The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal receive most of the attention from their journalistic malpractice—but USA Today/Gatehouse, papers who reach a lot of small and mid-sized cities, are sanitizing or omitting stories like the "bloodbath speech" that explain the ultra-high stakes of this election as well. They deserve to earn more of our critical floodlight and pressure as well.
I think almost more frightening than the "blood bath" comments, which Trump and his allies have tried to walk back, is his comment on what happens if he loses in 2024, as reported by NYT:
“I don’t think you’re going to have another election, or certainly not an election that’s meaningful,” he said.
I find the “horse race” coverage by major media to be horribly flawed. A thoroughbred like Biden is characterized as sleepy and weak, and the former prez (an ass by comparison) is projected as strong.
I get most of insights from writers and commentators on SubStack.
At my workplace, virtually – no, literally – all the associates currently appear to be unengaged politically –displaying no interest in the elections or the candidate. But that's not to say that they are entirely unaware since they (of all ages) regularly check their social media timelines and as they scroll to whatever captures their attention they scroll past news headlines and headline-driven messages without reading the underlying stories. The editors who decide what to convey in these headlines have a huge responsibility to get them right and to my way of thinking they are badly missing the mark.
Hello, again, Margaret—I could not agree with you more about the abysmal coverage of the presidential campaign (or about “Anatomy of a Fall”) but it’s going to require someone far more creative than I to figure out what can be successfully done about it. As I’ve noted previously and as I believe you agree, the Gray Lady Paper of Record appears clearly biased, as it did in 2016 (“but her emails!”), in Trump’s favor, whether intentionally or through misunderstanding what journalism is supposed to be about.
And if the NYT remains so deficient, there may well be no one with a wide enough audience to effectuate a remedy.
I am hopeful that your April 1 program can spark some creative ideas about solutions.
I've always loved "Bad to Me" and had NO idea John Lennon wrote it. Thanks so much for sharing it! The song and those old photos of my childhood idols really made my day...and their charm, humor, and infinite cool shine as brightly as ever. :)
As for your question about political coverage...I don't think the media as a whole will rise to meet this moment in history. There seems to be a near-universal, conscious choice to keep Americans in the dark about Biden's successes and Trump's dangers.
I would give years of my life if a major news org would publish a series that extrapolates Trump's policies and plans to their impact on our daily lives. Will deporting immigrants cause food shortages? Does gutting the EPA mean we'll eat, drink, and breathe toxins? If Trump invoked emergency powers, would that mean martial law, and what would that be like? Trump just said he wants "my people" to "sit up in attention" like North Koreans do when Kim speaks - so what's daily life like in North Korea? What if Trump left NATO and formed an alliance with Putin? I personally believe nukes would be used and we'd be in World War III. People should connect those dots themselves, but they don't have time and can't research it as well as journalists can. The big story the media is missing is how a typical Trump voter's life would change if Trump were back in power. They're thinking they would benefit in many ways and need to be shown, again and again, how much they'd lose.
Thanks Margaret for continuing to beat the drum re: the ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’ failure of our media, especially since it began breathlessly reporting on & being seduced by the outrageous mumbo jumbo coming from TFG’s big mouth and that passes for news these days. It’s as though the only topic on any given day is Biden’s age, Biden’s age, Biden’s age ad nauseum. REALLY? Koranacki is a likeable expert but I could care LESS about polls & the horse races. BORING. REPEATED EXCESSIVELY as if the sky weren’t falling🤪🤪🤪🤪🤓🤓
I love the pictures! I have been hearing about the shortcomings of the mainstream media since 2015. They are not going to change. There is no point in continuing to complain about it. We need to do something about it.
Most of the political coverage in the media is inexcusably lame, but I think many in the mainstream media are just as mesmerized as most Americans. The authoritarians have been hard at work for decades, casting their spells by flooding the information space with constant streams of chaotic bullshit. People either buy into the alternate reality or tune out completely.
This is a crisis of understanding struggling within a cloud of information confusion.
I just finished a book for our times: "Prophet Song" the Booker Prize-winning novel by Paul Lynch. It's a harrowing, and entirely plausible, story about civil society crumbling under the power of a populist/authoritarian regime. Told through the life of a wife/mother, the story hit me emotionally unlike any news report. I'd love to see a major newspaper serialize it so people could read a chapter, digest and reflect before continuing on the main character's downward journey. Perhaps that would motivate more citizens to action — get them off the sidelines — and prevent a bloodbath.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment, remains fixated on Trump and his legal woes, other crucial and overlooked dangers continue to unfold in the United States. First, we have about half our country responding to Trump like zombies - brainwashed followers of the Republican Party (similar to members of the Jim Jones cult), who were unsuspectedly caught in coercive mind control techniques that Trump uses daily to influence his followers. His words are caustic, and seductive - take them seriously because they are a form of brainwashing. Second, we have a presidential candidate who sold his soul and our country to the Russians at least ten years prior to sleeping in the White House. (proof is found in From Democracy to Democrazy by Graham) Third, the influence of Putin's strategies quietly attempts to reshape the trajectory of American politics and American lives. We see that happening NOW.
