The greatest danger America faces is that the truth and lie stand equal and indistinguishable for millions of Americans who have been preyed upon by a billion- dollar misinformation and propaganda economy. Democracy cannot survive under such conditions. It will collapse. The lie is foundational to totalitarianism. It is always the foundation on which tyranny is built and maintained. Fascism did not rise in the 1930s because it was strong, but rather, because democracy was weak, impotent and corrupt.
May 19, 2023·edited May 19, 2023Liked by Steve Schmidt
quotes from Christiane Amanpour's profoundly important commencement speech to Columbia UV:
"Be truthful, but not neutral.", "Objectivity is our golden rule and it is in weighing all the sides and hearing all the evidence, but not rushing to equate them when there is no equating.”
“There is a 100% connection between a robust, independent, free and fair press and a functioning democracy and the advance of human rights and justice.”
“I refuse any more to say or to concede that we live in a post-truth world because that is lazy and it is ultimately a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need to seek to provide and defend the truth.”
Thank you, Steve Schmidt for your integrity and for putting yourself on the line every day, as does Christiane Amanpour. Our Democracy depends on it.
May 19, 2023·edited May 19, 2023Liked by Steve Schmidt
P.S.-- there are a few important sentences from Christiane Amanpour in the space right before the line "Objectivity is our golden rule...." that Lisa preserved for us:
"Both-sideism, ‘on the one hand,’ ‘on the other hand,’ is not always objectivity. It does not get you to the truth. Drawing false moral or factual equivalents is neither objective nor truthful.”
Some more quotes to have in print from Christiane Amanpour's speech to the graduates at Columbia University School of Journalism:
“You will be required to demonstrate not just physical courage but moral courage. When whistleblowers, when journalists, are not there or are not listened to, you have the Iraq invasion of 2003, or the non-intervention to stop genocide in places like Rwanda. In my book, the equation is obvious: If good journalists are there, it matters, and it makes our world and people’s lives better. If they are not there, it also matters—it just makes our lives worse, and the world worse, and it costs lives.”
And I liked it when Amanpour urged that, for journalists, “our motto, like doctors, should be ‘do no harm’” and she castigated “those who have weaponized and monetized rage and grievance and lies… and who have divided our society… the tabloid and populist press” that relies on clickbait and demonizes everyone from “refugees to welfare recipients… thus providing politicians with better cover for often heartless, destructive, cruel policies.”
You can't make this stuff up-- after all we heard from C. Amanpour urging journalists to seek, find and report the truth, RollingStone is helping break the story that FOX News is dissolving its investigative unit on the news side....
RS reports (In part): "The rank and file journalists are getting let go, meanwhile upper management are sitting pretty while they are the execs responsible for the Dominion debacle,” one Fox employee tells Rolling Stone, which has confirmed the unit has been axed. “We are the sacrificial lambs.” [...]
The misinformation at the heart of the [Dominion] lawsuit was pushed largely through the network’s opinion hosts, which operate independently from its news division and aren’t held to typical journalistic standards."
That speech is awesome, and it is a slap in the face to the networks for following ratings and clicks over doing the right thing. It is a choice to continue to cover and give credibility to Trump’s lies. The reminder that the editors in the fifties chose to not cover McCarthy’s lies that did not pass the test of meeting the rules of evidence is a good analogy and a condemnation the state of journalism today. CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC have a choice. They can do the right thing or not. Please, can someone in the industry make the right choice?
She correctly focuses on CNN’s depraved use of an “audience.” A mini-mob of brown shirt lemmings contrived to obtain market share from the irredeemable Fox News festival of idiots who will NEVER care about or seek truth and objectivity.
1. We’ve got to figure out how to change the incentive structure to nudge us into better outcomes. 2. Managing human weakness in a “free” society is a near impossible task without business, political and religious leaders demonstrating moral courage and empathy.
May 19, 2023·edited May 19, 2023Liked by Steve Schmidt
Excellent speech! Since the topic is "Journalism", I took a look at the headlines that report this event.... each one had its own spin. Here is a list of the "hot" words used:
Fox News CA ‘blasts Trump town hall’
The Guardian “ CA "criticizes CNN decision”
The Guardian CA “rebukes network”
News Nation CA “takes a victory lap”
Politico CA “disagrees with Trump town hall, confronted boss Chris Licht”.
News Busters CA “disagrees with Trump town hall, confronted boss Chris Licht”
Variety CA “Slams CNN”
I don't think she did any of these. She did not "confront" her boss. She brought it up to him as part of a bigger conversation ... and then reported truthfully 2 of the issues they discussed. Which were (1) identify positive and negative aspects that can be applied to future town halls, and (2) audience participation guidelines. This is how problems are solved! She made many important points in her speech. Such headlines deflect the reader from listening and seeking truth for themselves .... why should they when the reporter has already provided a conclusion? Headlines should whet the interest of the reader so they want more details to draw their own conclusions.
