From bias to disruption for new administration.

• Position: Never-Trumpers

When journalists, politicians, and activists profess independence yet challenge individuals with whom they disagree based on political viewpoint, that reveals bias. When, however, those partisans go beyond challenging views they dislike to calling into question the character, motivation, or legality of those with whom they disagree, they aim to disrupt lives and careers," says attorney Jonathan W. Emord, principal of Emord and Associates, Clifton, Va., and the author of several books, including Restore the Republic--How the American People Can Once Again Be Free and Prosperous.

"In the days of Edward R. Murrow, professional journalists, politicians, and activists largely avoided stooping to the level of character assassination unless the facts were largely beyond dispute and the issues clearly affected the public welfare. Not so any more.

"With the Michael Flynn and Monica Crowley [National Security Agency] debacles and with the incessant efforts to accuse Pres. Donald Trump of complicity with the Russians, we see how the liberal media condemns first and then scurries to find supporting facts; when support is not found, the facts are twisted to suggest negative inferences, and the false stories are published anew. That may help account for why journalists are among the least trusted and most disliked groups in the country."

Emord continues: "It used to be that professional journalists aspired to avoid opinionated discourse in favor of a careful recitation of the facts. Opinion was left to the editorial pages and opinion talk shows. It also used to be that politicians refrained from attacking the character of their opponents, preferring instead to address the issues. It used to be that political activists endeavored to make clear their ideological positions and concerns and draw public attention to the plight of those victimized by forces beyond their control.

"Apparently," he adds, "casting aspersion on character is thought to leave a more indelible and disabling mark on a person than challenging his or her views. So it is that a man of great integrity and intellectual prowess, Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch, now is the subject of much brainstorming by Democrats and liberal activists...