So that was even faster than I anticipated

[senseandsensibility]

We all knew that the corporate media would minimize the truly earth shattering story about the Smirnov being a Russian agent and the Rs lying about the Bidens for years. We saw that the NYT (oh yes, the "paper of record" put the story on page A-16.

But it's already almost gone. Besides a few brief mentions of how Rs will continue the probe, the story is already treated as ho-hum.

I DON'T CARE HOW R's ARE REACTING. They've already been proven to be liars that spread Russian propaganda. Where is the outrage, the real journalism that looks for answers to how this happened, or AT LEAST asks questions?

I thought I was incapable of being shocked by lazy media coverage. I was wrong.
It it covers and helps the Rs, the corporate media has no bottom.

[elleng]

1. The Informant Turned Defendant Who Took Aim at the Bidens (NYT)

How Alexander Smirnov managed to convince business partners, law enforcement agencies and politicians he had something of value to offer remains an enigma.

Kenneth P. Vogel
By Glenn Thrush and Kenneth P. Vogel
Reporting from Washington

Alexander Smirnov was, in many ways, the archetype of an informant operating in the shadowlands of the former Soviet Union — a profiteer, fixer and gossip who promoted his ability to make sense of a confusing landscape to American law enforcement agencies.

For more than a decade, he played a double game, giving the F.B.I. tantalizing visibility into a cast of oligarchs and public officials while offering himself as a consultant, with a hard-to-define skill set, to some of the same people he was keeping tabs on.

Then he stepped over the line.

In 2020, Mr. Smirnov told his F.B.I. handler what prosecutors say was a brazen lie — that the oligarch owner of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had arranged to pay $5 million bribes to both President Biden and his son Hunter. The explosive claim was leaked to Republicans, who made Mr. Smirnov’s allegations a centerpiece of their now-stalled effort to impeach President Biden, apparently without verifying the allegation.

Last week, Mr. Smirnov, 43, was indicted on charges that he lied to investigators about the Bidens. He was arrested as he was preparing to leave for what prosecutors called “a monthslong, multicountry foreign trip” during which he claimed to have plans to meet with contacts from multiple foreign intelligence agencies.

In court filings, prosecutors working for David C. Weiss, the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden, described Mr. Smirnov as a serial liar who could not even be trusted to describe honestly his own occupation or account for his finances.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/us/politics/smirnov-fbi-biden-russia.html

[MontanaMama]

2. Thanks for this post.

It really could be its own OP as it contains several points I wasn't aware of and that might be true for a lot of other folks as well.

[senseandsensibility]

3. Thanks for the link

Is this the same article that was on page A-16 of the printed version? We all know that this same paper printed many front page above the fold headlines about someone's e-mails. Compare that to this story.

[elleng]

9. Dunno, on front page sidebar, of NYT (via chrome.)

[Pinback]

24. In the NYT phone app, it took me quite a while to find this story just now.

It was not shown or linked on the main “page” of the app. I finally tracked it down under the “Politics” section, which is reasonable, but it was 10 articles down from the top of the list there, which for some odd reason is where the “Latest” stories appear. This may be a configurable setting, but that’s how mine looks.

[flying_wahini]

20. In other words, Smirnoff is like Roger Stone... et al

“profiteer, fixer and gossip who promoted his ability to make sense of a confusing landscape to American law enforcement agencies.“

They are everywhere.

[OAITW r.2.0]

28. He was a double agent, I am pretty sure.

He gave up enough legit info on Russia to gain credibility. then he was in position to deliver, eventually, a propaganda bomb that the Republicans in the House happily bought. Score another hit by Putin/Trump.

[NBachers]

4. Yes, but is Biden going to California to set up Newsom as his back-up in case Joe has to drop out??

[senseandsensibility]

6. Lawrence O'Donnell had a really good take down of that

Newsom B.S. last night. His show is the only one that seems to be able to see the big picture.

[Hope22]

13. Definitely listen to Laurence last night

I had to bite my tongue to be kind here. You are welcome!

[Hugin]

5. Yeah, I took note of that too. n/t

[Johonny]

7. Trump raped someone and no one talks about it

WTF happened to the media

[senseandsensibility]

8. Yeah, good point.

Sometimes we need to take a step back and ask ourselves WTF is happening?

[Joinfortmill]

10. Complicit media. Stay alert. Vote

[twodogsbarking]

11. How long until we can no longer say bad things about Russian leadership. Stay tuned.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

12. They're not lazy. They're complicit!

[Think. Again.]

16. THIS!

[crud]

14. Well it seems that there are bigger stories now...

Dog bites humans at Whitehouse...
Epstein something or other...
Dems in disarray over Israel policy...
What can Biden do to help Ukraine...
Biden helpless against Putin...

