I consider Robert Reich the most consistently critic of current political behavior in our Nation. He is right up there with Dan Rather and Fareed Zakaria. We need him in these troubled, politically and all too often pseudo-Christian hate mongering, dysfunctional, democratically destabilized, threatening times. ##
The press makes money off the clicks and views of right wingers who want to see Trump viable. They have a vested interest in a "horse race". And they're owned by people who profit off Trump and his ideology succeeding.
The media, by and large, are lazy, and cowardly. They don't want to be labeled as liberals, so they are afraid to criticize all the Republican garbage. No one wants to dig up facts, and take the story wherever those facts lead.
I really wish I knew and that we could do something about this phenomenon, but I suspect it has to do with money, which is the motivating factor for most things in this country. In the meantime, Trump is trying to make certain that he and his team don’t make the same mistakes they did in the past, so perhaps he’ll perfect his cheating strategies so it will be even harder to catch him and hold him accountable. If he succeeds, we can kiss our democracy goodbye.
That was GREAT! I love your new format, Professor and Heather!
Thank you for all of your wise words (… “out of their gourds” cracked me up!) and for the videoed Coffee Klatch. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours (and to Doug the emu…)
I agree heads of news organizations often answer to people with money, but I think it is also more complex. Journalists have also been the victims of NSO spyware tracking. Anyone can hire these groups. They have had death threats and there have been deaths. Look at Rowan Farrow who was not supported by NBC in his investigation of Harvey Weinstein. Luckily The New Yorker is great at fact checking and wanting to report and put out that story, but Weinstein was just powerful in an industry, political power is even scarier. I am supportive of all the journalists who do report the hard stories. We as consumers need to be more discerning as to which journalists we listen to.
In a piece I wrote called Managing Expectations, I said:
"Unequal expectations are a mainstay of the political landscape. Everyone expects President Biden to be empathetic, decent, and upstanding. Everyone expects his predecessor to be narcissistic, unseemly, and dishonest (even while denying it). It’s clear whose expectation threshold is easiest to meet. Somehow a false equivalency manifests in those distinctly disparate descriptions, and President Biden, when he falls short is castigated, while the Defendant, who can never fall short is reinforced. The news media, whose primary interest is in generating revenues thru its readership, focuses on those unequal shortcomings, and even though President Biden has accomplished a tremendous amount for the American people, his missteps or oversteps are magnified. Conversely, the Defendant’s few accomplishments for the American people are the exception to what is expected, and are thus magnified."
It must be understood that corporations are NOT democratic. They are authoritarian, as is the military and the police (and many churches.) Power resides at the top with the CEO's. Corporations, and that includes the media, stick together. Nothing would please corporations more than a government that would leave them alone and stop regulating them and the workplace.
I’m glad to see must people realize the New York Times is looking out for themselves, but I do wonder how many working for the paper are MAGA followers? I’ve gotten where there are days I can’t and am not interested in hearing the lies or the fact they just want money (a commodity I don’t have). As far as I’m concerned it’s time to act on Trump - he should be in jail. The hardship on the American people, the stress and the continuing games in Congress and lack of respect displayed by the Republicans shows enough of their maneuvers in their attempt to take over - at any cost - even lives. Reich’s information and articles are the only ones I read consistently. Reich provides the needed history, experience, and concern. His information is right on target in my book!
…the media, like so many Americans, can’t get their heads around the encroaching authoritarianism. History, unfortunately, has not been a good teacher in US.
The Mainstream Media is controlled by the American oligarchy!
I consider Robert Reich the most consistently critic of current political behavior in our Nation. He is right up there with Dan Rather and Fareed Zakaria. We need him in these troubled, politically and all too often pseudo-Christian hate mongering, dysfunctional, democratically destabilized, threatening times. ##
The press makes money off the clicks and views of right wingers who want to see Trump viable. They have a vested interest in a "horse race". And they're owned by people who profit off Trump and his ideology succeeding.
As a Canadian great grandmother ( in her 80’s).
