In my opinion, the biggest problem with the media is the "both sides do it" BS. Comparing any sane person to Trump is false equivalence, falsely "balancing" the two. The media went on and on about Kamala's supposed lack of a platform, when Trump can't even put together a full sentence without a teleprompter. This kind of false equivalence just normalizes his totally outlandish claims and unsupported allegations. Quite clearly, most of the media is trying to generate clicks and views, and to inflame matters so that people keep reading. That would be fine if the media was truly fair and balanced and HONEST.
This is an amazing list and this discussion comes at just the right time. I cannot take one more MSNBC anchor for crying out loud; spend their hour talking over and over about President Biden’s “comments that Trump’s followers are garbage”. it’s NOT what he said. It’s NOT a the person on the ballot. And all they care about is the horse race. The polls. The glee the seem to feel when it gets closer and closer or they FRAME it that way.
Now is well past the time to talk about the stakes. The stakes for American people on the day after the election.
I absolutely adore this list and I sure hope that this will be a template for elections and news issues to come.
Well, I would welcome the opportunity to “improve” this list, but I think you nailed it. Thank you- will share it and advocate it relentlessly.
IF the election goes rationally, perhaps we can make the space and energy to talk nationally about the media, including models that can make it financially. The Fourth Estate is not meeting our needs on so many counts. We can do better.
The problem comes not only from poor reporting. It also involves those who believe it. We have become a nation of sponges, lies permeating brains incapable of critical thinking. Should be a school subject teaching how to differentiate between lies and truth, right and wrong, how to make logical decisions, come to logical conclusions.How to have open minds, evaluate situations, big and little. But then, the problem becomes who is left to teach it? If trump wins, we won't even have a Dept. of Education anymore.
That school subject is media literacy, along with teaching critical thinking schools. I think we’ve learned the consequence of too many poorly educated Americans.
Thank you, Steven and Mark, for spelling out how our media have been failing us in such clear terms.
What needs to be drummed into students in journalism schools is that there is no such thing as pure "objectivity." Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle shows us that to measure something is to change it. Heisenberg, of course, was talking about quantifiable measurements in laboratories. Just think how much more applicable his principle is when it is applied to what a journalist does in trying to paint a picture of an event in words.
The first rule of journalism, rather than in attempting to be objective, should be to pursue the truth. It is that pursuit that matters.
It's seems to be just a "vanity project" for billionaires to own a newspaper 🙄 If The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, AJC, Texas Tribune,and others can do a good job, so can so-called legacy papers!
Thank you for this video! You have reinforced my opinions about the corporate media. There has been so much ‘sane washing’ of tfg that people who don’t pay attention to news assume he is a ‘normal’ candidate, when we know he is in serious cognitive decline.
I agree that the actual outcome of the election will be favorable for the Democrats. Women and the men who love them will drive this election, and, imho, Harris/Walz will win by a much larger margin than anticipated by the pundits.
And stop putting the word Trump in every headline. For every 5 Trump headlines, maybe one has the word Harris in it and often with both Trump and Harris. It makes me sick to see all that attention paid to this moron and felon who is running for office on lies and smears.
Facts are not bias. If a news entity is incapable of sorting out the most crucial facts and highlighting them, it is incapable of practicing journalism. Worse, the failures are likely deliberate.
For profit news network CEOs and social media CEOs are not journalists.
Many of our newspapers are owned by:
• Gannet -> New Media Investment Group is managed by New York-based firm Fortress Investment Group through an affiliate. Fortress is owned by SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate.
• Alden -> Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund that owns 2 newspaper chains, MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing
OK. I focused on newspapers. But the same is true of TV / Cable and Radio. Although most televised news networks are own by entertainment conglomerates. Clear Channel also became Clear Channel Media and Entertainment at one point.
— With an infusion of private equity funds, Mays’ Clear Channel eventually owned more than 1,200 radio stations and 41 TV stations across the U.S., acquiring properties including Jacor and AMFM, among others. —
And stop putting the word Trump in so many headlines. For every 5 "Trump" headlines, there may be one with the word Harris. Often the Harris head also has Trump in it. Why is the media giving this creepy moron and felon so much oxygen who is campaigning with lies and smears.
The rub will be how to re-train a media steeped in politics rather than journalism. The "muck rakers" of old are few and far between. It seems investigative journalism is on life support, aided by owners of publications who are interested in their own bottom line instead of their readers or the country they live in. Their wealth makes them so far removed from the every day life of the citizens who read their papers that they can afford apathy and manipulation from people from Trump.
What strikes me the hardest in THE COWARDICE of so many people in politics. When E. Jean Carroll won her judgment against Trump she said her biggest realization was that he was just a man, that SHE had given him the power to haunt her.
In my opinion, the biggest problem with the media is the "both sides do it" BS. Comparing any sane person to Trump is false equivalence, falsely "balancing" the two. The media went on and on about Kamala's supposed lack of a platform, when Trump can't even put together a full sentence without a teleprompter. This kind of false equivalence just normalizes his totally outlandish claims and unsupported allegations. Quite clearly, most of the media is trying to generate clicks and views, and to inflame matters so that people keep reading. That would be fine if the media was truly fair and balanced and HONEST.
