examining, weighing and even challenging the statements of those in authority if those statements are untrue, inaccurate or misleading?

That’s harder today in America than it has ever been before.

Indeed, we are in uncharted territory. — J.R.