She is so good. If more believed as she does, so many issues could be resolved or fall away. Sadly, we have probably crossed the line and it will take years and years to bring truth back.
It is incredibly difficult to be positive about anything going forward. It gets worse every day, regardless. How the minority has managed to dictate their ideology upon the majority is astounding. I do believe that the rightwing media has a huge hand in it. It stopped being about politics long ago. It is the difference between good & evil.
The announcement made by Christine Amanpour to Columbia graduating class of journalism was reliving my youth when we had journalist like Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Carl Bernstein, James Baldwin, and many others. Her words rang true “Journalism is the bedrock of democracy, the guardian of truth, and the voice of the voiceless. It is our duty to seek the truth, hold power to account, and give voice to the marginalized and oppressed.”
The introduction of cable news organization and Fox gave us 24 hours on non-stop information. Filling the 24 hours with substantial information is not achievable. Networks had to fill time with clips, and repeated stories that were never complete or checked for accuracy.
What we have today except on NPR/PBS is an attempt to fit in as much as possible into 26 minutes with a smattering of headlines and news clips. Our journalists are limited to small time frames to pack in as much information as possible to stay competitive. Social media has created “Clickbait” and “Bot” news. Newspapers have so many opinion writers all talking about the same thing it is monotonous. At least we now have substack like Steven Schmidt and many outstanding journalists doing justice to important unbiased information.
Thank you Steve for bring us the remarkable speech.
Thank you Steve for bringing this speech to us. I’ve watched her from time to time, found her credible, but constrained to some extent by the water she swims in. Nevertheless, this speech is a clear enough message, while trying to walk the tightrope she is on. Continuing to stay onboard CNN may prove to be the hardest thing she has ever done--and she has done incredibly hard things as a foreign correspondent. (Sorry for all the mixed metaphors, but such is the breadth of the problems we are facing!)
quotes from Christiane Amanpour's profoundly important commencement speech to Columbia UV:
"Be truthful, but not neutral.", "Objectivity is our golden rule and it is in weighing all the sides and hearing all the evidence, but not rushing to equate them when there is no equating.”
“There is a 100% connection between a robust, independent, free and fair press and a functioning democracy and the advance of human rights and justice.”
“I refuse any more to say or to concede that we live in a post-truth world because that is lazy and it is ultimately a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need to seek to provide and defend the truth.”
Thank you, Steve Schmidt for your integrity and for putting yourself on the line every day, as does Christiane Amanpour. Our Democracy depends on it.
P.S.-- there are a few important sentences from Christiane Amanpour in the space right before the line "Objectivity is our golden rule...." that Lisa preserved for us:
"Both-sideism, ‘on the one hand,’ ‘on the other hand,’ is not always objectivity. It does not get you to the truth. Drawing false moral or factual equivalents is neither objective nor truthful.”
Thank you, Lisa, for gleaning these incisive quotes 🙏
And thank you, Steve, for bringing our attention to Christiane's truly historic speech. ✨
Some more quotes to have in print from Christiane Amanpour's speech to the graduates at Columbia University School of Journalism:
“You will be required to demonstrate not just physical courage but moral courage. When whistleblowers, when journalists, are not there or are not listened to, you have the Iraq invasion of 2003, or the non-intervention to stop genocide in places like Rwanda. In my book, the equation is obvious: If good journalists are there, it matters, and it makes our world and people’s lives better. If they are not there, it also matters—it just makes our lives worse, and the world worse, and it costs lives.”
And I liked it when Amanpour urged that, for journalists, “our motto, like doctors, should be ‘do no harm’” and she castigated “those who have weaponized and monetized rage and grievance and lies… and who have divided our society… the tabloid and populist press” that relies on clickbait and demonizes everyone from “refugees to welfare recipients… thus providing politicians with better cover for often heartless, destructive, cruel policies.”
You can't make this stuff up-- after all we heard from C. Amanpour urging journalists to seek, find and report the truth, RollingStone is helping break the story that FOX News is dissolving its investigative unit on the news side....
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/fox-news-dissolves-investigative-unit-1234738654/ So is it going to be "all-ignorant-opinion all-the-time"?
RS reports (In part): "The rank and file journalists are getting let go, meanwhile upper management are sitting pretty while they are the execs responsible for the Dominion debacle,” one Fox employee tells Rolling Stone, which has confirmed the unit has been axed. “We are the sacrificial lambs.” [...]
