In his most recent editorial, Matt Taibbi provides countless examples of how “journalists” are clearly not honest, ethical professionals any longer. Get past his strong detest for Donald Trump and the rest of the piece illustrates the current sad state of journalism:
The main thing accomplished by removing those types of editorials from newspapers — apart from scaring the hell out of editors — is to shield readers from knowledge of what a major segment of American society is thinking.
It also guarantees that opinion writers and editors alike will shape views to avoid upsetting colleagues, which means that instead of hearing what our differences are and how we might address those issues, newspaper readers will instead be presented with page after page of people professing to agree with one another. That’s not agitation, that’s misinformation.
Show trials have existed throughout the history of totalitarian regimes, not to deliver justice, but to scare the population into strict compliance with the state. In 2020 the Leftist Cult known as “Progressivism” has clearly communicated to all, with journalists at the front of the list, that any deviation from the official Woke narrative will be met with cancelation & shaming, enforced by mob rule, both online and sometimes in person. The scared sheep, formerly known as journalists, have received the message loud & clear and will now comply. For they know the consequences if they don’t.
The traditional view of the press was never based on some contrived, mathematical notion of “balance,” i.e. five paragraphs of Republicans for every five paragraphs of Democrats. The ideal instead was that we showed you everything we could see, good and bad, ugly and not, trusting that a better-informed public would make better decisions. This vision of media stressed accuracy, truth, and trust in the reader’s judgment as the routes to positive social change.
For all our infamous failings, journalists once had some toughness to them. We were supposed to be willing to go to jail for sources we might not even like, and fly off to war zones or disaster areas without question when editors asked. It was also once considered a virtue to flout the disapproval of colleagues to fight for stories we believed in (Watergate, for instance).
There is a reason why media is ranked right along with lawyers as a detested and untrustworthy group. Less than 16% view media as trustworthy. Scary scenario as media consumers can filter what they view by the click on a keyboard.
But, Global and UNIFOR says their survey found 70% of Canadians trust the news.
they only survey their readers and still 30% say they are crap.
Years ago I took a Survey Methodology course for my work in the provincial government, hosted by StatsCanada. Long story short, we learned to construct a survey to give whatever result you desire. Unless you can access how the samples pools were collected and carefully examine the sentence structure and even how the order of questions was determined (good luck with that) do not trust any survey. Just sayin’.
I assume surveys are designed to make us think in the desired fashion; artful polling in surveys enables the audience (in this case Canadians) to think that all the other sensible people think the same way. The audeience is either a negative or positive target: “The cause is lost” or “join the club, don’t be a heritic”.
Nailed it Robert.
I actually believe this is accurate! It’s a BIG reason why so many people still vote Liberal!
1. Cheap dope, free money.
2. Cheap dope, free money.
3. Cheap dope, free money.
4. Cheap dope, free money.
5. Cheap dope, free money.
Agree, except the dope is not cheap. Doesn’t really matter when you spend someone else’s money though.
Much more problematic than corrupt politicians are the corrupt, so called journalists that are paid to do cover up and propaganda. I can’t decide if Cuomo is stupid or dumb. Politicians would never get away with this level of corruption without mainstream media. Cuomo is inciting violence and rioting.
https://twitter.com/KarluskaP/status/1271959893562589185
Eating dry Ramen protects you from bs.
Excellent piece by Taibbi. Somehow I do not think things will change. Shutting down people they disagree with is too entrenched on the left. It is essential for them to survive, as questioning their own ideas would result in their discovering how shallow they are.
Taibbi’s piece is a long one, but well worth the read (at least once you get past his very obvious anti-Trump bias). Unfortunately, he’s all too likely to be deplatformed for daring to speak the truth about modern journalism.
Let the bells ring out and the banners fly. Used car salesmen were boosted another giant step up the human race ladder.
Contrary to the post below this one, I think the media is driving the major stories of the day; else how do they become major stories?
They are using their platforms to spread fear and anger to sell copy and views.
They are driving the Chinese Coronavirus fears by picking and choosing their favorite stories, and their FAVORITE EXPERTS. Governor Cuomo was a great guy, doing great as his policies killed over 5,000 elderly patients in nursing homes, and his refusal to clean or shutdown the MTA Subway System spread the Wuhan Flu throughout NYC, and all the surrounding states too.