, I am not “ proud “ of the world I am leaving my greatgrandchildren. Hopefully the “Trump message” of fascist philosophy will weaken.
Hopefully democracy will “ see the light again”!!!!!!!!!
Harriet
The media, by and large, are lazy, and cowardly. They don't want to be labeled as liberals, so they are afraid to criticize all the Republican garbage. No one wants to dig up facts, and take the story wherever those facts lead.
1. They still think they can get Trumpers to read their news so they don’t want to piss them off.
2. The expectation of investigative news has been damaged over the years by social media. Again, they want subscribers to get ads to get paid.
3. Private ownership of papers has contributed to the change of mission from news to headlines and money!
Basically, unleashed capitalism broke the news too!
Comparing Presidents:
Trump to Lincoln and Trump to President Biden
Presidential comparison between Donald Trump
and Abraham Lincoln it would be like comparing a grain of sand, Trump, to the Sahara desert, Lincoln!
Comparing Trump to President Biden, Trump would be the bug, and President Biden would be the windshield!
I really wish I knew and that we could do something about this phenomenon, but I suspect it has to do with money, which is the motivating factor for most things in this country. In the meantime, Trump is trying to make certain that he and his team don’t make the same mistakes they did in the past, so perhaps he’ll perfect his cheating strategies so it will be even harder to catch him and hold him accountable. If he succeeds, we can kiss our democracy goodbye.
That was GREAT! I love your new format, Professor and Heather!
Thank you for all of your wise words (… “out of their gourds” cracked me up!) and for the videoed Coffee Klatch. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours (and to Doug the emu…)
Your friend in MD,
Anne
🌻💙🙏
I agree heads of news organizations often answer to people with money, but I think it is also more complex. Journalists have also been the victims of NSO spyware tracking. Anyone can hire these groups. They have had death threats and there have been deaths. Look at Rowan Farrow who was not supported by NBC in his investigation of Harvey Weinstein. Luckily The New Yorker is great at fact checking and wanting to report and put out that story, but Weinstein was just powerful in an industry, political power is even scarier. I am supportive of all the journalists who do report the hard stories. We as consumers need to be more discerning as to which journalists we listen to.
In a piece I wrote called Managing Expectations, I said:
"Unequal expectations are a mainstay of the political landscape. Everyone expects President Biden to be empathetic, decent, and upstanding. Everyone expects his predecessor to be narcissistic, unseemly, and dishonest (even while denying it). It’s clear whose expectation threshold is easiest to meet. Somehow a false equivalency manifests in those distinctly disparate descriptions, and President Biden, when he falls short is castigated, while the Defendant, who can never fall short is reinforced. The news media, whose primary interest is in generating revenues thru its readership, focuses on those unequal shortcomings, and even though President Biden has accomplished a tremendous amount for the American people, his missteps or oversteps are magnified. Conversely, the Defendant’s few accomplishments for the American people are the exception to what is expected, and are thus magnified."
It must be understood that corporations are NOT democratic. They are authoritarian, as is the military and the police (and many churches.) Power resides at the top with the CEO's. Corporations, and that includes the media, stick together. Nothing would please corporations more than a government that would leave them alone and stop regulating them and the workplace.
I’m glad to see must people realize the New York Times is looking out for themselves, but I do wonder how many working for the paper are MAGA followers? I’ve gotten where there are days I can’t and am not interested in hearing the lies or the fact they just want money (a commodity I don’t have). As far as I’m concerned it’s time to act on Trump - he should be in jail. The hardship on the American people, the stress and the continuing games in Congress and lack of respect displayed by the Republicans shows enough of their maneuvers in their attempt to take over - at any cost - even lives. Reich’s information and articles are the only ones I read consistently. Reich provides the needed history, experience, and concern. His information is right on target in my book!
Thanks for the video talk. Wishing you both a Happy Thanksgiving.
…the media, like so many Americans, can’t get their heads around the encroaching authoritarianism. History, unfortunately, has not been a good teacher in US.
"When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money." ~ H. L. Mencken