20 Comments
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Lynn Geri's avatar

Hi Steve, It feels like tfg has infiltrated the ranks of headline writers more the reporters writing the articles.

Tomorrow when you write about AZ's 1865 law, Monday supported by their supreme court, I hope you check out if the writer of that law was Mormon. No one is talking about the Mormon churches role, now, in this anti women's movement afoot. My ancestor trekked across the plains with Brigham Young, I was raised in the Mormon church, my brother-in-law was an active participant in the churches work to kill the Equal Right's Amendment, this law sounds too familiar.

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SPW's avatar

https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/april-9-2024?r=np4n&utm_medium=ios

This is Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack on the very subject you’re asking about.

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Marycat2021's avatar

She does not mention the LDS church in this article.

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MARTHA REDSECKER's avatar

Thanks, S B!

Of course this is common knowledge to those of us who have been gagging about the idea of the biggest con in our lifetimes since it slithered down that escalator in '15, but just PERHAPS, someone will read your FACTS and consider voting for the REAL POTUS, Joe Biden, instead of t their tv star idol, in November.

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Art Hopkins's avatar

The NYTimes is especially bad about this. I don't even bother to read their political reporting anymore. The Post is slightly better. This attempting to be "balanced" is a farce. There is no equivalence between the two parties anymore.

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Jacqueline Hall's avatar

"Tell it like it is or was." "Quit beating around the bush." I heard those sayings time and time again from my parents if I was inventing more reasons for misbehaving and not telling the whole truth. This video was right on!

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Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

Such a good talk between the two of you! So my question is “Who determines the headline and does the journalist, the writer have any say-so? It is extremely frustrating that one must carefully read the articles several times to get to the real facts.

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Steven Beschloss's avatar

Confirming Lynn’s note. The reporter is typically at the mercy of the editor who writes headlines.

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Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

That’s a big grrr😡 for me.

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Lynn Geri's avatar

My husband used to work for a newspaper, in his experience, he says the reporter usually does not have a say in the headline... thus my observation above.

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Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

Seems very unfair

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Rita Richards Newhouse's avatar

In journalism class, I was taught that the first paragraph should contain the 5 Ws-who, what, where, when & why. A headline should reflect that. Even though The Post & Bezos are liberal leaning, they still want to draw in the trump followers - if any ever bother to read.

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Lynn Geri's avatar

It is the distribution of work... the reporter is off on a new assignment. I don't think the newspaper's intent is to be unfair. It's that the arrangement is ripe for exploitation.

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Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

Yes, perfect way to put that. Thanks! It just seems to me that the headlines are leaning so far right and it’s hard not to criticize them for that. I do see where people are doing just that, in the comments sections.

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Lynn Geri's avatar

Yes, it is incumbent upon editors to do a better job of oversight, especially since so many are noticing the detachment of the headline fro the story.

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Cicada's avatar

Thank you, both…!

And, Steven, thanks for suggesting “Stop the Presses”, Mark’s newsletter. Will continue to read. Sooo much to read these days, most of which I do through Substacks many authors. And, your informed readers, through their comments, have helped me a great deal. I’m learning a lot about democracy, politics, history, law, economics, etc..

And, some bits of humor thrown in to ease some of the “pain”.

It has been reassuring to read there are many fellow Americans who understand the bigger picture of what all of these intersecting topics entail. Not just for this country, but, for the world.

I’m Hopeful, always, that this further understanding will prevail.

PS… I believe it was suggested reading on your site, Steven, but I’ll just affirm the book: “The Trump Indictments/

The Historic Charging Documents With Commentary”

by authors Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissmann.

Very informative and thorough. “Cast of Characters” included like some mystery novel…

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JBR's avatar

Just a thought. Maybe it's time for a "model / uniform voting procedures law." States can then adopt and / or modify but some basic procedures which garner popular support might work. It works with a zillion other laws. True, elections bring out civic "neuroses" or something like that, but some process should garner a proverbial seal of approval from voting experts. IMHO.

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Ralph Rosenberg's avatar

Most traditional and online news readers focus on headlines, which makes me want to type this story in bold. Headlines, head off in-depthh reading and understanding. Note that the below studies were from 2016 - almost a generation earlier in social media, Chicago Tribune, from a 2016 WAPO story Study finds 6 in 10 of us share links without reading one word. Also, the WAPO cite:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/06/16/six-in-10-of-you-will-share-this-link-without-reading-it-according-to-a-new-and-depressing-study/

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SPW's avatar

So more headlines should read; IT’S REPUBLICANS DAMMIT! Works for me. Clear and to the point.

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Marycat2021's avatar

Nebulous headlines steer people away from reading the articles. Is this intentional, or is it merely the unfortunate efforts news outlets make to sound "balanced"? Whatever happened to simply putting the facts out there? A fear of being sued by the RNC?

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