Actually, I should say I dispute the premise for this particular article. I do agree that, in general, the media have been sanewashing and downplaying everything Trump does; and they should definitely be more aggressive.
Not so much "media" anymore as holding companies for the dark side for what are prominently financial reasons. This search for a mythical middle ground is a classic fallacy of good intentions or example of ethical fading, where ethical issues are no longer raised, allowing the indefensible to appear justifiable for those making the decisions.
On the contrary, Gene, the headline would impel me to read the story. Any attempts to change how elections are conducted put forth by anyone should be required reading
I understand (and share) people's frustrations with MSM sanewashing of openly nutso and/or dangerous and/or simply careless policies and pronouncements. But I think a lot of the "Cancel my subscription!" anger is misdirected, exactly because the headlines -- NOT written by the reporters -- grab too much attention. I loathe Beezee's "stewardship" of the Post, and honestly never even glance at the OpEd stuff, but continue to pay for a subscription because it doesn't just feed HIS bank account, it feeds those of the on-the-street staff... who continue to do excellent work.
When I was teaching high school journalism in the mid-'70s, there were of course already the rumblings of the "liberal bias" of the MSM. I used to tell my students there was a reason why this might be so: because the reporters were actually seeing the real-world impacts of conservative policies. They were seeing it in the lives of their sources; they were seeing it in the sciences; they were seeing -- and reporting on -- it every single day.
Nowadays, there are of course working-class "conservatives" who complain about the liberal bias. But I think they're doing so because they've turned their decision-making machinery over to the conservative media mouthpieces who speak darkly and glibly about the liberal "threat" without making it clear up-front that liberal (and, sadly, neoliberal) policies enabled their own success.
So when was the last time the NYT or WaPo or Fox News, for that matter, changed the mind of one of their consumers? The influence of the MSM is diminished to insignificance. Ask the newspaper readers of Pittsburgh. It’s all back alley media these days.
I definitely would read the headline, misleadingly anodyne as it may be. Anything having to do with "Trump" and "elections" makes my hair stand on end.
The “headlines not matching the articles” issue has been around for a long time. I love Paul Krugman’s now that he’s writing his own. But the psychology of the whole thing is interesting.
I actually read the Trump vs. elections piece in WaPo this morning (my subscription expires next week -- will NOT be renewing!). Agree the headline isn't exactly inspiring and the piece is way too long, frequently repetitive, but -- if Bezos and Co. are seeking to replace lefties like me with the few, thoughtful, newspaper-reading rigthies out there, I think it's actually a good cautionary read for exactly that audience. Whatever methods T employs to f*** up 2026 elections, at least one, if even partially successful, is going to suppress Republican voters -- specifically, limiting or eliminating mail-in ballots. The piece makes mention of the impact on, for example, Arizona (and the elderly in general), but for sure that aspect could have, should have, been more fully explored. WaPo's leadership would have (and did?) nix that. As for the Times' interview, enough coverage already, day after day. Make it stop!
When has Trump EVER tempered, or retracted, or admitted to a lie? His whole self-image is based on a façade of infallibility. He surrounds himself with sycophants and spokespersons whose jobs are to maintain and perpetuate that pretense, and to keep his base, but most of all himself, far from the hollowness within.
He doesn’t exactly retract anything ever, but he may say something different about it the next day. One might view this as an implicit recognition that the first statement was false, were it not for his ability to maintain contradictory facts and positions without his followers seeing a problem.
I still have my WashPost subscription (I believe in knowing my enemies), and I read the article. It was a rehash of things we already know he is doing, but collected in one place. Not boring, but infuriating!
I used to enjoy reading the Sunday edition opinion page, with my morning coffee/breakfast. It is now full of pro-admin crap and the kind of pablum or fluff articles the morning “news/infotainment shows produce for women. Letters to the editor are “themed” and serve no purpose other than filler. Is big, bad Amazon boss Bezos afraid of Trump? Mrs Graham is probably spinning like a top in her coffin at the destruction of her once respected newspaper.
Perhaps facilely comparable, but far too many major media outlets (thankfully not all) found reasons to either support the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, or downplay their atrocities with surprisingly positive or neutral views. The reasons were chillingly similar: expert propaganda; skepticism that claims could possibly be as bad as they were; self-benefiting appeasement and even optimism (e.g. antisemitism was simply a political tactic rather than an ideology) and certainly commercial/financial interests.
