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She knew this as a consequential journalist and omitted from reporting it when mattered most, but NY Times was more busy beating up Steve Schmidt who was standing against the all powerful Trump cabal at that moment. Important fact to ponder.
Agree with EVERY word. I canceled my subscription to NYT a few years back & haven't regretted that decision even once. It freed up a couple hundred dollars to subscribe to local newspapers and newsletters. NYT, WaPo, Politico ought to register as Publishing Houses since that's what so many of their "reporters" use their access to do.
I know this is a recycled story but it is worth revisiting. Trump has had his many enablers on his journey to the top and bottom of the political scene. That said, journalists were at one time held in high esteem. Now, they are cocktail jokes like the fate of lawyers. I know there is honest journalism just like I know there are honest lawyers. However, we live in a paparazzi society and filth and dishonesty sells papers and space on Fox News. Free speech is the core and backbone to a thriving democracy. However, capitalism is easily corrupted and strict guidelines need to be adhered to in order to guard against abuses.
We have become a society of cynical non readers where the only way to get people to read a story is with titillating bylines. Truth was at one time idealistic but now it has lost meaning and is given several sides so no one can discern it from a lie. We have Florida judges that do not believe in the justice system or law enforcement which further distorts truth. God help us because without Devine intervention there is no saving our Democracy. The last line of defense was a free and viable press. When that is no longer trustworthy our democratic institutions will not survive.
Outrage journalism slowed down to be captured in book form produces criminal negligence of witnessing crimes but remaining silent until the paywall of a published book makes its way through the slow sarlac-like bowels of a two year book printing and marketing cycle.
Not that long ago, we used to be able to trust what was printed in the newspapers and what was reported on broadcast news. They were the gold standards. No longer. Finding ‘truth’ now is much more difficult. It takes hours to read a variety of sources to attempt to close in on ‘fact.’ It shouldn’t be this hard, nor this complicated.
At that moment when most people were threatened by extremists violence, Steve Schmidt and his buddies courageously stood up for righteousness of democratic freedom. NY Times along with this journalist cowered and hid behind Trump. They usually report how impossible it is for the world to resist the authoritarian aggression lest they infringe on journalistic ethics by siding with the optimism of the freedom struggle. But now, from Kremlin to Trump they smell the defeat of the fascist dictators and they come out from hiding to enrich themselves in this new scheme. Don’t buy their heroic storyline, you have to remember when the time was dark and they feared to speak the truth. They are no friends of freedom and democracy. Authoritarians fester with their aid all over the world. Now we are at the turning point. Putin’s regime is being defeated at the most decisive battle in Ukraine as Russian troops are being wiped out in areas he just illegally announced annexation.
Thanks Steve for a thoughtful essay that is not only accurate but connects the dots. I’m enclosing some links for background for those who claim it just ain’t so.
Money really is the root of evil, right? When media of all kinds discover that their ultimate mission is to make money rather that to inform the public, it skews the whole effort. Now the work is how to tell the story in the most enticing way, to grab attention rather than to inform. I don't think state-run media is the answer! It is an interesting dilemma to create news sources that seek the truth and report it. How can we fund that without worrying about advertising dollars, profit, or state propaganda?
Take a look at a little-seen movie, "Shock and Awe," about how the Knight-Ridder team of reporters got the true story about Iraq and WMD when the rest of the media didn't. Stick around for the credits, where they show a clip of Judith Miller being interviewed and asked about those stories and her saying "Knight-Ridder got the truth."
As usual, you succinctly and eloquently summed up how America got so far off course from its democratic beginnings:
“The American people are besieged by staggering corruption. Political, business and media corruption have merged, creating a toxic cynicism that has wrecked faith and belief in democracy.” Absolutely true, but what I’ve been observing for many years is the concentrated corruption of capitalism by these type people. They now believe they have a right to make money any way they want (as long as it’s white collar). They’re not hurting anyone making money for themselves and no one should begrudge them. They think they deserve a piece of the money pie. There are exceptions, of course, but I think Trump, all of his cabinet members and close associates have proven by their own dishonest actions, most without consequences, is the greatest contributor to this terrible phenomenon. THEN they lie to themselves to sleep at night. From their point of view, it’s a win-win.
When i started ti see Habermann being interviewed as an expert of the Trump WH, before her books and all, there was something ingenuous about her. Your factoid about her connection the Kushner clan was very informative. Thanks. Her place in the chain of those speaking into the mic makes a lot of sense now.
She knew this as a consequential journalist and omitted from reporting it when mattered most, but NY Times was more busy beating up Steve Schmidt who was standing against the all powerful Trump cabal at that moment. Important fact to ponder.
Agree with EVERY word. I canceled my subscription to NYT a few years back & haven't regretted that decision even once. It freed up a couple hundred dollars to subscribe to local newspapers and newsletters. NYT, WaPo, Politico ought to register as Publishing Houses since that's what so many of their "reporters" use their access to do.
