News, Fake News, and Alternative Facts

[Czernobog]

Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes said, in 1931, "The administration of government has become more complex, the opportunities for malfeasance and corruption have multiplied, crime has grown to most serious proportions, and the danger of its protection by unfaithful officials and of the impairment of the fundamental security of life and property by criminal alliances and official neglect, emphasizes the primary need of a vigilant and courageous press, especially in great cities."

That was no less true then, than it is today. Unfortunately, we, as a nation, have become so polarized, cynical, and mistrusting of the institutions that were entrusted to deliver us the news, that we may well be at a breaking point. We discovered, near the end of the last campaign, actual purveyors of "fake news", people who for profit, or political gain, or just to fuck with everyone out of a general sense of assholery, ran websites devoted to fabricated news stories generated out of whole cloth. Then there were cases of legitimate news sources getting things horribly wrong.

This has created an atmosphere of mistrust where all the President has to do is scream "Fake News", and anyone who is already inclined to support this President is ready to believe that any story that is unflattering is "fake", while the president simultaneously tweets, and sends his surrogates out to propagate outright falsehoods that they have labelled "Alternative Facts".

We are at a dangerous crossroad. We can choose to wither let a demagogue destroy our free press, and with it, collapse a pillar of our democracy, or we can choose to reinvest in a free press that does not depend on ratings, and sponsors to deliver the news to keep the public informed.

 

[TNHarley]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

 

[mudwhistle]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

Yeah, and don't you dare fire any corrupt lawyer or the press will accuse you of malfeasance.

 

[Czernobog]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

Yeah, and don't you dare fire any corrupt lawyer or the press will accuse you of malfeasance.

Okay. And the evidence that every single attorney in the Justice department was corrupt, would be...? And don't bother bringing up Clinton, but that has nothing to do with it. You mentioned "firing corrupt lawyers", as if the purge of the Justice department was justified based on corruption in the department. So, that would suggest that there is evidence to support such a claim.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Press did it to themselves......they deserve every bit of scorn and more. Freedom of the press will not disappear if CNN, Fox or any of the others disappear. Trying to protect the perps is what was done with bank bailout, now those banks are in even deeper and more in control,,,,,great plan

 

[Czernobog]

Press did it to themselves......they deserve every bit of scorn and more. Freedom of the press will not disappear if CNN, Fox or any of the others disappear. Trying to protect the perps is what was done with bank bailout, now those banks are in even deeper and more in control,,,,,great plan

I would submit that the fault lies with allowing media corporations to place news into the profit track. Once the news became just another part of the corporate profit machine, then generating ratings, and satisfying, and courting sponsors became more important than accuracy. That's when the news started thinking of viewers as the audience, and started tailoring the news to the audience, instead of just reporting it.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Press did it to themselves......they deserve every bit of scorn and more. Freedom of the press will not disappear if CNN, Fox or any of the others disappear. Trying to protect the perps is what was done with bank bailout, now those banks are in even deeper and more in control,,,,,great plan

I would submit that the fault lies with allowing media corporations to place news into the profit track. Once the news became just another part of the corporate profit machine, then generating ratings, and satisfying, and courting sponsors became more important than accuracy. That's when the news started thinking of viewers as the audience, and started tailoring the news to the audience, instead of just reporting it.

And we should save them why???? Let them go away.....someone will fill the void......what does reinvest in a new press entail....govt subsidies?

 

[Czernobog]

Press did it to themselves......they deserve every bit of scorn and more. Freedom of the press will not disappear if CNN, Fox or any of the others disappear. Trying to protect the perps is what was done with bank bailout, now those banks are in even deeper and more in control,,,,,great plan

I would submit that the fault lies with allowing media corporations to place news into the profit track. Once the news became just another part of the corporate profit machine, then generating ratings, and satisfying, and courting sponsors became more important than accuracy. That's when the news started thinking of viewers as the audience, and started tailoring the news to the audience, instead of just reporting it.

And we should save them why???? Let them go away.....someone will fill the void......what does reinvest in a new press entail....govt subsidies?

No. Just remove the news from the profit/loss sheets. Go back to the old days when networks just accepted that the news programs operated at a loss - that their purpose was never meant to earn profit; that they were meant to provide a public service.

For networks like Fox news, and MSNBC, devote a certain portion of the broadcast day to straight news. No commentary. No opinions. Just reporting the news. They could still have the Hannity Show, and Rachel Maddow et al for ratings, and commentary, but devote a part of the day to pure news.

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[frigidweirdo]

Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes said, in 1931, "The administration of government has become more complex, the opportunities for malfeasance and corruption have multiplied, crime has grown to most serious proportions, and the danger of its protection by unfaithful officials and of the impairment of the fundamental security of life and property by criminal alliances and official neglect, emphasizes the primary need of a vigilant and courageous press, especially in great cities."

That was no less true then, than it is today. Unfortunately, we, as a nation, have become so polarized, cynical, and mistrusting of the institutions that were entrusted to deliver us the news, that we may well be at a breaking point. We discovered, near the end of the last campaign, actual purveyors of "fake news", people who for profit, or political gain, or just to fuck with everyone out of a general sense of assholery, ran websites devoted to fabricated news stories generated out of whole cloth. Then there were cases of legitimate news sources getting things horribly wrong.

This has created an atmosphere of mistrust where all the President has to do is scream "Fake News", and anyone who is already inclined to support this President is ready to believe that any story that is unflattering is "fake", while the president simultaneously tweets, and sends his surrogates out to propagate outright falsehoods that they have labelled "Alternative Facts".

