I wanted to share this opinion piece by Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post, published on October 12, 2022. I think this is a profoundly important piece of writing. I urge you to read it. America’s broken and corrupt media is driving the political instability and chaos in this country every bit as much as every other broken institution in America. We are living in an era of corruption that must yield at some point to reform and renewal. Perhaps that day will arrive soon. It is impossible to know.
A well written article indeed. Yesterday, Mick Mulvaney, said on CNN, "The Jan. 6 Committees airing, was an effort to help the democrats durning the midterms" (something to that effect), to ZERO pushback. The excellence of yesterdays Jan. 6 findings, the facts, and the presentation be damned, and ZERO journalist disagreed. The lies and disinformation fly fast and furious, Mulvaney could have said that in a tweet, as could have 10 others. Then what? I say, call them liars.
We are in a time when the likes of Trump fire out misinformation unbridled, directly to their listeners, and no journalist has a chance of blocking or softening, or calling out a lie. Misnaming lies as, disinformation, untruths, and even what Ms. Sullivan did in her article, trying not to use the word LIE yet again (a fabulous writing approach, but why?) "Mistruth", "Misinformation", any of the words used to make a paragraph more interesting by not using the word LIE repeatedly, soften the lie and the liar, in my opinion. There seems to be some iota of truth there, which anyone who wants there to be will jump on.
We have seen lies with zero ounce of truth in them, completely made up, and aimed at taking down an opponent, not unlike "Pizzagate", and the whole of QANON existence. What then? Politely call them out two days later, and refer to them as mistruths? We are giving liars an existence they don't deserve.
Steve Scalise has been touting the theory that Nancy Palosi held up the National Guard on January 6, for many MONTHS. He is a liar. He stood beside her, while she pleaded for the National Guard to come and rescue them all. What Steve has been doing is lying, and yesterday, cool Nancy got her due, when on video we saw the truth. Let's call Steve a liar, and Mark Meadows who supported him, a liar too.
Being polite to liars, just as we have witnessed with Trump, is the same as being polite to murderers. When people lie to you, they don't want you to be here, not in truth. They want your reality to die, and theirs to live, therefore you , yourself, are expendable. Trump doesn't care who died in his insurrection, or in his response to COVID.
Putting this in polite terms, is risky business. Had we called out Trump for lying, from the beginning, we likely wouldn't be in this mess. Keeping decorum alive, while lies swirl, is giving the liar something he or she doesn't deserve, and worse, sets us all up for serious decline. It also emboldens the liar, giving their fantasy, oxygen, while suffocating the truth.
Three of our Supreme Court Justices, lied about their intentions with ROE. Where is the article that states that? Where is the committee that is "investigating" them and their legitimacy, after those lies?
When polite society is able to call liars, liars, and hold them to task, and expel them from Public "Service", (because of lying) we may be able to reclaim our teetering democracy, but not a second
Sobering article; however it seems to me that dishonest or misleading political ads on TV are far more dangerous than the content of printed media. Some of the ones I’ve seen in NC sponsored by the Senate Leadership fund and GOP candidates are spreading lies faster than Fox News. Very disturbing. And the Dems don’t or won’t counter them.
This piece is an important critique of the MSM. The press - the Fourth Estate - is given special privilege by our Constitution. Currently, too few seem aware of their obligation to bring the truth via facts to the public. These facts should inform & educate the electorate to allow it to make choices important to a freedom loving democracy. When lies are repeated in what were formerly well respected newspapers because of a concern for evenhanded treatment of the different parties, our citizens cannot make informed choices at the ballot without the research many are ill equipped to do. Democracy only works when the public can be educated by an honest Fourth Estate.
Trump has always been given deference by the media. Not so from those in the NY business community who knew what an incompetent fake he was. He should never have been covered as anything other than a sociopath unqualified for any office. But here we are. Without citizen demand, there will be no change. Hit them in the pocketbook and they will change.
Excellent article. It’s extremely important when a candidate is a known liar and criminal to cover them as such and call out the lies and criminal behavior.
I agree with this opinion. There are too many citizens who shirk their responsibilities of voting and usually these are the biggest critics of our society. My heritage as an American is long and proud. My family has been in this country before its conception as a country. The German side of my family fled the persecution for being Mennonite and my Irish side fled Ireland because of being Catholic and the potato famine of 1847. Both sides of my family found the freedom they were searching for and both sides of my family have paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle defending their freedoms. I believe it is a sacred right and duty to vote in all elections local and national. We have become a nation of takers instead of giving and sharing our prosperity and freedom. Citizenship is not easy even though most were born into it. However it requires sacrifice and dedication to our laws and responsibility to vote as citizens. Our first and foremost responsibility is to make to the poling place and choose who you wish to support. This year it is even more important because of January 6th. We need to reaffirm our rights as citizens of our great nation. Please vote this upcoming elections and send a message to Trump and his minions that we will not submit to tyranny.