This is an amazing list and this discussion comes at just the right time. I cannot take one more MSNBC anchor for crying out loud; spend their hour talking over and over about President Biden’s “comments that Trump’s followers are garbage”. it’s NOT what he said. It’s NOT a the person on the ballot. And all they care about is the horse race. The polls. The glee the seem to feel when it gets closer and closer or they FRAME it that way.
Now is well past the time to talk about the stakes. The stakes for American people on the day after the election.
I absolutely adore this list and I sure hope that this will be a template for elections and news issues to come.
Thank you both so much.
So true. They distort, mis-interpret, then amplify the mis-interpretation to slam Biden for legitimately responding to the outrageous Mad Sq hate-fest
Well, I would welcome the opportunity to “improve” this list, but I think you nailed it. Thank you- will share it and advocate it relentlessly.
IF the election goes rationally, perhaps we can make the space and energy to talk nationally about the media, including models that can make it financially. The Fourth Estate is not meeting our needs on so many counts. We can do better.
The problem comes not only from poor reporting. It also involves those who believe it. We have become a nation of sponges, lies permeating brains incapable of critical thinking. Should be a school subject teaching how to differentiate between lies and truth, right and wrong, how to make logical decisions, come to logical conclusions.How to have open minds, evaluate situations, big and little. But then, the problem becomes who is left to teach it? If trump wins, we won't even have a Dept. of Education anymore.
That school subject is media literacy, along with teaching critical thinking schools. I think we’ve learned the consequence of too many poorly educated Americans.
AMEN! to everything you wrote. Why does this all have to be so hard.
Seriously.
Thank you, Steven and Mark, for spelling out how our media have been failing us in such clear terms.
What needs to be drummed into students in journalism schools is that there is no such thing as pure "objectivity." Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle shows us that to measure something is to change it. Heisenberg, of course, was talking about quantifiable measurements in laboratories. Just think how much more applicable his principle is when it is applied to what a journalist does in trying to paint a picture of an event in words.
The first rule of journalism, rather than in attempting to be objective, should be to pursue the truth. It is that pursuit that matters.
It's seems to be just a "vanity project" for billionaires to own a newspaper 🙄 If The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, AJC, Texas Tribune,and others can do a good job, so can so-called legacy papers!
Thank you for this video! You have reinforced my opinions about the corporate media. There has been so much ‘sane washing’ of tfg that people who don’t pay attention to news assume he is a ‘normal’ candidate, when we know he is in serious cognitive decline.
I agree that the actual outcome of the election will be favorable for the Democrats. Women and the men who love them will drive this election, and, imho, Harris/Walz will win by a much larger margin than anticipated by the pundits.
And stop putting the word Trump in every headline. For every 5 Trump headlines, maybe one has the word Harris in it and often with both Trump and Harris. It makes me sick to see all that attention paid to this moron and felon who is running for office on lies and smears.
I truly love this. How can we get it into the hands of those who “count” and press them to abide by this excellent list?
Facts are not bias. If a news entity is incapable of sorting out the most crucial facts and highlighting them, it is incapable of practicing journalism. Worse, the failures are likely deliberate.
For profit news network CEOs and social media CEOs are not journalists.
Many of our newspapers are owned by:
• Gannet -> New Media Investment Group is managed by New York-based firm Fortress Investment Group through an affiliate. Fortress is owned by SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate.
• Alden -> Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund that owns 2 newspaper chains, MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing
• Billionaires - https://www.investopedia.com/billionaires-who-bought-publishers-5270187
They hide behind traditional values of journalism when criticized, but those values are not aligned with their goals.
Clear Channel.
OK. I focused on newspapers. But the same is true of TV / Cable and Radio. Although most televised news networks are own by entertainment conglomerates. Clear Channel also became Clear Channel Media and Entertainment at one point.
— With an infusion of private equity funds, Mays’ Clear Channel eventually owned more than 1,200 radio stations and 41 TV stations across the U.S., acquiring properties including Jacor and AMFM, among others. —
https://variety.com/2022/music/news/lowry-mays-clear-channel-ihearmedia-dead-1235371844/
yes. Aren't journalists supposed to dig for the facts and report and support the truth as best they can?
Thank you for this.
And stop putting the word Trump in so many headlines. For every 5 "Trump" headlines, there may be one with the word Harris. Often the Harris head also has Trump in it. Why is the media giving this creepy moron and felon so much oxygen who is campaigning with lies and smears.
The rub will be how to re-train a media steeped in politics rather than journalism. The "muck rakers" of old are few and far between. It seems investigative journalism is on life support, aided by owners of publications who are interested in their own bottom line instead of their readers or the country they live in. Their wealth makes them so far removed from the every day life of the citizens who read their papers that they can afford apathy and manipulation from people from Trump.
What strikes me the hardest in THE COWARDICE of so many people in politics. When E. Jean Carroll won her judgment against Trump she said her biggest realization was that he was just a man, that SHE had given him the power to haunt her.
If only the Republican Party felt the same.
yes. Aren't journalists supposed to dig for the facts and report and support the truth as best they can?
https://open.substack.com/pub/bjboyd/p/kamala-harris-and-tim-walz?r=1gxs1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true