My frustration with the media: they read off of the GOPs ham-handed cue cards

[ProfessorPlum]

something weird with our corporate media. Whenever there is some incredibly oafish move by warmongers and fascists that they expect the media to react a certain way, the media (almost always) complies.

The latest example is the Barr PR spin. Barr lies to the world about what is in the Mueller report (and even says the report does not exonerate Trump), and the media get that they are supposed to react as if A) Barr is telling the truth and 2) Trump is exonerated. Coverage for weeks afterwards proceeds from these two premises.

Where are contrarians in the media? The people who say "wait, is that really true?" and fact check the rest of the media? I guess they have all been fired (or not promoted) and we are left with dumb, ovine, talking faces who have the sense to detect what it is they are expected to say, but not the additional critical thinking skills to ask the meta questions about who benefits, and what if they are being lied to.

GOP: Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. We expect the media to freak out and demand war. Media: will do
GOP: Funding civilization is the same as "socialism" and will lead to collapse. Media: Venezuela, Venezuela, Venezuela, Venezuela!
GOP: John McCain is a noble truthteller (even though his votes are by and large despicably GOP). Media: Saint McCain!!
GOP: Hillary Clinton is *suspicious* and *evil* Media: What is she hiding? How can we trust her?

etc, etc, ad nauseum.

[spanone]

1. the media has profited greatly off of don trump...they truly don't want the dog and pony show to end

IMHO

[Left-over]

16. They are also owned by supporters of the repubs. What should we expect. It's propaganda not news

[lostnfound]

2. They ask, "will Dems be willing to address pharma prices even if it's a win for president?"

When in reality, republicans are secretly telling big pharma not to cooperate with legislative requests.

There is an insidious spin that’s impressive at times and nauseating at others.

Spending three days making everyone think that Biden was creepy over a nonissue was so boring and obvious.

But the subtle differences in questioning are powerful differences in framing, in establishing the “furniture in people’s minds”.

[LibDemAlways]

3. Ask Phil Donahue and Dan Rather

about being too critical or digging too deep. TPTB will tolerate only so much dissent and critical thnking. Those 1%ers at the top love their tax cuts, and the ongoing Trump shitshow brings in ratings. Those who stray too far from the party line are in danger of finding a pink slip on their desks. They have to tread a fine line. That's why you'll never hear Rachel say, "Time to impeach the bastard" though it's undoubtedly much on her mind.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Excellent point!

And that is why we're stuck with Trump - his ridiculous campaign appearances brought in ratings, so the media focused on him to the detriment of everyone else, including actual Republicans.

[grannyokie]

4. The slime

Frank had it right. Now with the removal of the FCC regulations that says let the market place rule the air waves, it's more a competition for ratings. Ratings equal money. Corporations own a larger portion of media outlets then ever before. When ratings and $$$ become the number one goal, information often takes a back seat. Sensationalism rules. It's numbing. Ratings and sensationalism bought us Trump. Everyone loves a freak show.


I'm the Slime
The Mothers of Invention
I am gross and perverted
I'm obsessed 'n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little has changed
I'm the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
With the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I'm the slime oozin' out
From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help . . . no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
That's right, folks
Don't touch that dial
Well, I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor
I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go
I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor
I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go

Songwriters: Frank Zappa

[Firestorm49]

5. Well, if MSM is the problem, what the hell are we going to do about it?

Bitch? Cry? Or, boycott, send letters, emails, texts, tweets and whatever else the hell we have and tell them how we feel about their bias reporting. Their livelihood is dependent on viewers buying their advertisers products. Viewers decline, ratings drop, results can be attained.

[ProfessorPlum]

6. you raise a good question

since most of the media is owned by 6 giant corporations, bitching seems to be the best route right now.

And supporting alternative media, like TYT, the Majority Report, etc.

[grannyokie]

7. Yes he did raise a good question.

https://billmoyers.com/story/sinclair-tribune-merger-rotten-deal/

[Baltimike]

8. How did JEROME CORSI

get his fucking lies spread everywhere? The so called liberal media has been the conservative press all along.

