Today, Josh Lederman of MSNBC, apparently without critically questioning it, said that Donald Trump faces a “momentous decision” as to whether to open up the economy on May 1st.
Never mind that Trump faces no such decision, because Trump has no legal authority to make it. Under the U.S. Constitution, the general “police powers” over domestic security, health, and safety, belong to the states and thus the governors and mayors, and always have.
This reporter is part of the problem, allowing the White House to frame the issue, regardless of whether that frame has any basis in fact.
With the signs that the very foundations of our democracy, from the freedom of the press to the right to vote are being threatened, this is not a time to tolerate our media becoming lazy propagators of his delusions. This is no time to be nice.
We have to speak out, and tell it like it is when we see things like this, before it is too late.
The traditional laid back American press that lets the White House set the table and the press then follows like sheep is just not going to be sufficient for this moment.
We need something like the British model, where the press understands that it is its JOB to be the Fourth Estate and question authority – as well as authority’s premises, conceits, and propaganda frames.
The least we now must demand of them is that they question the premises of Trump’s bald assertions of power when they have no basis in fact or law.
We are in dangerous territory, with Trump eliminating all formal watchdogs and checks within our executive branch (and it is OUR executive branch, not his – it is there to “execute” the laws that Congress passes, and defend the country), and the White House press sure as hell is not acting like we are in trouble.
You know why? They have no idea of, or willfully ignore, the historical context for what is happening, to keep their White House access. They have no idea what powers are legitimately his and what powers are not legitimately his.
I know. I went to journalism school. If you don’t believe me, listen closely to the questions they ask.
We need to demand far more of our press. And fast.
Amen, you hit the nail on the head with this.
I’ve given up watching both MSNBC and CNN. The former is the “All Corona All Day Hysteria Channel” and the latter fills its evening prime-time with “Ask Sanjay Gupta” — answering the same questions over and over.
The Trumpist cancer continues to spread and our “Fourth Estate” is doing nothing at all to stop it.
Good to know I’m not the only one to have felt and noticed that regarding MSNBC. My default evening plans used to be watching that channel’s prime time lineup, but I have not for the past few weeks for exactly that reason.
Six Corporations own the media. This was the result of legislation passed by conservative Republicans and neoliberal Democrats. The “Fourth Estate” is no more.
That’s certainly my recollection as well.
All I ask is that we also acknowledge that those changes were driven by popular demand across America. In particular, working-class whites — Richard Nixon’s “hard hats” — fell hook line and sinker for the lies of the Barry Goldwater extremist Republicans and their unholy alliance with right-wing white Protestant evangelicals like Pat Robertson. The result started with Ronald Reagan and went downhill from there.
I’ve heard the argument that this was a cultural backlash against the societal changes of the 1960s. It was aided and abetted by a political and media culture that was all too eager to celebrate one of the most pernicious lies of the period — “AIDS is punishment from God for immoral behavior.”
Politics is a lagging indicator, and the wholesale embrace of these toxic ideologies was driven by the public and FOLLOWED, not led, by politicians of both parties at the time.
CNN Debunked the Bamboozler today with the following banners :
Angry Trump turns briefing into propaganda session
Trump refuses to acknowledge any mistakes
Trump melts down in angry response to reports he ignored virus warning
Trump uses task force briefing to try and rewrite history on coronavirus response
CNN ripped out Pissolini’s jugular today. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving ahole. :
CNN is my new favorite news source. They know Covidiot hates them already so what have they got to lose? 🙂
I already know how bad Donald Trump is, there’s no news there. I also know more about the virus than I want to know, so all this screen-time with Sanjay Gupta is less interesting to me than reruns of old golf tournaments.
Is anybody on MSNBC or CNN talking about the continued purge of people with integrity in the DoJ as William Barr continues his mission to turn the DoJ into Donald Trump’s Gestapo? Is anybody doing anything further of Lev Parnas, Igor Frumin, or Rudy Giuliani?
I’m not interested in more virus coverage, and I’m weary of Trump-bashing.
I’m not sure there’s anything worth watching until election night in November — if that even comes to pass.