I know this is a recycled story but it is worth revisiting. Trump has had his many enablers on his journey to the top and bottom of the political scene. That said, journalists were at one time held in high esteem. Now, they are cocktail jokes like the fate of lawyers. I know there is honest journalism just like I know there are honest lawyers. However, we live in a paparazzi society and filth and dishonesty sells papers and space on Fox News. Free speech is the core and backbone to a thriving democracy. However, capitalism is easily corrupted and strict guidelines need to be adhered to in order to guard against abuses.
We have become a society of cynical non readers where the only way to get people to read a story is with titillating bylines. Truth was at one time idealistic but now it has lost meaning and is given several sides so no one can discern it from a lie. We have Florida judges that do not believe in the justice system or law enforcement which further distorts truth. God help us because without Devine intervention there is no saving our Democracy. The last line of defense was a free and viable press. When that is no longer trustworthy our democratic institutions will not survive.
Outrage journalism slowed down to be captured in book form produces criminal negligence of witnessing crimes but remaining silent until the paywall of a published book makes its way through the slow sarlac-like bowels of a two year book printing and marketing cycle.
Not that long ago, we used to be able to trust what was printed in the newspapers and what was reported on broadcast news. They were the gold standards. No longer. Finding ‘truth’ now is much more difficult. It takes hours to read a variety of sources to attempt to close in on ‘fact.’ It shouldn’t be this hard, nor this complicated.
At that moment when most people were threatened by extremists violence, Steve Schmidt and his buddies courageously stood up for righteousness of democratic freedom. NY Times along with this journalist cowered and hid behind Trump. They usually report how impossible it is for the world to resist the authoritarian aggression lest they infringe on journalistic ethics by siding with the optimism of the freedom struggle. But now, from Kremlin to Trump they smell the defeat of the fascist dictators and they come out from hiding to enrich themselves in this new scheme. Don’t buy their heroic storyline, you have to remember when the time was dark and they feared to speak the truth. They are no friends of freedom and democracy. Authoritarians fester with their aid all over the world. Now we are at the turning point. Putin’s regime is being defeated at the most decisive battle in Ukraine as Russian troops are being wiped out in areas he just illegally announced annexation.
Thanks Steve for a thoughtful essay that is not only accurate but connects the dots. I’m enclosing some links for background for those who claim it just ain’t so.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/12/politics/trump-vowed-to-stay-in-white-house-haberman-book/index.html
https://nypost.com/2022/09/26/donald-trump-calls-nyt-reporter-maggie-haberman-his-psychiatrist/
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-gushes-about-ny-times-maggie-haberman-in-new-book-and-its-a-doozy/
https://www.thewrap.com/maggie-haberman-new-york-times-reporter-trump-book-backlash/
It's no accident that every guest on MSNBC and CNN is peddling a book.
Every other sentence from these people is "Like I said in my book..."
When the driving force in your life is greed, you become the reference design for corruption.
N.B. I subscribe to the NYT only to read Paul Krugman. If he were to quit the Times, I'd cancel immediately.
Money really is the root of evil, right? When media of all kinds discover that their ultimate mission is to make money rather that to inform the public, it skews the whole effort. Now the work is how to tell the story in the most enticing way, to grab attention rather than to inform. I don't think state-run media is the answer! It is an interesting dilemma to create news sources that seek the truth and report it. How can we fund that without worrying about advertising dollars, profit, or state propaganda?
Ok. Time to cancel my NYT subscription.
Yes, this! I couldn’t agree more!
Take a look at a little-seen movie, "Shock and Awe," about how the Knight-Ridder team of reporters got the true story about Iraq and WMD when the rest of the media didn't. Stick around for the credits, where they show a clip of Judith Miller being interviewed and asked about those stories and her saying "Knight-Ridder got the truth."
As usual, you succinctly and eloquently summed up how America got so far off course from its democratic beginnings:
“The American people are besieged by staggering corruption. Political, business and media corruption have merged, creating a toxic cynicism that has wrecked faith and belief in democracy.” Absolutely true, but what I’ve been observing for many years is the concentrated corruption of capitalism by these type people. They now believe they have a right to make money any way they want (as long as it’s white collar). They’re not hurting anyone making money for themselves and no one should begrudge them. They think they deserve a piece of the money pie. There are exceptions, of course, but I think Trump, all of his cabinet members and close associates have proven by their own dishonest actions, most without consequences, is the greatest contributor to this terrible phenomenon. THEN they lie to themselves to sleep at night. From their point of view, it’s a win-win.
This piece was also published on September 28.
When i started ti see Habermann being interviewed as an expert of the Trump WH, before her books and all, there was something ingenuous about her. Your factoid about her connection the Kushner clan was very informative. Thanks. Her place in the chain of those speaking into the mic makes a lot of sense now.
Thank you for staying on top of this, and thus keeping US on top of this.