This current political race is not just between Democrats and Republicans, but between a decent, hard-working, public servant who has successfully served our country for almost 50 years. His constituents re-elected him year after year as a Senator (36 years as a Senator, 8 years as the VP, and 4 years as the President) - he must have been doing something right!!! His accomplishments over the last 4 years are many. His experience and age is a benefit to all of us.
His opponent is a man who has been compromised by Russia, who is a convicted RAPIST and a serial sexual predator; who is also convicted of FRAUD with mounds of solid documented evidence and proof, and is now facing 91 CRIMINAL CHARGES. His speeches are filled with REPETITIVE statements of revenge, hatred, defamation of others, and with no discernable ideology. He talks about our country experiencing a "bloodbath" if he is not elected and in his distorted self-focused mind, he means what he says. How can anyone who values their freedoms think this man should be elected to lead a democracy? He tells his followers that he is saving our democracy, that Biden is an enemy of our country, and at the same time his actions demonstrate that he is destroying our country -a LIAR.
Americans were duped decades ago into believing that Russia is no longer our enemy and the world is living in peaceful coexistence. Yes, the Cold War did not die - a revelation for many Americans. We let our guard down, while Russia rebuilt their economy, their military, and their weaponry. Then in 2000, Putin became the second President of Russia. He instantly converted Russia from a communist-socialist government- a civilized form of government where people matter to a DICTATORSHIP where no one matters but Putin. He is a man who spent his entire life as a KGB spy, and blames the United States for the downfall of the USSR. Putin wants REVENGE. His primary method to accomplish revenge is to place someone in power that is under his control in another country. He has demonstrated this pattern worldwide OVER AND OVER.
Over the last quarter of a century, Putin has schemed and enacted his strategic plan. Based on the book called The Foundations of Geopolitics and published in Russia in 1997 - a carefully orchestrated and directed horror film has been produced. The movie theme is the destruction of the United States and the principal key actor is Donald Trump. It won't win any Oscars YET, because (1) this movie is still unrecognized by most Americans, and (2) the ill-informed Trumpers across our nation are the support cast. Trump's dangerous and many-sided destructiveness includes unprecedented ways to influence and control his followers - a form of brainwashing. Unbeknown to these followers, the person who's ideology they are following is not Trump, but Putin.
Microsoft has PROVED that 58% or more of all cyber attacks into the U.S. come from Russia. They have hacked into our: food and supplies, our military and security systems, our hospitals and medical supplies, our cell phones and communication sources, our banks and financial institutions, and admittedly into our elections and probably our polls. Polls sway voter opinions. Wake up Americans!
For the American public, our first source of information comes from our media - newspapers, TV, social media, and even movies. Since "Oppenheimer" was the Oscar winner in our 2024 Cinema history, it shows an awakening of the real dangers faced by Putin's threats of nuclear war. Putin's government also admitted to U.S. election interference in 2016 and 2020; they have said it will continue; AND Putin has "shouted from the nearest mountain-top" that Trump will win the 2024 election. What does he know that the American public does not? Has our media failed to do their research and inform the public of these dangers or are they continuing to focus on Trump's legal issues instead of the real danger facing America? Trump is NOT an ordinary political candidate - but a criminal and a traitor (From Democracy to Democrazy). Their broadcasts on sensationalism instead of reality is disconcerting.
I was at a book-signing event at a Barnes and Noble in Tucson, AZ. A middle-aged woman came up to me and said "I think Putin is a smart and great leader." I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out - I was shocked. These were the exact same works spoken by Trump only the prior week and in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This, my friends, is BRAINWASHING.
