Friends, The mainstream media is helping Trump and his authoritarian allies in four ways. First, it’s drawing a false equivalence between Trump and Biden — claiming that Biden’s political handicap is his age, while Trump’s corresponding handicap is his criminal indictments.
The problem is that the major media outlets are largely owned and controlled by the same people that are backing and funding the Republican fascist machine. They pretend at giving a "fair and balanced" approach to news (the old Fox tagline) but in reality, they are pushing the anti-democratic agenda. Mainstream News reporting has become a capitalist enterprise. They have no interest in informing the public.
While I agree with all four of your points regarding the role of mainstream media in what amounts to disinformation, what is needed is an action step we can take to effectively take to counter this trend. You are one of a few voices who consistently points out this disturbing trend, but what is a potential strategy to get the mainstream media to change its harmful bias?
Would asking all of us who follow your informative postings to engage in a "letter to the editor" writing campaign have an effect? For example if you requested all of us to write a short letter to each of the targeted media outlets each day for a week get their attention? Whether or not they have the guts to print any of the letters, the sheer number of letters pouring in focused on this one issue should get their attention.
Your daily insights are very informative and powerful, but to utilize the insights, an action step we could all take together would then give us plus those readers of Inequality Media a sense of EMPOWERMENT! We must not give way to despair and cynicism.
As a psychologist (albeit retired) I have long thought that Trump shows signs of dementia, and should be rigorously assessed. This impression was strengthened when he commented on taking the MOCA test of cognitive decline and said it was really hard. In fact, the test (and others like it) is designed to be very simple for all intelligence levels. Most people get all items right unless they have serious cognitive problems. It's only a screening test, but anyone finding it very difficult should have an in-depth assessment. I particularly recall him saying that the later utems were hard. These include questions like "What is your name?"
Even the notion of D's wanting " more" government and R's wanting " less" is deceiving. Reagan told the American people that government IS the problem.
No it's not.
R's play to people's fear. Fear that a functioning government in a democracy works against the people instead of for them. This is based on the notion that all regulation is bad. With lessregulation to protect the people and less government programs to help them corruption can flourish and the rich get richer.
That is what has happened under every R President. Trump has escalated it to fascism.
The big legacy media news networks are going down !
And they have no one to blame but themselves. They all kept trying to equate both sides of the Political Spectrum. Instead of calling out the obvious hypocrisy in the Republican Party and highlighting how it is tearing @ the fabric of our democracy!
Independent news outlets like the MeidasTouch
Network are leading the way of bringing back honest journalism.
Robert's last sentence speaks volumes as to an infection which is sweeping across this land. Point blank human stupidity has taken a foothold in this country. Trump and is cronies are feeding off of the chaos caused by the misinformation being spread by various despicable news agencies. It's odd that what Trump described as his enemy back then is now one of his allies.
The saddest part is the emphasis on trump (blasted on most of the media outlets as if he were still acting president) while the FACTS of thriving economy, low gas prices, hopefully rising Minimum Wages, and an honorable President Biden takes a back-seat.
As President, Trump Was The (Commander and Chief )
of the U.S. Military, correct?
According to Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
- [ ] Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any OFFICE , civil or MILITARY, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
So are the Republicans saying that the Commander and Chief of the Military isn’t really a member of the Military and doesn’t apply to Trump?
Here's what the "mainstream media" wants: MONEY and Trump is a money spicket for them because there are so many people (like me) who just want to see him locked up - for good! Trump is a bumbling idiot in so many ways (regarding government) but he's an EXPERT at manipulating the "mainstream media." In addition, he has no qualms with having others (ie the Russians, Saudi's, Emerati's, Israeli's - Netanyahu sycophants and ????) conspiring to help manipulate all the Americans who now (apparently) get their "news" from Social Media. Trump has successfully "bulldozed" the "rule of law" in America to the point where people's heads are "spinning." It's almost impossible to keep up - his lawbreaking has become routine and his supporters like it. This is a time where it really is "all hands on deck" and we can only hope for a massive voter turnout in 2024. Those of us who "get" the importance of this upcoming election MUST work to convince Americans who are "sick" of politics that, regardless, it's their responsibility to get informed (especially about Biden's successes and Trump's danger to our republic) and to VOTE!
i am so disgusted, Professor Reich, by the MEDIA. don't these so-called journalists realise almost all of them will be recognised as ENEMIES by trump as soon as he is sworn in, and will be hunted down, imprisoned and (many) executed? are they SO STUPID as to delude themselves into believing that a few "friendly" news stories will not protect them from trump? or are they capable of ANY rational thought?
i am deeply afraid for them, their futures and their families.
