Mark Jacob and I recorded this On-Target video last night before the latest CBS Evening News broadcast. What we discuss—about the destruction of the legendary news operation—was brought painfully home in the closing moments of that show.
Anchor Tony Dokoupil traveled to Miami and talked about former Florida Senator Marco Rubio—not with a critical eye to him “running” Venezuela and participating in the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation, but with cheering and amusement. This included airing memes of imagined jobs for Rubio, who has already been handed multiple roles beyond Secretary of State by Trump. Among the memes: Rubio as governor of Minnesota, shah of Iran and prime minister of Greenland. Funny stuff, huh? Stealing a nation’s oil has never been such a hilarious set-up.
But that’s not all: After talking about Rubio’s many “home-town fans” and how Florida “once an American punchline has become a leader on the world stage,” Dokoupil ended with this: “Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida man.”
We “salute” you, rather than critically question this powerful man? And who’s the “we” doing the saluting? Dokoupil and Bari Weiss, the Trump-obedient editor-in-chief? Or maybe add in Trump himself? Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow are rolling in their graves.
It’s remarkable how quickly a news organization’s legitimacy can be ruined. This is what happens when a significant journalist enterprise has been turned into a lapdog for the Trump regime under the ownership of the Ellison family and the newly installed Weiss. It underscores the necessity of independent media to provide an honest assessment of the expanding authoritarianism and plundering by a corrupt and criminal White House occupant and his enablers.
Mark and I discuss this escalating disaster and more, some of which is sharply detailed in this Variety story. Do check out his excellent Stop the Presses newsletter, if you haven’t already.
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