[senseandsensibility]

15. And people on the east coast can't use their cell phones!!!!

Although I guess that is important, but as usual there will be little follow up about the cause.

[Cherokee100]

17. Can we say

I agree, they are lazy and greedy. It looks like, FOX and The National Inquirer are their models.

[BaronChocula]

18. Once again...

The republican party gets the white man pass. Corporate media knows how vindictive the new confederacy is. So they relent.

[Demsrule86]

19. They are talking about it right now...on MSNBC Deadline White House.

[senseandsensibility]

31. Well that's good

But considering the magnitude of the story it should be at least fifty percent of the political coverage on those kinds of shows.

[Demsrule86]

35. It is good. And when he was rearrested all the networks that I saw carried it...I never

watch Fox unless there is a big GOP loss to watch them suffer! Thus I have not idea if they carried it.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

21. it's astonishing that Fox News has become the defacto VOA

MSNBC seems to air an awful lot of FNC content. Our local news has been wasting valuable air time on people having to use their umbrellas.

[nakocal]

22. You just have to remember that over 90%

of the media is owned by just six right wing corporations. All they care about is making money and satisfying their billionaire owners (some of which are not US citizens.

[JohnnyRingo]

23. Biden should go on Hannity's show.

Or send Harris. That's actually the Veep's job to get aggressive and blast a message. I know she has it in her to match Hannity.
He may not want them, but make it known he's afraid. The Five would be good too with another lefty on the panel.

[senseandsensibility]

40. My opinion is

that no matter how well Kamala or Joe do on FAUX they will twist it and frame it to make them look bad. They have no problem lying either.

[4lbs]

25. Wasn't NYT one of the media outlets that rolled real News into their Entertainment section?

I mean, the "News" section has gotten smaller while the "Entertainment" area has remained the same, or even gotten larger on, say, the Sunday edition.

They don't even cover "Sports" anymore, allowing their website The Athletic to do that.

The New York Times to Disband Its Sports Department
July 10, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/10/business/media/the-new-york-times-sports-department.html

The New York Times said on Monday that it would disband its sports department and rely on coverage of teams and games from its website The Athletic, both online and in print.

[senseandsensibility]

27. I know it's tough times for print journalism especially

but they certainly don't seem to be cutting corners on rightwing op-eds rehashing their "bad for Biden" narrative for some reason. There's always money for that.

[4lbs]

30. Yeah, they seem to be cutting everything except for their RW crap.

Evidently, "old white" MAGA males still read print and thus want that stuff.

[Grins]

26. Page A16. Same page THEY admitted, after daily punches for MONTHS...

…that the Hillary “EMAILS!” were all a big nothing. And never admitted their role in pumping it.

[senseandsensibility]

29. Yup, and all their Judith Miller crap

during Iraq was inexcusable as well. I'm so far past giving them the benefit of the doubt.

[drmeow]

32. It is not "lazy media coverage"

It is active, deliberate corporate interest promoting media coverage. There is nothing lazy about it!

[spanone]

33. K&R

[live love laugh]

34. Republican owned corporate media protects its benefactors.

[CousinIT]

36. Is the press trying to elect Trump?

https://www.theframelab.org/p/is-the-press-is-trying-to-help-elect

You don’t have to pretend that the press actually believes that Biden’s age, memory or trustworthiness with classified documents are actual issues — especially compared to Trump, who is basically the same age, whose speech is so littered with lies and errors you can’t even parse which is which, and who stole a trove national secrets, some of which he probably still hasn’t returned.

. . .

You cannot engage the frames the press traffics in because it knows the best way to reach the maximum audience is to give Republicans what they want and drive liberals to hate reading, hate sharing, and even hate subscribing. Because even by rebutting them, you spread and strengthen them. That’s just how brains work.

Instead, Democrats need to push their own frames. The story here could easily be “Trump loses again, as Biden is cleared.” Democrats could then jump on TV and insist that this is an excellent time for Trump to return any classified documents that he still has at his fraudulent businesses and end this betrayal of America of national security.

. . .

We have 30 years of experiences we can no longer ignore. We know Republicans use their allies inside the Department of Justice to concern troll the press about Democratic candidates. We know they play pious and law-abiding as their presidents have committed some of the worst crimes in the history of the Republic. We know that Republican leadership continually makes America weaker, poorer, and more aligned with the worst authoritarians on earth.

[c-rational]

37. K&R, this should be its own OP. "By rebutting them, you spread and strengthen them."

You are so right, "Dems need to pus their own frames." K&R x 1,000,000.

[dlk]

38. The facts don't fit their narrative

So the story gets buried.

[Kaleva]

39. People who watch MSM get what they deserve