I will try to be brief, because I'm beginning to sound like a Harpy on this subject. The Fairness Doctrine. A long time ago, there were three main networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and radio. There was no Twitter, no Facebook, and no YouTube. (We were still doing research from card catalogs.) Congress saw that the three networks were in a position to control information available to the public. So, Congress developed the Fairness Doctrine. Two important ideas became the bulwark of the Fairness Doctrine: (1) It is necessary to prevent privately controlled media from "misusing their broadcast licenses to set a biased agenda," (2) A Supreme Court decision upholding the Doctrine "arguing that nothing in the First Amendment gives a broadcast license holder the exclusive right to the airwaves they operate on." Congress established and the Supreme Court upheld the Fairness Doctrine which "mandated broadcast networks devote time contrasting views o n issues of public importance."
I don't know how anyone could have such a policy today given the countless online news and discussion outlets. But at least, could we develop a doctrine that requires nationally televised broadcasters to do the same? Could we include their broadcasts even into local markets? I remember watching a BLM demonstration in Seattle that turned out to be quite different from what was pictured. Of course, the only people who would know that would be people living there.
I suggest we write members of congress we can trust and ask for a law reinstating the fairness doctrine.
There is a syllogism involved here. It goes like this:
ALL Big Media are primarily owned and operated by the Wealthy, in Upper Management and as majority shareholders.
The most influential people within Big Media are the top Managers.
Management can (and does) stipulate _how_ news and information will be presented.
Most Wealthy are aligned with the Republican Party. [It's easier to buy the services of Republicans than it is to buy the services of Democrats. Which is why the GOP is the Party of Big Business.]
Which is why most Media slant their content in such a way as to favor the GOP. [DESPITE the chaos element introduced by Trump & Company.]
You have hit the nail on the head, Dr. Reich! It is unnerving to witness the re-staging of another Trump victory—especially because the news media’s principal motivation for leveling Trump and Biden is to increase ratings and revenue. How soon they’ve forgotten that, during his presidency, Trump censured AND censored journalists for asking pertinent questions! And shame on The New York Times, a publicly traded entity that thus carers to its investors, for neglecting their mission statement: “At The Times, our mission is to seek the truth and help people understand the world.”
Yes. and I think the reason is primarily financial. Both the NYT and WaPost have long determined that the "sweet spot" for maximum readership (and advertising revenue) is centrist-right. That includes some 80% of Demos and 20% Republicans. Then too, the ownership of these corporations are bloombergists, where profits will win out over democracy when it comes down to it. Interestingly, one can see from comments (even after the Times curates what they will publish) that the engaged readership of both media is clearly to the left of the editorial boards.
The problem is that the major media outlets are largely owned and controlled by the same people that are backing and funding the Republican fascist machine. They pretend at giving a "fair and balanced" approach to news (the old Fox tagline) but in reality, they are pushing the anti-democratic agenda. Mainstream News reporting has become a capitalist enterprise. They have no interest in informing the public.
While I agree with all four of your points regarding the role of mainstream media in what amounts to disinformation, what is needed is an action step we can take to effectively take to counter this trend. You are one of a few voices who consistently points out this disturbing trend, but what is a potential strategy to get the mainstream media to change its harmful bias?
Would asking all of us who follow your informative postings to engage in a "letter to the editor" writing campaign have an effect? For example if you requested all of us to write a short letter to each of the targeted media outlets each day for a week get their attention? Whether or not they have the guts to print any of the letters, the sheer number of letters pouring in focused on this one issue should get their attention.
Your daily insights are very informative and powerful, but to utilize the insights, an action step we could all take together would then give us plus those readers of Inequality Media a sense of EMPOWERMENT! We must not give way to despair and cynicism.
As a psychologist (albeit retired) I have long thought that Trump shows signs of dementia, and should be rigorously assessed. This impression was strengthened when he commented on taking the MOCA test of cognitive decline and said it was really hard. In fact, the test (and others like it) is designed to be very simple for all intelligence levels. Most people get all items right unless they have serious cognitive problems. It's only a screening test, but anyone finding it very difficult should have an in-depth assessment. I particularly recall him saying that the later utems were hard. These include questions like "What is your name?"
Even the notion of D's wanting " more" government and R's wanting " less" is deceiving. Reagan told the American people that government IS the problem.
No it's not.
R's play to people's fear. Fear that a functioning government in a democracy works against the people instead of for them. This is based on the notion that all regulation is bad. With lessregulation to protect the people and less government programs to help them corruption can flourish and the rich get richer.
That is what has happened under every R President. Trump has escalated it to fascism.
The big legacy media news networks are going down !
And they have no one to blame but themselves. They all kept trying to equate both sides of the Political Spectrum. Instead of calling out the obvious hypocrisy in the Republican Party and highlighting how it is tearing @ the fabric of our democracy!
Independent news outlets like the MeidasTouch
Network are leading the way of bringing back honest journalism.
Robert's last sentence speaks volumes as to an infection which is sweeping across this land. Point blank human stupidity has taken a foothold in this country. Trump and is cronies are feeding off of the chaos caused by the misinformation being spread by various despicable news agencies. It's odd that what Trump described as his enemy back then is now one of his allies.
