Timothy Snyder: Why do headlines say "norms shattered" when what is meant is "laws broken" or "Constitution violated"?

[highplainsdem]

Why do headlines say "norms shattered" when what is meant is "laws broken" or "Constitution violated"?

— Timothy Snyder (@timothysnyder.bsky.social) 2025-09-26T17:32:52.758Z

[EarthAbides]

1. Yes!

I am so sick of the headlines that make this all seem so normal! Like I wrote before when Kamala Harris said, "Trump LIED to you!" Not the fascist pig broke a campaign promise....

[spooky3]

2. Finally someone (important) says that! To the average person

Who is not very interested in “politics”, breaking norms or bucking tradition may sound like bold, necessary change, among other reasons to make this distinction.

[markodochartaigh]

19. And to Republicans

who live in a bubble where the narrative that "the government is not the solution, the government is the problem" and "the government is controlled by left-wing politicians" breaking norms sounds like something that they would agree with.

[NNadir]

3. Good question.

[Cha]

4. Because it's our Fascist "media"

we're talking about.

TY and Thanks for pointing it out, Timothy Snyder.

[erronis]

7. I'd just drop the "enabling" from your title, Cha. The M$M is fascist to its core.

[Cha]

9. Right? I used to say that and then

someone told me it should be "enabling" so I listened.

But I think you're right.. the owners that demand covering for the Fascist Takeover.. Thanks in Big Part to them.. are the same.. they don't give one shit about American Democracy.

[MadameButterfly]

5. The use of "norms" has always bothered me

No one cares about norms.
They care about breaking the law and autocracy.
Breaking norms sounds like a new clothing fashion.

[hay rick]

31. "Breaking norms" sounds like an alternate usage for "innovation."

It does reflect the reality that law-breaking that has been immunized by the Supreme Court or non-enforcement from the Department of Justice is effectively permitted.

[BaronChocula]

6. Because institutions like the media/press

are afraid of white conservatives for whom they tread lightly. It's an American tradition.

[BurnDoubt]

11. Maybe all their talk of "killing" and how "norm-ish" it is to do and say such things...

and the"media's" reluctance to consult a thesaurus has emboldened and supported their deplorability.
Can't help thinking it's all about the MONEY.

[BaronChocula]

14. And yes, how about a thesaurus

I friggin' detest cliches.

[kentuck]

10. Yep.

Blatant corruption.

[moniss]

12. The media framing gets to the point of being vomit inducing. nt

[markodochartaigh]

21. It has gotten to the point where

The Overton Window is spinning so fast it is like watching clothes in a dryer.

[liberalla]

13. Excellent question! Thank you for asking it!

[crud]

15. Dems need to remind everyone

every time they refer to the criminal president or his unlawful actions...that they are criminal and unlawful. They need to refer to the corrupt president and his corrupt Whitehouse as being corrupt. The threats to government workers is political corruption, the indictment of Comy is political corruption. I could go on. Force the media to report THAT! Make it THE message and tell the media what you are doing, so they talk about how dems are accusing the felon, Trump of corruption. Then they can start exploring why they have made their message 'corruption" and if it will work. They will get corruption experts on the TEE VEE and ask them to explain what it all means. They will force the R's to defend the criminal president and try to excuse or deny that he is corrupt. that is how to win this shutdown battle too.

[Kablooie]

16. I'll bet their lawyers require it.

Like crimes are never committed, only alleged.

[spooky3]

28. I would still prefer "alleged crime" or "alleged lawbreaking" to "norms shattered." Nt

[thesquanderer]

32. Yes, The norms reference is understatement, but there needs to be something in between.

They can't say laws broken, if a court hasn't (yet) found that to be the case (presumption of innocence until proven guilty). Constitution violated is not a factual statement until/unless the Supreme Court says so, because they are the ultimate arbiter of that. So no reputable news source will headline with these statements which are technically/legally false.

"Alleged" can be a useful qualifier, but it doesn't so well communicate that we do know that we do know that a person did something. IOW, an alleged shooter communicates that there definitely was a shooter, we just don't know for sure that this person did it. But with Trump there is no doubt that he did the thing, the doubt is only about whether it indeed did actually break a law or would be found to be unconstitutional by the court.

It seems like there should be a neat, concise term for this, but I can't think of any.

[agingdem]

17. And why doesn't the media call Trump out on his bottomless pit of lies?

Last edited Fri Sep 26, 2025, 03:58 PM - Edit history (1)

Instead they say he misspoke/exaggerated/embellished…

.and why does the media “translate” his toxic vomitus nonsense bullshit into “thought provoking discourse”?..

I say it’s the media’s slavering need for access and their palpable fear of being exiled

[malaise]

18. Agree

Rec

[travelingthrulife]

20. This x 1000. These people are just criminals.

[Martin68]

22. Very good point. It is a kind of normalization suggesting it is just bad manners, not illegal.

[mdbl]

23. Because a bunch of thugs are running our govt, with no oversight or even good Scrotus judgements to stop them

So they just stoke fear in these weasel media companies.

[Solly Mack]

24. ...

[Buddyzbuddy]

25. I miss the days of sitting with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

I just want the news. I don't need them to lean left or right, just report the facts. Don't get me started on broadcast news, jeez! I could live with FAUX because I knew what to expect but now all news strategizes the same. If it bleeds it leads. And it feels like I'm watching an old batman series, with all of the descriptors to get an emotional reaction such as "pow, slammed, bang, crushed, etc." Or "mislead instead of lied".
Just report the news without commentary.
I don't need to see a 2 hour car chase instead of the news and weather. The internet is not your competition, it's just another source of information. Report with accuracy, not speed.

[SheltieLover]

26. Kick

[drray23]

27. For the same reason they will say Trump mispoke or was inaccurate

When in fact it was a bold faced lie.
They appease the fascists because they control the media.

[Frasier Balzov]

29. The SCOTUS majority has Trump's back.

And they won't refrain from reversing themselves when the next Democratic president wants to get things done for the common good.

[yellow dahlia]

30. There is nothing "norma"al about what is going on.

[CaptainTruth]

33. With few execptions, our media is awful.

They should be ashamed, but I doubt they ever will be.