We are at a dangerous crossroad. We can choose to wither let a demagogue destroy our free press, and with it, collapse a pillar of our democracy, or we can choose to reinvest in a free press that does not depend on ratings, and sponsors to deliver the news to keep the public informed.

Is the problem fake news, or simply too many people who don't care enough to think for themselves?

 

[Siete]

every excuse in the book comes out of the RussianWingers yaps.

throw the blame ball and pretend you did something.

 

[Czernobog]

every excuse in the book comes out of the RussianWingers yaps.

throw the blame ball and pretend you did something.

Okay. As much as I would love to just point the finger at Orange Julius, and insist that this is "All their fault", it can't be denied that the news media sowed the seeds that allowed for the distrust that Lord Dampnuts is capitalising on to create the confusion that he wants. And this isn't exactly a new thing.

Let's go all the way back to 2004. The story of the Bush family's herculean efforts to help George W dodge the draft during Viet Nam ended up completely lost, because Mary Mapes didn't do enough to verify her source, and she cost Dan Rather a lifetime reputation as a news anchor. That really was the beginning of the downfall of modern news media, and the erosion of public trust.

And it is up to journalists, and the journalism industry to regain that trust.

 

[martybegan]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

 

[Czernobog]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

Again, I am still of the opinion that the root of the problem is not politicians; it is journalists. Let's face it, if we had a strong, trusted press, it wouldn't matter what politicians had to say, regardless of who that politician was. Journalists - and I mean real journalists, not bloggers at "dontlibrulpussiessuck.com" pecking away their partisan bullshit from mommy's basement - need to find a way to regain the trust of the public.

 

[martybegan]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

Again, I am still of the opinion that the root of the problem is not politicians; it is journalists. Let's face it, if we had a strong, trusted press, it wouldn't matter what politicians had to say, regardless of who that politician was. Journalists - and I mean real journalists, not bloggers at "dontlibrulpussiessuck.com" pecking away their partisan bullshit from mommy's basement - need to find a way to regain the trust of the public.

The day of the newspaper is over. More and more the better blog/opinion sites are where the real balance in journalism will be found. The difference between the current MSM and the "liburlsuck" guy is at least the latter is admitting his bias and his rooting interest. The MSM guy does not, he clings to the illusion of fairness, or moderation, or being "in the mainstream". That is why he/she is no longer trusted by so many people.

 

[Czernobog]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

Again, I am still of the opinion that the root of the problem is not politicians; it is journalists. Let's face it, if we had a strong, trusted press, it wouldn't matter what politicians had to say, regardless of who that politician was. Journalists - and I mean real journalists, not bloggers at "dontlibrulpussiessuck.com" pecking away their partisan bullshit from mommy's basement - need to find a way to regain the trust of the public.

The day of the newspaper is over. More and more the better blog/opinion sites are where the real balance in journalism will be found. The difference between the current MSM and the "liburlsuck" guy is at least the latter is admitting his bias and his rooting interest. The MSM guy does not, he clings to the illusion of fairness, or moderation, or being "in the mainstream". That is why he/she is no longer trusted by so many people.

And you see? Therein lies the problem. There was a time when we did not have such a low opinion of MSM. Journalists in the media need to regain that trust.

 

[martybegan]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

Again, I am still of the opinion that the root of the problem is not politicians; it is journalists. Let's face it, if we had a strong, trusted press, it wouldn't matter what politicians had to say, regardless of who that politician was. Journalists - and I mean real journalists, not bloggers at "dontlibrulpussiessuck.com" pecking away their partisan bullshit from mommy's basement - need to find a way to regain the trust of the public.

The day of the newspaper is over. More and more the better blog/opinion sites are where the real balance in journalism will be found. The difference between the current MSM and the "liburlsuck" guy is at least the latter is admitting his bias and his rooting interest. The MSM guy does not, he clings to the illusion of fairness, or moderation, or being "in the mainstream". That is why he/she is no longer trusted by so many people.

And you see? Therein lies the problem. There was a time when we did not have such a low opinion of MSM. Journalists in the media need to regain that trust.

Well considering they are doubling down on the "we know what you want/need better than you do" progressive bullshit, it appears that regaining said trust is on the back burner for them.

 

[Czernobog]

While I agree he talks out of his ass, the MSM is making shit out of thin air. I would bitch too!

The big issue the left has is he talks out of his ass with a different flavor than your standard politician, in particular your progressive politician.

Remember when Clinton complained about the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"? The funny thing is now she would have a far stronger claim to it than 20 years ago.

Again, I am still of the opinion that the root of the problem is not politicians; it is journalists. Let's face it, if we had a strong, trusted press, it wouldn't matter what politicians had to say, regardless of who that politician was. Journalists - and I mean real journalists, not bloggers at "dontlibrulpussiessuck.com" pecking away their partisan bullshit from mommy's basement - need to find a way to regain the trust of the public.

The day of the newspaper is over. More and more the better blog/opinion sites are where the real balance in journalism will be found. The difference between the current MSM and the "liburlsuck" guy is at least the latter is admitting his bias and his rooting interest. The MSM guy does not, he clings to the illusion of fairness, or moderation, or being "in the mainstream". That is why he/she is no longer trusted by so many people.

And you see? Therein lies the problem. There was a time when we did not have such a low opinion of MSM. Journalists in the media need to regain that trust.

Well considering they are doubling down on the "we know what you want/need better than you do" progressive bullshit, it appears that regaining said trust is on the back burner for them.

I don't even know what that's supposed to mean...

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