They are driving the mostly peaceful protest lies, even if there are smoke and flames in the background of their on scene stand up report. They refuse to report much of the riots, looting and arson in all the Democrat Party strongholds across the nation. They never report what has stopped the riots, and brought peace to the protests, bringing in the National Guard in overwhelming numbers. So far, all I have seen reported is one death caused by the NG, and they were not sure, because both police and the NG were shooting the same gunman.
They are ignoring antifa, and often claiming any whites caught rioting are White Supremacists.
Next they will tell us that Joe Biden’s VP pick is the greatest, smartest, most qualified woman that ever strode the earth. Even if it is Stacey “Tank” Abrams, or Susan “Benghazi was a peaceful protest” Rice.
“Matt Taibbi provides countless examples of how “journalists” are clearly not honest, ethical professionals any longer.”
And politicians for that matter and yet Trump is the problem. Here he has a good interview with Aaron Mate. The whole interview is good but at 11 minutes he starts blaming Adam Schiff for everything, so far so good, but then worries his lying will help get Trump re-elected. All the lying and corruption of the media and the DNC and Schiff will help get Trump re-elected. Crazee!! The whole interview is good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgqaEBw9Ev0
I like a good Jimmy Dore rant. He used to be a hard core Bernie bro. He is slowly coming around as he sees the corruption of the left and the lying media but Trump is still the problem.
Warning some good well placed swearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxIjbulIYDs
Iowahawk wrote something like this: The job of a journalist is to cover important stories. Cover them with a pillow until they stop moving.
In middle to late 50’s of the past century, living in socialist country run by communists, there were show trials.
If you don’t believe what I’m writing here, I understand, it is unbelievable in a free society, such as it is.
The show trials were daily listen on the state radio, no TV yet. The trials were scripted, if an accused deviated from the script, the broadcast was substituted with a blip from interrogation where the accused was taught what to say.
At the end of the trials and when the communists whacked off those that were their former allies, the script of the trials were published as books that you could actually buy and follow the script word by word.
That is how it was done and that is where CNN and MSNBC are heading full speed.
With there being people in positions of influence, supported by the plebeians, those and those like them will hit a solid concrete wall, will expire and will end up on the trash heap of history.
This though, will happen after there will be much of mayhem, destruction and death.
There is a book, communist book, paraphrasing in translation, ‘How the steel was purified’, it proposes that the lowly iron has to go through a fierce heat to become pure steel.
In the same manner the mess that is happening is an non-natural process that will conclude with natural consequences.
The thing that some of us would like to expect is someone with strong intellect and powerful arguments to make case for soon to be changed society.
One has to remember that the establishment of the constitution of the US was done with the assumption that everyone is equal. As happened in previous history, the same is happening now. Expected decency for democratic rule has been replaced by those that want power.
So far they are winning and the plebeians are onlookers in the spectacle, not realizing that its real life.
How does the Toronto Star (1/3 owner of Canadian Press) get away with it?
Being so biased that their entire production costs should be charged to Liberal Party election expense.
And worse, the CBC, using my tax dollars to advocate for causes I’d never support.
Not that CTV, Global or any of the rest are any better.
But they sure are untouchable.
One doesn’t have to look too hard to see that the Canadian Media has an agenda and it’s not yours.
Every day, here and across the net people discuss issues that are affected deeply by our co-opted Media.
Yet there is zero pushback. ZERO!
When it comes to the Media, Conservatives have sure learned to turn the other cheek.
Although I describe it more as cheeks up.
As stimulating, even thought provoking as the commentary may be, there will be no change until the Media is addressed.
Absolutely none.
The game is not fair when the referee is so deeply partisan.
The real question is why Conservatives/conservatives do nothing, NOTHING about it.
Stockholm syndrome?
Not too bright collectively?
Cowardice?
All of the above?
Gee Matt T almost makes it,through to the Captain Obvious position.
But he stalls out,remaining in the Progressive fog.
President Trump is the result of the Media.
Their Narrative has become so toxic that old time,non voters have risen from their couches..to Vote F..Y..!
Trump is the sane response to institutions bias,condescension and outright lying,usually by failing to report.
Fake Newz did not create itself,nor did Trump invent it.
But it sure resonates with voters,yet no media critter or “political expert” can seem to figure that out.