Come on y’all any real “MSM” would be shouting BULLSHIT every time Trumphuk spouts another gross lie. But they’ve barely made a peep. They’d be aggressively covering the disappearances of hundreds of immigrants; the incarcerations and shootings of both legal immigrants and citizens; the totally illegal actions overseas—with actual investigative reporting on all of these.
They would be reporting extensively on the fraud and corruption stemming from White House favoritism and kickbacks.
They would dig into and expose the complete illegality of ICE harassing, intimidating, kidnapping, assaulting and murdering people in the streets and in their homes as well as workplaces.
The former big 3 network news would have special reporting on this.
CNN would cover this in detail.
Yes, the MSM has been complacent and complicit. Perhaps they are starting to see that if this goes any further they will cease to exist.
The MSM would have exposed Trump years ago if they were serious. Now even the liberal stations have long earnest analyses of everything that happens because they have to fill air time. Has any headline or editorial you've seen since the murder called for Noem to resign? That should be top center of every front page, home page, and editorial page every day until it happens. I haven't seen it once. Where are the Dems asking publicly why no hearings are being held? Where are the Congressional caucuses asking relentless questions day after day about why these crooks aren't in jail?
Martha — Donnie J. Trumphuk and the Heritage CABAL put posturing posing Krusti Gnome in to be exactly as incompetent and useless as she’s performed — they’ve put the real thugs in charge of ICE and Border Patrol while she cosplays Annie Oakley.
The press in general has totally ignored the mass illegalities of ICE and the BP. What they are doing now is way outside of their charters and Congress — you know those pissant do nothings — should be holding hearings on this now and the press should be railing against at this.
I dispute the premise. I would not pass over the article as being boring and arcane. Anything with Trump changing elections sounds dangerous to me!
Actually, I should say I dispute the premise for this particular article. I do agree that, in general, the media have been sanewashing and downplaying everything Trump does; and they should definitely be more aggressive.
Not so much "media" anymore as holding companies for the dark side for what are prominently financial reasons. This search for a mythical middle ground is a classic fallacy of good intentions or example of ethical fading, where ethical issues are no longer raised, allowing the indefensible to appear justifiable for those making the decisions.
I find that headline terrifying, actually.
On the contrary, Gene, the headline would impel me to read the story. Any attempts to change how elections are conducted put forth by anyone should be required reading
I understand (and share) people's frustrations with MSM sanewashing of openly nutso and/or dangerous and/or simply careless policies and pronouncements. But I think a lot of the "Cancel my subscription!" anger is misdirected, exactly because the headlines -- NOT written by the reporters -- grab too much attention. I loathe Beezee's "stewardship" of the Post, and honestly never even glance at the OpEd stuff, but continue to pay for a subscription because it doesn't just feed HIS bank account, it feeds those of the on-the-street staff... who continue to do excellent work.
When I was teaching high school journalism in the mid-'70s, there were of course already the rumblings of the "liberal bias" of the MSM. I used to tell my students there was a reason why this might be so: because the reporters were actually seeing the real-world impacts of conservative policies. They were seeing it in the lives of their sources; they were seeing it in the sciences; they were seeing -- and reporting on -- it every single day.
Nowadays, there are of course working-class "conservatives" who complain about the liberal bias. But I think they're doing so because they've turned their decision-making machinery over to the conservative media mouthpieces who speak darkly and glibly about the liberal "threat" without making it clear up-front that liberal (and, sadly, neoliberal) policies enabled their own success.
So when was the last time the NYT or WaPo or Fox News, for that matter, changed the mind of one of their consumers? The influence of the MSM is diminished to insignificance. Ask the newspaper readers of Pittsburgh. It’s all back alley media these days.
I definitely would read the headline, misleadingly anodyne as it may be. Anything having to do with "Trump" and "elections" makes my hair stand on end.
The “headlines not matching the articles” issue has been around for a long time. I love Paul Krugman’s now that he’s writing his own. But the psychology of the whole thing is interesting.