The media must seek to provide the truth about all candidates running for office no matter the level of the office. We as citizens must choose to become informed about the candidates. Our laziness and complacency is why we are in danger of losing our freedom. We must participate in choosing candidates. We must cherish the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for. Our Democracy is on loan to us,it belongs to future generations. We must learn to put our freedom at a higher priority. We must demand truth from media. We must demand Citizens United be ended. We must change how campaigns are funded. We must give all citizens a chance to participate in our governmental decisions. Big money must be removed from the media and the decisions affecting our lives. Thank you for sharing the Margaret Sullivan article. This article should be required reading for everyone involved in reporting news at any level.
An outstanding piece. Late, but better late than never. Will anyone heed/be able to heed her advice? Or will $$$$$ (continue to) control journalism from here on?
I keep looking for the woman with the sledgehammer from Ridely Scott's Apple ad. We need her and we need her now. I cannot see another way to break through without shattering the media bubble surrounding so many.
Concur with the premise, and am looking for a solution to break through the media enablers. Those most invested in the lies will not cover the truth.
Thanks for sharing this Steve, 100% correct..Margaret Sullivan’s piece here is spot on. There must be a sea change in the political coverage by our journalists..Perhaps she and Maggie Haberman ought to sit down for a lunch..
A much needed self-analysis FOR journalists and reporters of the news. That a Republican Party Convention had a booth selling a horrifying t-shirt targeting journalists and reporters with HANGING was a dance-with-death kind of issue and should have been prohibited (yes, censored!) in a political assembly of Republicans. The most notable cases of reporters on the beat being threatened by hate-filled followers of Donald Trump at rallies and at his command includes that of Katy Tur of MSNBC. We know how often Jim Acosta of CNN was viciously attacked by Donald Trump FOR ASKING QUESTIONS. We also know that Maggie Haberman was responsible for countless articles on Hillary Clinton and her e-mails prior to the election. She wrote on Twitter in December 5, 2016: "Hillary Clinton blew the most winnable election in modern American history. And it's her own fault." And why is it that we remember more often the association of one of the most powerful women in American politics, yes, Hillary Clinton, being the ringleader in the abhorrent INVENTION of a real pizza parlor associated to such a child pornography ring of depravity, over the real depravement and debauchery of the Trump family socializing and engaging with the notorious pedophiliac twosome providers of such services? Hillary Clinton lost the election because the Usual Suspects chose Gossip and not the reality that was facing everyone, Donald Trump. And what continues to happen in the press is questioning the Democratic Candidate Quality instead of the Incompetence of Republican Candidates. The one connector between all of the latter ones in these latter days of Republican hubris is that they are all Election Deniers, just like most of them in power now. That is the most abhorrent reality in American politics, Republicans still vying for more power. It is about time it is printed in very bold letters every time one of these Trumpian women and men show their faces and open their mouths. ELECTION DENIERS MEANS ANTI-AMERICAN.
”You are allowed to hate a narcissistic lunatic, like Trump, after all the crap he has created. He can gladly disappear into thin air, so democracy has a better chance of survival in the world”.
I wrote this as a comment in a Swedish newspaper, due to some people defending Trump, calling it unfair for not treating him in a ”performative neutral way” (Sullivan).
I will never forget that fairly early on in the 2016 campaign, Matt Lauer interviewed both Secretary Clinton and Donald Trump aboard a Navy ship. As I recall, it was one of the first programs featuring both of them. Lauer - hardly the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so why he was chosen remains a mystery - must have asked Clinton 50 questions about her emails and national security. (He also repeatedly interrupted her, which is a sexist phenomenon that I'm happy to address another time.)
I was waiting for similarly aggressive questioning of Trump, perhaps on relevant topics such as, "Why do you think you are qualified to be President when all your businesses have failed?" Instead, in contrast to his aggressive questioning of Clinton, Lauer's questions to Trump were along the lines of, "What's your favorite pizza topping?"
Of course this is an exaggeration, but not by much. The scrutiny and criticism Clinton was subjected to was unbelievable when compared with the hours upon hours of free and positive publicity lavished upon the most singularly unqualified person ever to run for the office of President of the United States. The feigned shock by the pundit class following his election - with no contrition whatsoever - literally made me physically ill.
For an institution that has been given its own special clause in the closest thing our country has to a sacred text - the Constitution - the "free press" has done more to damage the cause of freedom and democracy than just about any other institution, save the abomination that is the contemporary Republican party.
