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On Trump, The Media’s Malpractice Continues

#1

On Trump, The Media’s Malpractice Continues

Katrina vanden Heuvel

One of the great ironies of the political moment is that President Trump’s sworn enemy has become, if not exactly an ally, an enabler of his agenda. For all of Trump’s griping about “fake news,” the mainstream media’s prevailing focus on palace intrigue and White House scandals has come at the expense of substantive policy coverage, allowing Trump and the Republican Party to advance harmful, hugely unpopular policies without the scrutiny they deserve.

#2

Trump’s most effective tactic is to scatter shiny objects to distract from the real issues.

The mainstream media falls for it every time.

#3

Indeed, although I think less in terms of Trump “scattering shiny objects” and more like he’s throwing feces.

#4

Whatever the major TV media’s failure is with regard to upholding democracy it pales in comparison to what Trump himself and the right wing media are doing to democracy which is destroy it. But the basic problem with 24-hour cable news is that it should never exist. There simply isn’t hat much new except on very rate occasions. So the only way it can stay in business is to sensationalize and focus on the most emotional issues. No station can be on for 24 hours dwelling on only the most serious issue in a serious manner. The job of these stations most of the time is to keep the view’s attention until the next group of commercials, So they focus n the more sensational stuff and give a tease before the break. It is what is. I think it something we simply have to live with and keep criticizing but it is unlikely to change.

#5

The question I raise about commercial media, particularly TV and radio, is which industries are paying the most for advertising, in effect paying to control the message over the airwaves. Automobile-related sales and insurance top the list. These industries still limit hybrid and electric EVs to niche markets. Eventual conversion to EV fleets affect regional utilities which are based mostly on fossil fuels. Yet, EVs are an ideal match to rooftop solar (and other intermittent renewable energy sources), especially important in emergency, and are complementary to regional utility grids. I’m reminded of the 1930’s when public power systems were legalized and the cost of stringing wire to underserved locales fell 60%. The republican business leaders then were led by the same lying misanthropic types as today, rich ruthless conservatives conducting genocidal class warfare.

#6

To say the media “HAS BECOME an enabler of Trump’s agenda” ignores the well documented fact that the media gave Trump exponetially more free campaign air time (prior to and during the primaries) than any other candidate in any party, thereby enabling his candidacy and primary win long before Trump had an agenda to enable.

#7

The establishment wanted Hillary as President. To ensure this, the establishment’s mouthpiece, the MSM, gave Trump copious amounts of coverage to ensure he would be running against Hillary. The assumption was that he was probably the only candidate she could beat. They also made a ton of money doing so.

Well, that backfired; and now the full court MSM press is on to destroy Trump.

#8

True.
Important insight, yet the role of Corporate Ownership is key.
Even PBS feels they must try to compete with the corporate media.

Maybe instead of requireing MSM to have tv news, corporate media should be excluded from airing news entirely!

Then, a non-partisan news service, or two, or three, could be a non-commercial, public, National Trust, and become a continuously evaluated source of public news.

#9

Trump was probably one of the weaker candidates. He needed assistance from Russia and James Comey (unintentionally I believe) plus voter suppression laws in a number of states and still lost the popular vote by nearly 3 millions votes. I think the Republicans strongest candidate would have been John Kasich. He surely would have won Ohio and probably have done well in the Midwest which proved to be critical. But the media doesn’t pick winners. They just try to get the most money they can from the campaign. They don’t care who wins as long they profit. The winner ultimately is picked by the voters in primaries and in the general election. The major media cannot control the outcome of those elections. I don’t think they are trying to destroy Trump. Actually by any normal standards Trump has been trying to destroy his own candidacy and now his presidency from the beginning. It is only to his true supporters that he is not seen as a disaster. Everyone else seems him as that. He has gone against all American values. He praises dictators and attacks the free press and judges. He never divested himself of his business interests and arguably his foreign policy is based solely on furthering his own business interests. It is only his white supremacist base that fully supports him which enables him to stay in office. Millions of white people are unhappy about the elevated status of minorities and their increasing numbers. As long as so many white people feel that way Trump can pretty much do what he wants and remain politically viable.

#10

Carnival News Network with Trump under the big tent…