The saddest part is the emphasis on trump (blasted on most of the media outlets as if he were still acting president) while the FACTS of thriving economy, low gas prices, hopefully rising Minimum Wages, and an honorable President Biden takes a back-seat.
Mr. Reich,
I have a question.
As President, Trump Was The (Commander and Chief )
of the U.S. Military, correct?
According to Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
- [ ] Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any OFFICE , civil or MILITARY, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
So are the Republicans saying that the Commander and Chief of the Military isn’t really a member of the Military and doesn’t apply to Trump?
Here's what the "mainstream media" wants: MONEY and Trump is a money spicket for them because there are so many people (like me) who just want to see him locked up - for good! Trump is a bumbling idiot in so many ways (regarding government) but he's an EXPERT at manipulating the "mainstream media." In addition, he has no qualms with having others (ie the Russians, Saudi's, Emerati's, Israeli's - Netanyahu sycophants and ????) conspiring to help manipulate all the Americans who now (apparently) get their "news" from Social Media. Trump has successfully "bulldozed" the "rule of law" in America to the point where people's heads are "spinning." It's almost impossible to keep up - his lawbreaking has become routine and his supporters like it. This is a time where it really is "all hands on deck" and we can only hope for a massive voter turnout in 2024. Those of us who "get" the importance of this upcoming election MUST work to convince Americans who are "sick" of politics that, regardless, it's their responsibility to get informed (especially about Biden's successes and Trump's danger to our republic) and to VOTE!
i am so disgusted, Professor Reich, by the MEDIA. don't these so-called journalists realise almost all of them will be recognised as ENEMIES by trump as soon as he is sworn in, and will be hunted down, imprisoned and (many) executed? are they SO STUPID as to delude themselves into believing that a few "friendly" news stories will not protect them from trump? or are they capable of ANY rational thought?
i am deeply afraid for them, their futures and their families.
I will try to be brief, because I'm beginning to sound like a Harpy on this subject. The Fairness Doctrine. A long time ago, there were three main networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and radio. There was no Twitter, no Facebook, and no YouTube. (We were still doing research from card catalogs.) Congress saw that the three networks were in a position to control information available to the public. So, Congress developed the Fairness Doctrine. Two important ideas became the bulwark of the Fairness Doctrine: (1) It is necessary to prevent privately controlled media from "misusing their broadcast licenses to set a biased agenda," (2) A Supreme Court decision upholding the Doctrine "arguing that nothing in the First Amendment gives a broadcast license holder the exclusive right to the airwaves they operate on." Congress established and the Supreme Court upheld the Fairness Doctrine which "mandated broadcast networks devote time contrasting views o n issues of public importance."
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/topic-guide/fairness-doctrinehttps://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/topic-guide/fairness-doctrine
I don't know how anyone could have such a policy today given the countless online news and discussion outlets. But at least, could we develop a doctrine that requires nationally televised broadcasters to do the same? Could we include their broadcasts even into local markets? I remember watching a BLM demonstration in Seattle that turned out to be quite different from what was pictured. Of course, the only people who would know that would be people living there.
I suggest we write members of congress we can trust and ask for a law reinstating the fairness doctrine.
There is a syllogism involved here. It goes like this:
ALL Big Media are primarily owned and operated by the Wealthy, in Upper Management and as majority shareholders.
The most influential people within Big Media are the top Managers.
Management can (and does) stipulate _how_ news and information will be presented.
Most Wealthy are aligned with the Republican Party. [It's easier to buy the services of Republicans than it is to buy the services of Democrats. Which is why the GOP is the Party of Big Business.]
Which is why most Media slant their content in such a way as to favor the GOP. [DESPITE the chaos element introduced by Trump & Company.]
You have hit the nail on the head, Dr. Reich! It is unnerving to witness the re-staging of another Trump victory—especially because the news media’s principal motivation for leveling Trump and Biden is to increase ratings and revenue. How soon they’ve forgotten that, during his presidency, Trump censured AND censored journalists for asking pertinent questions! And shame on The New York Times, a publicly traded entity that thus carers to its investors, for neglecting their mission statement: “At The Times, our mission is to seek the truth and help people understand the world.”
Ok, I agree with you. Now please tell us what we can DO to ensure that Trump never becomes president ever again ! (Besides prayer)
It is so obvious. I've stopped buying the NY Times and Washington Post as their refusal to even
comment on this craziness has become clear. Day after day. It reminds me of their looking away
from the lies about 'weapons of mass destruction' in Iraq. They refuse to do their job once again.
Yes. and I think the reason is primarily financial. Both the NYT and WaPost have long determined that the "sweet spot" for maximum readership (and advertising revenue) is centrist-right. That includes some 80% of Demos and 20% Republicans. Then too, the ownership of these corporations are bloombergists, where profits will win out over democracy when it comes down to it. Interestingly, one can see from comments (even after the Times curates what they will publish) that the engaged readership of both media is clearly to the left of the editorial boards.