Now the Newslings,formerly known as Maolings are consuming each each other we get great entertainment.
Cause no one looks to them for news anymore.
Notice the “eating of their own” is accelerating as the money runs out.
The Legacy Media coverage of these “Peaceful Protests” ,which have killed noncriminal Black people and destroyed their property, is so obviously propaganda that even their trapped audiences are turning on them.
“Sorry folks,that warm yellow stuff ,it ain’t rain after all”.
Annnnnd, it’s generational.
Let them destroy themselves. This should be encouraged. Accelerate them towards the inevitable crisis.
“It was also once considered a virtue to flout the disapproval of colleagues to fight for stories we believed in (Watergate, for instance).”
Ah, yes. They always hold up Watergate as proof of their virtue. Note the NYT’s Pulitzer winning role in covering up the Holodomor, the Ukrainian genocide. Certain stories, and huge lies therein, certainly had, and have, a lot of support of colleagues. They themselves determine the definition of virtue. The media’s bias is nothing new.
This should surprise no one. The editing of “news” is standard procedure for “media” outlets and it stems from the book “Interpretative Reporting” by Curtis MacDougall in which it was said that the goal of journalism was not to accurately report the news, but to shape history. “Good journalism” must give the reader the “appropriate” context by which the “correct” opinions could be formed.
This was the birth of what we now call “advocacy journalism.” Idealist young journalism students lapped it up. Making history was going to be far more exciting than merely reporting facts. MacDougall’s philosophy now seems to be the accepted “norm” in every major journalism school in the country.
Curtis MacDougall was Illinois state supervisor of the heavily Communist Party-infiltrated Federal Writers Project from 1939 to 1942, going on to teach journalism in Northwestern University until his retirement in 1971.
So when you hear about the “unbiased” media, give some thought to that.
Spot on Robert
Show trials have existed throughout the history of totalitarian regimes, not to deliver justice, but to scare the population into strict compliance with the state
As some Frenchman said: “pour encourager les autres”. [DuckDuckGo search later] Apparently it was Voltaire, in Candide, who was talking about the British needing to execute an admiral occasionally, pour …
Indeed it was the court-martial and execution of Admiral John Byng for failing to ward off a French attack on Minorca in the Seven Years War in 1757. The Royal Navy was indeed massively corrupt and many of its senior officers were inept. It didn’t help matters much that Byng’s flagship like much of the rest of his squadron was at least 50 years old. It also didn’t help matters that Byng could achieve nothing significant by being chained to the Fighting Instructions of the time. These would not be broken until Nelson of Trafalgar and his three great battles.
Show trials have existed as recently as modern times. In our lifetimes, such was the outcome for the infamous trial of the Chernobyl operators in 1988. They were all sentenced to imprisonment in labour camps for long terms of about 10 years as a convenient way o concealing the responsibility of the government for designing and building a defective reactor type and then concealing all the safety flaws and records from the operating crews.
I really get annoyed by the way that the local media covers the daily Covid-19 updates for Saskatchewan. If there was a death or deaths involved, the newsreader breathlessly reports this at the start of the coverage. Then the number of new cases, if any, are revealed in dramatic fashion. The total number of cases, active and inactive (which I find to be a rather meaningless statistic) are up next. Finally the number of recoveries for the day (a very important number which can obviously be classified as good news) is thrown in at the end as sort of an afterthought or not reported at all. In fact, my wife has commented that there is almost an attitude of disappointment when the number of recoveries is reported. Sort of goes against the apocalyptic narrative I suppose.
As long as Robert keeps posting these verbal masturbation essays, it is clear that SDA is not interested in the solution in the slightest. It is interested in perpetuation of the problems. This is what MSM does. Whoever runs this blog is no different. The only question I have is who exactly is it now? I am positive it is no longer Katherine McMillan, from the traits of the mysterious “Kate” nick. They are 180 degrees from that which Kate used to write.
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/002168.html
Thought I would provide you with Kate’s complaint mechanism for the blog. Feel free to use the process.
The only objective the media ever had was to sell ad space to con men selling gullible people crap they needed about as much as a hole in the head—be it overpriced soap flakes or their betters’ latest mad social engineering scheme.
There was never a golden age when hacks told the truth—least of all when it got in the way of selling papers. Speaking truth to power is what got Jesus crucified.