I wish I could read the news without an opinion or agenda behind it, because it’s not clear when I am reading or watching something that is fact, or driven by a journalist or corporate opinion.
Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
71–80 of 195 posts
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#72A lot of people here are arguing that mainstream media had it coming for them because of bias, arrogance, pushing an agenda, etc. But I want to ask all of you: what replaces it as arbiter of truth? For all of the media's problems and imperfections, they have acted as a quasi-independent institution holding other powerful institutions and individuals in society in check. They have focused popular attention where it wa…
> But I want to ask all of you: what replaces it as arbiter of truth?
The decentralized model. Aka everybody has to think for themselves, like responsible grown ups are supposed to do.
The fact that some people think a central authority of truth is necessary is terribly sad.
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here's Matt Taibbi's writings on White Fragility : https://taibbi.substack.com/p/on-white-fragility It's plenty opinionated. But it's interesting because Matt Taibbi is not a Republican, in the same way that Reason (not Democrats) is interesting when it criticizes Republican ideas. CNN saying anything about Trump or Fox News saying anything about Biden is by comparison of insignificant (if not negative) value, becaus…
> It's very opinionated. But it's interesting because Matt Taibbi is not a Republican, in the same way that Reason (not Democrats) is interesting when it criticizes Republicans. Well, except Reason is a platform with a right-libertarian that is generally supportive of similar things to the Republican Party and favorable to Republicans, whereas Taibbi, however leftist his editorial position might be, is generally not…
> but with a few negative references to “Corporate America” or some Republican (usually, Donald Trump) to mark it as a Genuine Left-Wing Critique
Didn't Taibbi first break out with his coverage of the Great Financial Crisis, and specifically his vigorous criticism of the big banks' role? IIRC, he even coined the term "vampire squid" to refer to Goldman. His leftism is a lot more than superficial references to corporate America.
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#74This piece makes the case that the only way traditional media can hold powerful people accountable is by being the arbiters of their distribution, by controlling who gets published and how their story is told. The way things used to be before the internet. It’s a good thing this is not the case anymore. Big media is essential for democracy, but controlling distribution is not democratic. Big media has two options now…
Expanding on (1) with few more ideas.
- Use social media personalities to present and spread news
- Informecials as a medium
- Run adwords
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Big media is essential for democracy? Democracy literally predates the printing press.
Before the printing press, you constructed your own media by hiring people to proclaim your message. "Criers" of various sorts predate democracy.
That doesn't fit the role of media in this discussion. A crucial element is their (relative) independence. Parties to an issue that have full control over the distribution of their message is what the article is holding up as the _threat_ to traditional media (ie Elon Musk's "crier" is @elonmusk).
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#76Where does one go to just get information these days without having to get it from someone on a crusade? Local papers seem a lot better in this regard, but they don't cover national and international content.
The Economist
The Economist is sort of "on a crusade", but they have a very established and stable crusade, so you can control for it and get a lot of signal.
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
>>> But I want to ask all of you: what replaces it as arbiter of truth? A strongman. An idea that I attribute to Imre Lakatos, is that if you strip people of the ability to debate and discern facts, you create a power vacuum that can only be filled by those who can act in the absence of debate and facts, notably thugs and tyrants. I believe this is the actual motivation behind the "war on truth" and the flood of misi…
This is my biggest fear about the media. If they don't come clean and reclaim their integrity (this goes for both left and right outlets), the public will reject them. Discourse will move to blogs, podcasts, private networks, etc. In the process, the laws and protections for journalism will be weathered and may be abolished altogether (who needs those pompous journalists, right?). Then we'll be no better than a propa…
It's already too late.
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#78(2020)
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd suggest to read Hunter S. Thompson's obituary on Nixon https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1994/07/he-was-... "It was all gibberish, of course. Nixon was no more a Saint than he was a Great President. He was more like Sammy Glick than Winston Churchill. He was a cheap crook and a merciless war criminal who bombed more people to death in Laos and Cambodia than the U.S. Army lost in all of World War II, an…
Nixon bombed more people to death in Laos and Cambodia than the U.S. Army lost in all of World War II. Nixon connived to have Kent State students attacked and slain by the National Guard. These are both facts that can easily be reported and are more than damning enough on their own without editorializing. The editorializing actually makes the case weaker. It does a good job of riling up people who already agree with…
You've contradicted yourself in your own comment though.
First - Nixon inherited a war that others started, and put in place a strategy to end it, which he did.
Second - Your statement "killed more people in Laos and Cambodia than the US Army lost in WW2" is technical factual, but also kind of nonsense. It's pointless to compare civilian casualties in one war, with Army casualties in another.
Eisenhower definitely killed more civilians that Nixon - does that make him worse?
See how your selective facts are actually a form of editorializing?
Journalism is actually kind of hard, but yes, there is too much partisan news. Again this is our fault - if we clicked on straight news, and that's where the eyeballs went, that's where the money would go.
Re: Journalism, particularly at the highest level, is about raw power
#80"All I know is that there is only one way the press maintains its power in society: by metaphorically putting the heads of powerful people on pikes." this is what just happened with Scott Alexander. they tried to put his head on a pike, because he's a high value node in the tech community that's eroding the power of the legacy press.
> this is what just happened with Scott Alexander. they tried to put his head on a pike, because he's a high value node in the tech community that's eroding the power of the legacy press. Put his head on a pike? They? Come on now. It will be interesting to see what will happens with this. Ever since the Scott Alexander NYT story, there's been a parade of old media criticism articles getting dredged up and making it t…
Is there any more toxic label you can attach to a person in contemporary America than "racist?"
Is there any accusation -- outside of actual crimes -- more likely to cause a person to lose opportunities, social connections, or standing in their community?
I can't speak to this reporter's motivations, but if a reporter wanted to metaphorically put someone's head on a pike, I can't think of any more effective way to do it than to insinuate that they are a racist, and somehow get it to stick.