The misinformation at the heart of the [Dominion] lawsuit was pushed largely through the network’s opinion hosts, which operate independently from its news division and aren’t held to typical journalistic standards."
Fabulous commencement speech! Didn't make me willing to forgive CNN, though.
well stated and I agree wholeheartedly to both points,
That speech is awesome, and it is a slap in the face to the networks for following ratings and clicks over doing the right thing. It is a choice to continue to cover and give credibility to Trump’s lies. The reminder that the editors in the fifties chose to not cover McCarthy’s lies that did not pass the test of meeting the rules of evidence is a good analogy and a condemnation the state of journalism today. CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC have a choice. They can do the right thing or not. Please, can someone in the industry make the right choice?
She correctly focuses on CNN’s depraved use of an “audience.” A mini-mob of brown shirt lemmings contrived to obtain market share from the irredeemable Fox News festival of idiots who will NEVER care about or seek truth and objectivity.
The Murrow Boys is a great book which I read years ago. His speech should be played on all stations and at schools.
1. We’ve got to figure out how to change the incentive structure to nudge us into better outcomes. 2. Managing human weakness in a “free” society is a near impossible task without business, political and religious leaders demonstrating moral courage and empathy.
And, or, unless, we the people exercise moral courage and civil disobedience.
Excellent speech! Since the topic is "Journalism", I took a look at the headlines that report this event.... each one had its own spin. Here is a list of the "hot" words used:
Fox News CA ‘blasts Trump town hall’
The Guardian “ CA "criticizes CNN decision”
The Guardian CA “rebukes network”
News Nation CA “takes a victory lap”
Politico CA “disagrees with Trump town hall, confronted boss Chris Licht”.
News Busters CA “disagrees with Trump town hall, confronted boss Chris Licht”
Variety CA “Slams CNN”
I don't think she did any of these. She did not "confront" her boss. She brought it up to him as part of a bigger conversation ... and then reported truthfully 2 of the issues they discussed. Which were (1) identify positive and negative aspects that can be applied to future town halls, and (2) audience participation guidelines. This is how problems are solved! She made many important points in her speech. Such headlines deflect the reader from listening and seeking truth for themselves .... why should they when the reporter has already provided a conclusion? Headlines should whet the interest of the reader so they want more details to draw their own conclusions.
YES !!! Excellent assessment Margie.
Christiane appealed to more nobler motives from her boss. It's up to him to take that baton and do the right thing.
Right on Christine!!! Thanks Steve for bringing this to our morning read!
I remain weary of the indifference to truth.
She is so good. If more believed as she does, so many issues could be resolved or fall away. Sadly, we have probably crossed the line and it will take years and years to bring truth back.
It is incredibly difficult to be positive about anything going forward. It gets worse every day, regardless. How the minority has managed to dictate their ideology upon the majority is astounding. I do believe that the rightwing media has a huge hand in it. It stopped being about politics long ago. It is the difference between good & evil.
THANK YOU
CNN should show this in its entirety. THAT is the right thing to do.
Hell yes, but fat chance.
Great speech. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Steve.
The announcement made by Christine Amanpour to Columbia graduating class of journalism was reliving my youth when we had journalist like Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Carl Bernstein, James Baldwin, and many others. Her words rang true “Journalism is the bedrock of democracy, the guardian of truth, and the voice of the voiceless. It is our duty to seek the truth, hold power to account, and give voice to the marginalized and oppressed.”
The introduction of cable news organization and Fox gave us 24 hours on non-stop information. Filling the 24 hours with substantial information is not achievable. Networks had to fill time with clips, and repeated stories that were never complete or checked for accuracy.
What we have today except on NPR/PBS is an attempt to fit in as much as possible into 26 minutes with a smattering of headlines and news clips. Our journalists are limited to small time frames to pack in as much information as possible to stay competitive. Social media has created “Clickbait” and “Bot” news. Newspapers have so many opinion writers all talking about the same thing it is monotonous. At least we now have substack like Steven Schmidt and many outstanding journalists doing justice to important unbiased information.
Thank you Steve for bring us the remarkable speech.
Thank you Steve for bringing this speech to us. I’ve watched her from time to time, found her credible, but constrained to some extent by the water she swims in. Nevertheless, this speech is a clear enough message, while trying to walk the tightrope she is on. Continuing to stay onboard CNN may prove to be the hardest thing she has ever done--and she has done incredibly hard things as a foreign correspondent. (Sorry for all the mixed metaphors, but such is the breadth of the problems we are facing!)
So many brilliant observations in there. I'm going to need to watch it again to make sure I remember more of them.
Yes, a transcript would help.
Amanpour uses the phrase "economic clickbait." That's an apt description of CNN's Trump "town hall."