A well written article indeed. Yesterday, Mick Mulvaney, said on CNN, "The Jan. 6 Committees airing, was an effort to help the democrats durning the midterms" (something to that effect), to ZERO pushback. The excellence of yesterdays Jan. 6 findings, the facts, and the presentation be damned, and ZERO journalist disagreed. The lies and disinformation fly fast and furious, Mulvaney could have said that in a tweet, as could have 10 others. Then what? I say, call them liars.
We are in a time when the likes of Trump fire out misinformation unbridled, directly to their listeners, and no journalist has a chance of blocking or softening, or calling out a lie. Misnaming lies as, disinformation, untruths, and even what Ms. Sullivan did in her article, trying not to use the word LIE yet again (a fabulous writing approach, but why?) "Mistruth", "Misinformation", any of the words used to make a paragraph more interesting by not using the word LIE repeatedly, soften the lie and the liar, in my opinion. There seems to be some iota of truth there, which anyone who wants there to be will jump on.
We have seen lies with zero ounce of truth in them, completely made up, and aimed at taking down an opponent, not unlike "Pizzagate", and the whole of QANON existence. What then? Politely call them out two days later, and refer to them as mistruths? We are giving liars an existence they don't deserve.
Steve Scalise has been touting the theory that Nancy Palosi held up the National Guard on January 6, for many MONTHS. He is a liar. He stood beside her, while she pleaded for the National Guard to come and rescue them all. What Steve has been doing is lying, and yesterday, cool Nancy got her due, when on video we saw the truth. Let's call Steve a liar, and Mark Meadows who supported him, a liar too.
Being polite to liars, just as we have witnessed with Trump, is the same as being polite to murderers. When people lie to you, they don't want you to be here, not in truth. They want your reality to die, and theirs to live, therefore you , yourself, are expendable. Trump doesn't care who died in his insurrection, or in his response to COVID.
Putting this in polite terms, is risky business. Had we called out Trump for lying, from the beginning, we likely wouldn't be in this mess. Keeping decorum alive, while lies swirl, is giving the liar something he or she doesn't deserve, and worse, sets us all up for serious decline. It also emboldens the liar, giving their fantasy, oxygen, while suffocating the truth.
Three of our Supreme Court Justices, lied about their intentions with ROE. Where is the article that states that? Where is the committee that is "investigating" them and their legitimacy, after those lies?
When polite society is able to call liars, liars, and hold them to task, and expel them from Public "Service", (because of lying) we may be able to reclaim our teetering democracy, but not a second
before.
Sobering article; however it seems to me that dishonest or misleading political ads on TV are far more dangerous than the content of printed media. Some of the ones I’ve seen in NC sponsored by the Senate Leadership fund and GOP candidates are spreading lies faster than Fox News. Very disturbing. And the Dems don’t or won’t counter them.
This piece is an important critique of the MSM. The press - the Fourth Estate - is given special privilege by our Constitution. Currently, too few seem aware of their obligation to bring the truth via facts to the public. These facts should inform & educate the electorate to allow it to make choices important to a freedom loving democracy. When lies are repeated in what were formerly well respected newspapers because of a concern for evenhanded treatment of the different parties, our citizens cannot make informed choices at the ballot without the research many are ill equipped to do. Democracy only works when the public can be educated by an honest Fourth Estate.
Trump has always been given deference by the media. Not so from those in the NY business community who knew what an incompetent fake he was. He should never have been covered as anything other than a sociopath unqualified for any office. But here we are. Without citizen demand, there will be no change. Hit them in the pocketbook and they will change.
Excellent article. It’s extremely important when a candidate is a known liar and criminal to cover them as such and call out the lies and criminal behavior.
I agree with this opinion. There are too many citizens who shirk their responsibilities of voting and usually these are the biggest critics of our society. My heritage as an American is long and proud. My family has been in this country before its conception as a country. The German side of my family fled the persecution for being Mennonite and my Irish side fled Ireland because of being Catholic and the potato famine of 1847. Both sides of my family found the freedom they were searching for and both sides of my family have paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle defending their freedoms. I believe it is a sacred right and duty to vote in all elections local and national. We have become a nation of takers instead of giving and sharing our prosperity and freedom. Citizenship is not easy even though most were born into it. However it requires sacrifice and dedication to our laws and responsibility to vote as citizens. Our first and foremost responsibility is to make to the poling place and choose who you wish to support. This year it is even more important because of January 6th. We need to reaffirm our rights as citizens of our great nation. Please vote this upcoming elections and send a message to Trump and his minions that we will not submit to tyranny.