Brainwashing is defined as telling lies over and over until it is perceived as the truth (wikipedia). If hatred is contained in the lies, it releases a chemical in the human brain to enact violence. Hitler used mass mind manipulation to turn an entire peaceful nation into mass murderers. Hitler killed about 6 million people through torture and slaughter, and probably another million or more on the battlefields attempting to stop his madness. Jim Jones, an American, amassed a cult of over 900 followers. He ordered them all to drink poisonous KoolAid and they all perished. Brainwashing is REAL and was started about 100 years ago in totalitarian countries (the long list of countries is found in From Democracy to Democrazy). Once a person is brainwashed, they may have little to no independent thought. This form of brainwashing was used in Germany by Hitler, was absorbed by Putin during his many years working as a Russian spy in Germany, and lo and behold it is now used daily in the United States by Trump.
The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. Yes, we should take Trump seriously because we must take Putin seriously. Our democracy hangs in the balance.
Elizabeth spent about 20 years living and working in Russia, the five countries of Central Asia, and the war-torn countries of Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Rwanda. She was told by a Russian friend who is also a KGB operative that her Russian file is at least 5 inches thick. She was living in Moscow during Trump's many trips there.
The current coverage is poor, discounting Biden in many ways and mentioning where Trump spoke without detailing the lies, threats, and gibberish that pour out of him.
All great points! And you're so right about people treating Trump like he's a normal person who's capable of rational behavior. My personal theory is that normal folk have a mental block: they can't imagine any other way to be, so they keep right on assuming Trump would never do the things he's promising. But those of us who have experienced serious dysfunction, or who were just born to be weird (like me; I was Wednesday Addams before Wednesday was cool), well...we see Trump for the monster he is. So news orgs just need to hire really weird reporters to cover Trump! ;0
The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal receive most of the attention from their journalistic malpractice—but USA Today/Gatehouse, papers who reach a lot of small and mid-sized cities, are sanitizing or omitting stories like the "bloodbath speech" that explain the ultra-high stakes of this election as well. They deserve to earn more of our critical floodlight and pressure as well.
I think almost more frightening than the "blood bath" comments, which Trump and his allies have tried to walk back, is his comment on what happens if he loses in 2024, as reported by NYT:
“I don’t think you’re going to have another election, or certainly not an election that’s meaningful,” he said.
I find the “horse race” coverage by major media to be horribly flawed. A thoroughbred like Biden is characterized as sleepy and weak, and the former prez (an ass by comparison) is projected as strong.
I get most of insights from writers and commentators on SubStack.
At my workplace, virtually – no, literally – all the associates currently appear to be unengaged politically –displaying no interest in the elections or the candidate. But that's not to say that they are entirely unaware since they (of all ages) regularly check their social media timelines and as they scroll to whatever captures their attention they scroll past news headlines and headline-driven messages without reading the underlying stories. The editors who decide what to convey in these headlines have a huge responsibility to get them right and to my way of thinking they are badly missing the mark.
Hello, again, Margaret—I could not agree with you more about the abysmal coverage of the presidential campaign (or about “Anatomy of a Fall”) but it’s going to require someone far more creative than I to figure out what can be successfully done about it. As I’ve noted previously and as I believe you agree, the Gray Lady Paper of Record appears clearly biased, as it did in 2016 (“but her emails!”), in Trump’s favor, whether intentionally or through misunderstanding what journalism is supposed to be about.
And if the NYT remains so deficient, there may well be no one with a wide enough audience to effectuate a remedy.
I am hopeful that your April 1 program can spark some creative ideas about solutions.
I've always loved "Bad to Me" and had NO idea John Lennon wrote it. Thanks so much for sharing it! The song and those old photos of my childhood idols really made my day...and their charm, humor, and infinite cool shine as brightly as ever. :)
As for your question about political coverage...I don't think the media as a whole will rise to meet this moment in history. There seems to be a near-universal, conscious choice to keep Americans in the dark about Biden's successes and Trump's dangers.
I would give years of my life if a major news org would publish a series that extrapolates Trump's policies and plans to their impact on our daily lives. Will deporting immigrants cause food shortages? Does gutting the EPA mean we'll eat, drink, and breathe toxins? If Trump invoked emergency powers, would that mean martial law, and what would that be like? Trump just said he wants "my people" to "sit up in attention" like North Koreans do when Kim speaks - so what's daily life like in North Korea? What if Trump left NATO and formed an alliance with Putin? I personally believe nukes would be used and we'd be in World War III. People should connect those dots themselves, but they don't have time and can't research it as well as journalists can. The big story the media is missing is how a typical Trump voter's life would change if Trump were back in power. They're thinking they would benefit in many ways and need to be shown, again and again, how much they'd lose.
The news reporting of Trump’s comments is scary! And the press (USA Today) is not helping ‼️‼️‼️
We need full page rebuttals sometime SOON.
Very much appreciate all these comments. Thanks to all.