I actually read the Trump vs. elections piece in WaPo this morning (my subscription expires next week -- will NOT be renewing!). Agree the headline isn't exactly inspiring and the piece is way too long, frequently repetitive, but -- if Bezos and Co. are seeking to replace lefties like me with the few, thoughtful, newspaper-reading rigthies out there, I think it's actually a good cautionary read for exactly that audience. Whatever methods T employs to f*** up 2026 elections, at least one, if even partially successful, is going to suppress Republican voters -- specifically, limiting or eliminating mail-in ballots. The piece makes mention of the impact on, for example, Arizona (and the elderly in general), but for sure that aspect could have, should have, been more fully explored. WaPo's leadership would have (and did?) nix that. As for the Times' interview, enough coverage already, day after day. Make it stop!
Keep writing, Gene, and we will keep reading. Call out the lies. All of them. Do not stop. We need our truthtellers now!
“lies he has yet to temper or retract”
When has Trump EVER tempered, or retracted, or admitted to a lie? His whole self-image is based on a façade of infallibility. He surrounds himself with sycophants and spokespersons whose jobs are to maintain and perpetuate that pretense, and to keep his base, but most of all himself, far from the hollowness within.
He doesn’t exactly retract anything ever, but he may say something different about it the next day. One might view this as an implicit recognition that the first statement was false, were it not for his ability to maintain contradictory facts and positions without his followers seeing a problem.
He's the Pope of Pap.
I mean he thinks he's infallible.
The speed with which I moved from living the WaPo to hating the WaPo can only be measured by NASA
I still have my WashPost subscription (I believe in knowing my enemies), and I read the article. It was a rehash of things we already know he is doing, but collected in one place. Not boring, but infuriating!
I used to enjoy reading the Sunday edition opinion page, with my morning coffee/breakfast. It is now full of pro-admin crap and the kind of pablum or fluff articles the morning “news/infotainment shows produce for women. Letters to the editor are “themed” and serve no purpose other than filler. Is big, bad Amazon boss Bezos afraid of Trump? Mrs Graham is probably spinning like a top in her coffin at the destruction of her once respected newspaper.
Perhaps the headline should have included mention of a "cheesesteak icon".
Good idea.
Perhaps facilely comparable, but far too many major media outlets (thankfully not all) found reasons to either support the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, or downplay their atrocities with surprisingly positive or neutral views. The reasons were chillingly similar: expert propaganda; skepticism that claims could possibly be as bad as they were; self-benefiting appeasement and even optimism (e.g. antisemitism was simply a political tactic rather than an ideology) and certainly commercial/financial interests.
Come on y’all any real “MSM” would be shouting BULLSHIT every time Trumphuk spouts another gross lie. But they’ve barely made a peep. They’d be aggressively covering the disappearances of hundreds of immigrants; the incarcerations and shootings of both legal immigrants and citizens; the totally illegal actions overseas—with actual investigative reporting on all of these.
They would be reporting extensively on the fraud and corruption stemming from White House favoritism and kickbacks.
They would dig into and expose the complete illegality of ICE harassing, intimidating, kidnapping, assaulting and murdering people in the streets and in their homes as well as workplaces.
The former big 3 network news would have special reporting on this.
CNN would cover this in detail.
Yes, the MSM has been complacent and complicit. Perhaps they are starting to see that if this goes any further they will cease to exist.
The MSM would have exposed Trump years ago if they were serious. Now even the liberal stations have long earnest analyses of everything that happens because they have to fill air time. Has any headline or editorial you've seen since the murder called for Noem to resign? That should be top center of every front page, home page, and editorial page every day until it happens. I haven't seen it once. Where are the Dems asking publicly why no hearings are being held? Where are the Congressional caucuses asking relentless questions day after day about why these crooks aren't in jail?
Martha — Donnie J. Trumphuk and the Heritage CABAL put posturing posing Krusti Gnome in to be exactly as incompetent and useless as she’s performed — they’ve put the real thugs in charge of ICE and Border Patrol while she cosplays Annie Oakley.
The press in general has totally ignored the mass illegalities of ICE and the BP. What they are doing now is way outside of their charters and Congress — you know those pissant do nothings — should be holding hearings on this now and the press should be railing against at this.