Media orgs think by being "neutral" on obvious matters like did Elon Musk give a Nazi salute they avoid alienating conservatives. They don't get Trump's basic appeal, that he just says it, he's not parsing. They alienate the modern right more by pandering to it than by just saying wtf happened. 1/

Of course there would be blowback if they did just say wtf occurred. But blowback is from movement elites and media. Grassroots might be seduced by their influencers' cynical outrage, but there's at least a shot they take seriously what occurred rather than recoil from the cringe dissimulation. /fin