The mainstream press is giving a pass to a lot of people it shouldn't. They aren't calling out lies, providing context, or giving it to us straight. They're both-siding a lot of issues they shouldn't. And it's terribly dangerous. I keep wondering if they know what happens to journalists in a fascist state. Surely they've been paying attention to the fate of their journalist peers in Russia.
FOX News has been spewing propaganda for decades at this point. It isn't any wonder that so many people are literally brainwashed by them. They're a huge problem and I'm furious that the rest of the press corps seems to think giving them legitimacy is OK. It very much isn't. If they don't let people know that FOX says it's entertainment in the courts but claims to be news on air, then how are people going to know? FOX watchers are convinced they're getting the truth.
I don't know the answer. I suspect it has to do with better regulation but I don't know how we get there. We're just so divided as a culture. In Texas, things feel tense on a daily basis. I fear for our future. Is Canada accepting new citizens?
The MSM has to take blame for some of this mess. There is no sense of fairness or obligation anymore, except in those places that practice good journalism but get little attention. Crooks and Liars, Eric Boehlert's Press Run, and Judd Legum's Popular Info (both here on Substack) are all knocking themselves out trying to right those wrongs and they're getting nowhere.
I thought Brian Stelter would keep at it on CNN's Reliable Sources, but he caved, too. He brings on GOP/Trump apologists, hoping to make news instead of analyze news, as the original program promised. Once and only once they addressed the elephant in the room--is the press biased?--and wound up patting themselves on the back for mostly doing the right thing., Mostly. Because, after all, they're only human...
I'll confess I'm biased against Stelter after reading his Top O' the Morning book. He totally let Matt Lauer slide and didn't mention Ann Lauer tried to curb Lauer's harassment and assault. Perhaps he didn't know but, if he didn't, he isn't much of a journalist. And if he did know (and I think he did), he just let it slide. Grrr....
Yes, that was a mess. Lots of covering up going on there. I didn't read Stelter's book, but I've watched him slowly cave, giving too much leeway to anyone he happens to like.
It's often clear by his lack of follow-up questions that he's not comfortable with doing the necessary fieldwork and would rather just have an entertaining show.
Which, of course, means he isn't a journalist. That's a profession that isn't for the faint of heart or for those just wanting to be liked (or be famous).
Stelter is a former NYT media reporter, so ostensibly he is a journalist. He anchors a show called "Reliable Sources" that promises to shed light on journalism today, but he chooses not to live up to the promise in order to keep it 'interesting'.
Howard Kurtz was the first anchor until he moved on to propagandize at Fox 'News', but I have to say, he did a much better job until the Trump seductions began and he lost his way.
'Reliable Sources' could be a real asset to those of us trying to keep the press honest, but it's too often more disappointing than enlightening.
Excellent advocacy writing! I don’t know how to find our way through this. Trying to get to the truth doesn’t work well since Tucker Carlson among others has admitted he lies and is comfortable with that. His devout followers seem fine with that also. If only people realized that they were being cynically used and even laughed at. It’s sad to me that many of the Fox audience are looking for advocates who respect them and listen to them. I think they are getting the opposite. It’s sad. Thanks for addressing the problem.
Thanks, Edy. I'm just dumbfounded at how many passes the press gives Fox News. That network is seriously endangering us, and they're growing more menacing every day. This is entirely too cozy, and the terrible part is that it's also entirely normal now.
I feel like someone witnessing a catastrophe while watching those who could be doing something about it nodding their heads, saying, 'Uh huh. I see what's happening here. Let's see how we can spin this and make some money off of it.'
The mainstream press is giving a pass to a lot of people it shouldn't. They aren't calling out lies, providing context, or giving it to us straight. They're both-siding a lot of issues they shouldn't. And it's terribly dangerous. I keep wondering if they know what happens to journalists in a fascist state. Surely they've been paying attention to the fate of their journalist peers in Russia.
FOX News has been spewing propaganda for decades at this point. It isn't any wonder that so many people are literally brainwashed by them. They're a huge problem and I'm furious that the rest of the press corps seems to think giving them legitimacy is OK. It very much isn't. If they don't let people know that FOX says it's entertainment in the courts but claims to be news on air, then how are people going to know? FOX watchers are convinced they're getting the truth.
I don't know the answer. I suspect it has to do with better regulation but I don't know how we get there. We're just so divided as a culture. In Texas, things feel tense on a daily basis. I fear for our future. Is Canada accepting new citizens?
The MSM has to take blame for some of this mess. There is no sense of fairness or obligation anymore, except in those places that practice good journalism but get little attention. Crooks and Liars, Eric Boehlert's Press Run, and Judd Legum's Popular Info (both here on Substack) are all knocking themselves out trying to right those wrongs and they're getting nowhere.
I thought Brian Stelter would keep at it on CNN's Reliable Sources, but he caved, too. He brings on GOP/Trump apologists, hoping to make news instead of analyze news, as the original program promised. Once and only once they addressed the elephant in the room--is the press biased?--and wound up patting themselves on the back for mostly doing the right thing., Mostly. Because, after all, they're only human...
I'll confess I'm biased against Stelter after reading his Top O' the Morning book. He totally let Matt Lauer slide and didn't mention Ann Lauer tried to curb Lauer's harassment and assault. Perhaps he didn't know but, if he didn't, he isn't much of a journalist. And if he did know (and I think he did), he just let it slide. Grrr....
Yes, that was a mess. Lots of covering up going on there. I didn't read Stelter's book, but I've watched him slowly cave, giving too much leeway to anyone he happens to like.
It's often clear by his lack of follow-up questions that he's not comfortable with doing the necessary fieldwork and would rather just have an entertaining show.
Which, of course, means he isn't a journalist. That's a profession that isn't for the faint of heart or for those just wanting to be liked (or be famous).
Stelter is a former NYT media reporter, so ostensibly he is a journalist. He anchors a show called "Reliable Sources" that promises to shed light on journalism today, but he chooses not to live up to the promise in order to keep it 'interesting'.
Howard Kurtz was the first anchor until he moved on to propagandize at Fox 'News', but I have to say, he did a much better job until the Trump seductions began and he lost his way.
'Reliable Sources' could be a real asset to those of us trying to keep the press honest, but it's too often more disappointing than enlightening.
Excellent advocacy writing! I don’t know how to find our way through this. Trying to get to the truth doesn’t work well since Tucker Carlson among others has admitted he lies and is comfortable with that. His devout followers seem fine with that also. If only people realized that they were being cynically used and even laughed at. It’s sad to me that many of the Fox audience are looking for advocates who respect them and listen to them. I think they are getting the opposite. It’s sad. Thanks for addressing the problem.
Thanks, Edy. I'm just dumbfounded at how many passes the press gives Fox News. That network is seriously endangering us, and they're growing more menacing every day. This is entirely too cozy, and the terrible part is that it's also entirely normal now.
I feel like someone witnessing a catastrophe while watching those who could be doing something about it nodding their heads, saying, 'Uh huh. I see what's happening here. Let's see how we can spin this and make some money off of it.'