[ProfessorPlum]

9. another good point.

His obviously false lies.

[Baltimike]

10. He's done it on multiple cycles...

It's not that our message isn't disciplined, it's that it is *ignored* and we are always fighting them fairly when they cheat.

I could go on and on but that's preaching to the choir, so I just ask where Meredith McIver is if Trump Org is such a Mom and Pop shop.

[JHan]

12. The capitulation over Barr was crazy stupid.

But the problem is partly "Us". We're gonna have to do more work to be informed than ever before. It's not like fact checking sites and sources don't exist. TV journalism is a unique beast which feeds on sensationalism and ratings more intensely than other forms of media. And you've got voters who don't care. Policy means very little to many voters. Some even scoff at checking out fact checking sites ( Sure, they may get something wrong now and then, but generally they get things right). In 2016, I encountered many, both on the left and right, claiming that Snopes was biased - which was a lie pooped out of the bowels of brietbart.

The "Media" is also a vast eco system of various entities. Editorial boards, tv producers are comprised of human beings who fall victim to cognitive biases. And they develop a schema about politics which they infuse into events. Before Bush , there was fawning over Reagan, so much so the corruption in his administration didn't hit his popularity ratings much. Compare and contrast the corruption under Reagan with Clinton's impeachment proceedings. And there are too many examples from 2016 to show how these biases functioned as pre-emptive propaganda, helping disinformation efforts from America's rivals.

I give the "Media" a *bit* of a pass regarding Iraq because the focus needs to be on the vast and sophisticated project Cheney and Rumsfeld devised to deceive. Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were behind the Office of Special Plans, and Cheney got rid of red teams, ignored the advice of the two top Iraqi Experts, and relied instead on inexperienced analysts he could depend on to cook up reasons for Invasion. Many fell for this deception, it was hard not to. Criticizing the war got you labeled a traitor and an anti-American who hates those sacrificing their lives for "Freedom". General Shinseki came under the cross hairs of Rumsfeld when he dared challenge the Bush administration on their assumptions or how long the war would last and the resources needed. Now we know Shinseki was right. Also, Bush's language of terror was effective due to a public angered and galvanized after 9/11, a public primed to accept any explanation for 9/11 and exact vengeance. The media fell for it, the Senate fell for it.

And now we have the insidiousness of bothsidism. The idea that all opinions are worth hearing out and are of equal merit and should be equally platformed for the sake of "fairness". Some opinions are not even worthy of debate yet..We live in a world now where the most deplorable of opinions and absurdities are platformed. Not just in politics but in academia as well ( See Jordan Peterson) All of this in the midst of a trollish online environment where facts are constantly attacked.

[MarianJack]

13. In 2016 they ceaselessly fawned over Donald Trump.

THEY worked as hard as the Kremlin to put him into office.

Make NO mistake, they're going to do the same thing in 2020. F**K them. WE have to be the media!

RESIST!

[Locrian]

14. are you under the impression that the "media" is about journalism and ethics?

>>Where are contrarians in the media? The people who say "wait, is that really true?"

1) They are a profit driven enterprise

2) They guarantee viewership by pissing off the democrats/progressives and catering to the gop/rich. Sure they could do it in reverse (Rachel Maddow etc) but why would the wealthy talking heads and media owners do that to any large extend?

3) It's cheap to stir up shit and get people to watch the show. Ever watch TMZ? Pretty much the same thing...

not a lot of mystery there

Do they care? I really don't think they do. They either think it's all a joke or have a ve$ted interest in maintaining the status quo. They're all part of the system - it would take a real "leader" with "integrity" etc to go against the system and the system has a **really** good way of preventing that by filtering out anyone before they get to the level of power to be able to do that.

[ffr]

15. What's even sadder is that you're in the minority.

Most people aren't versed well enough in skeptical thinking to know when their elected officials and many in the news media are gaslighting them.

I still am of the belief that if people are so foolish as to let someone tell them what and how to think, then they get what they deserve. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of Americans get hurt when just enough idiots don't think things through when they're headed to the polling location.