Annie Linsky and Siobhan Hughes are Wall Street Journal Wall writers, who debased themselves, ethical journalism, WSJ sourcing standards and the reputation of the paper itself — which does its best to keep the Murdoch stench from, if not permeating, then saturating the entirety of its reputation.
The most suspect part of any Murdoch enterprise is the political operation, which roams from the debased to the strange, dangerous and insane on a routine basis.
News Corporation as an entity has produced some of the most dishonest, reckless and damaging news reports in American history for power, ratings and money. The company has been a veritable pancreatic cancer on American society.
Brett Baier, the supposed “hard news” anchor, was afraid to tell the deluded Fox audience that Trump lost, while up and down the programming roster, a great lie was curated and told that divided the nation, incited an insurrection and killed people. The lies and their accommodations at News Corp. are staggering, historic and shocking.
All of this matters when evaluating a story that was framed by Matt Drudge atop his eponymous news site this way:
Of course, this entire premise is substantively refuted by the Time Magazine story, which published a verbatim transcript of President Biden speaking with depth, command, and focus about complex domestic policy matters and international affairs.
The Linskey and Hughes story is a smear. It is constructed around the observations of Kevin McCarthy, a serial liar with no credibility whatsoever, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who believes people and dinosaurs lived together 6,000 years ago. Also, he recently left his day job to role play as a Trump stooge in a Manhattan courtroom, where he debased the dignity of the United States Congress and the Office of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives with his presence. Neither man is remotely credible on fact matters. Though both writers claim to interview 45 people, the story is built around the MAGA threesome of an Idaho senator who voted against investigating January 6, and the two MAGA speakers, one in name only, and the other a likely short-termer, both of whom are utterly dependent on a single man for influence and power.
The Biden White House and the country are under siege from a propaganda machine that is vast, powerful and unrelenting. It is non-stop, and it is fair to wonder what the plan might be to deal with it. One thing is for sure, the debate ahead will be monumental.
This story should not be confused with stories or questions about the president’s age, capacity, or even the ethics of running for reelection at 82. Nor is it a story surveying legitimate voter concerns and attitudes about either the age or the choice. It is none of those things.
Instead, it seems like a masturbatory memory from the man who was speaker — kind of, for a bit. Whatever it may be, garbage is one way to think about it — and dishonest garbage at that. The men who are given a license to smear have dubious relationships with the truth, reality and the causes of extremism, violence and sedition.
The reporters who wrote this, and the editors who approved it, should be embarrassed.
The fact is that there is clear evidence to those of us with ears and a brain, as well as professionals, who view Trump as someone who exhibits signs of dementia. His circular, repetitive gibberish that describe his verbal skills is shockingly devoid of any substance or meaning. He hurls invectives and uses simple words to say nothing. His supporters, themselves, who lack any critical thinking skills, get caught up in his b.s. I ask anyone who disputes these observations to just listen closely to Trump answer questions of reporters. It is alarming in the utter lack of content and use of sophisticated language.
When Jacinda Ardern, former PM of New Zealand, was asked about factors that made New Zealand democracy work, she answered: “No Murdoch media.” Is there no way to deal with irresponsible journalists? These WSJ writers are active participants in the destruction of our democracy. There’s no Edward R Murrow.