The media must seek to provide the truth about all candidates running for office no matter the level of the office. We as citizens must choose to become informed about the candidates. Our laziness and complacency is why we are in danger of losing our freedom. We must participate in choosing candidates. We must cherish the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for. Our Democracy is on loan to us,it belongs to future generations. We must learn to put our freedom at a higher priority. We must demand truth from media. We must demand Citizens United be ended. We must change how campaigns are funded. We must give all citizens a chance to participate in our governmental decisions. Big money must be removed from the media and the decisions affecting our lives. Thank you for sharing the Margaret Sullivan article. This article should be required reading for everyone involved in reporting news at any level.
An outstanding piece. Late, but better late than never. Will anyone heed/be able to heed her advice? Or will $$$$$ (continue to) control journalism from here on?
I keep looking for the woman with the sledgehammer from Ridely Scott's Apple ad. We need her and we need her now. I cannot see another way to break through without shattering the media bubble surrounding so many.
Concur with the premise, and am looking for a solution to break through the media enablers. Those most invested in the lies will not cover the truth.
Thanks for sharing this Steve, 100% correct..Margaret Sullivan’s piece here is spot on. There must be a sea change in the political coverage by our journalists..Perhaps she and Maggie Haberman ought to sit down for a lunch..
A much needed self-analysis FOR journalists and reporters of the news. That a Republican Party Convention had a booth selling a horrifying t-shirt targeting journalists and reporters with HANGING was a dance-with-death kind of issue and should have been prohibited (yes, censored!) in a political assembly of Republicans. The most notable cases of reporters on the beat being threatened by hate-filled followers of Donald Trump at rallies and at his command includes that of Katy Tur of MSNBC. We know how often Jim Acosta of CNN was viciously attacked by Donald Trump FOR ASKING QUESTIONS. We also know that Maggie Haberman was responsible for countless articles on Hillary Clinton and her e-mails prior to the election. She wrote on Twitter in December 5, 2016: "Hillary Clinton blew the most winnable election in modern American history. And it's her own fault." And why is it that we remember more often the association of one of the most powerful women in American politics, yes, Hillary Clinton, being the ringleader in the abhorrent INVENTION of a real pizza parlor associated to such a child pornography ring of depravity, over the real depravement and debauchery of the Trump family socializing and engaging with the notorious pedophiliac twosome providers of such services? Hillary Clinton lost the election because the Usual Suspects chose Gossip and not the reality that was facing everyone, Donald Trump. And what continues to happen in the press is questioning the Democratic Candidate Quality instead of the Incompetence of Republican Candidates. The one connector between all of the latter ones in these latter days of Republican hubris is that they are all Election Deniers, just like most of them in power now. That is the most abhorrent reality in American politics, Republicans still vying for more power. It is about time it is printed in very bold letters every time one of these Trumpian women and men show their faces and open their mouths. ELECTION DENIERS MEANS ANTI-AMERICAN.
The article is behind a paywall - do you have a way of making it a "gift" article?
Steve said, "We are living in an era of corruption that must yield at some point to reform and renewal."
Margaret Sullivan says, "Journalists have to stand, unwaveringly, for the truth..."
I know: If media and American citizens fails to get onboard with these truths, we are doomed.
”You are allowed to hate a narcissistic lunatic, like Trump, after all the crap he has created. He can gladly disappear into thin air, so democracy has a better chance of survival in the world”.
I wrote this as a comment in a Swedish newspaper, due to some people defending Trump, calling it unfair for not treating him in a ”performative neutral way” (Sullivan).
Thanks for sharing that article. It’s spot on.
I will never forget that fairly early on in the 2016 campaign, Matt Lauer interviewed both Secretary Clinton and Donald Trump aboard a Navy ship. As I recall, it was one of the first programs featuring both of them. Lauer - hardly the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so why he was chosen remains a mystery - must have asked Clinton 50 questions about her emails and national security. (He also repeatedly interrupted her, which is a sexist phenomenon that I'm happy to address another time.)
I was waiting for similarly aggressive questioning of Trump, perhaps on relevant topics such as, "Why do you think you are qualified to be President when all your businesses have failed?" Instead, in contrast to his aggressive questioning of Clinton, Lauer's questions to Trump were along the lines of, "What's your favorite pizza topping?"
Of course this is an exaggeration, but not by much. The scrutiny and criticism Clinton was subjected to was unbelievable when compared with the hours upon hours of free and positive publicity lavished upon the most singularly unqualified person ever to run for the office of President of the United States. The feigned shock by the pundit class following his election - with no contrition whatsoever - literally made me physically ill.
For an institution that has been given its own special clause in the closest thing our country has to a sacred text - the Constitution - the "free press" has done more to damage the cause of freedom and democracy than just about any other institution, save the abomination that is the contemporary Republican party.