Thanks Margaret for continuing to beat the drum re: the ‘can’t see the forest for the trees’ failure of our media, especially since it began breathlessly reporting on & being seduced by the outrageous mumbo jumbo coming from TFG’s big mouth and that passes for news these days. It’s as though the only topic on any given day is Biden’s age, Biden’s age, Biden’s age ad nauseum. REALLY? Koranacki is a likeable expert but I could care LESS about polls & the horse races. BORING. REPEATED EXCESSIVELY as if the sky weren’t falling🤪🤪🤪🤪🤓🤓
I love the pictures! I have been hearing about the shortcomings of the mainstream media since 2015. They are not going to change. There is no point in continuing to complain about it. We need to do something about it.
So right, as always. For another take on the it’s worth reading is another Substack contributor’s recent post https://politicsnc.substack.com/p/failing-the-news-cycle.
Most of the political coverage in the media is inexcusably lame, but I think many in the mainstream media are just as mesmerized as most Americans. The authoritarians have been hard at work for decades, casting their spells by flooding the information space with constant streams of chaotic bullshit. People either buy into the alternate reality or tune out completely.
This is a crisis of understanding struggling within a cloud of information confusion.
WE NEED TO SNAP PEOPLE OUT OF IT.
We need a moonshot to recapture attention.
I just finished a book for our times: "Prophet Song" the Booker Prize-winning novel by Paul Lynch. It's a harrowing, and entirely plausible, story about civil society crumbling under the power of a populist/authoritarian regime. Told through the life of a wife/mother, the story hit me emotionally unlike any news report. I'd love to see a major newspaper serialize it so people could read a chapter, digest and reflect before continuing on the main character's downward journey. Perhaps that would motivate more citizens to action — get them off the sidelines — and prevent a bloodbath.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment, remains fixated on Trump and his legal woes, other crucial and overlooked dangers continue to unfold in the United States. First, we have about half our country responding to Trump like zombies - brainwashed followers of the Republican Party (similar to members of the Jim Jones cult), who were unsuspectedly caught in coercive mind control techniques that Trump uses daily to influence his followers. His words are caustic, and seductive - take them seriously because they are a form of brainwashing. Second, we have a presidential candidate who sold his soul and our country to the Russians at least ten years prior to sleeping in the White House. (proof is found in From Democracy to Democrazy by Graham) Third, the influence of Putin's strategies quietly attempts to reshape the trajectory of American politics and American lives. We see that happening NOW.
This current political race is not just between Democrats and Republicans, but between a decent, hard-working, public servant who has successfully served our country for almost 50 years. His constituents re-elected him year after year as a Senator (36 years as a Senator, 8 years as the VP, and 4 years as the President) - he must have been doing something right!!! His accomplishments over the last 4 years are many. His experience and age is a benefit to all of us.
His opponent is a man who has been compromised by Russia, who is a convicted RAPIST and a serial sexual predator; who is also convicted of FRAUD with mounds of solid documented evidence and proof, and is now facing 91 CRIMINAL CHARGES. His speeches are filled with REPETITIVE statements of revenge, hatred, defamation of others, and with no discernable ideology. He talks about our country experiencing a "bloodbath" if he is not elected and in his distorted self-focused mind, he means what he says. How can anyone who values their freedoms think this man should be elected to lead a democracy? He tells his followers that he is saving our democracy, that Biden is an enemy of our country, and at the same time his actions demonstrate that he is destroying our country -a LIAR.
Americans were duped decades ago into believing that Russia is no longer our enemy and the world is living in peaceful coexistence. Yes, the Cold War did not die - a revelation for many Americans. We let our guard down, while Russia rebuilt their economy, their military, and their weaponry. Then in 2000, Putin became the second President of Russia. He instantly converted Russia from a communist-socialist government- a civilized form of government where people matter to a DICTATORSHIP where no one matters but Putin. He is a man who spent his entire life as a KGB spy, and blames the United States for the downfall of the USSR. Putin wants REVENGE. His primary method to accomplish revenge is to place someone in power that is under his control in another country. He has demonstrated this pattern worldwide OVER AND OVER.
Over the last quarter of a century, Putin has schemed and enacted his strategic plan. Based on the book called The Foundations of Geopolitics and published in Russia in 1997 - a carefully orchestrated and directed horror film has been produced. The movie theme is the destruction of the United States and the principal key actor is Donald Trump. It won't win any Oscars YET, because (1) this movie is still unrecognized by most Americans, and (2) the ill-informed Trumpers across our nation are the support cast. Trump's dangerous and many-sided destructiveness includes unprecedented ways to influence and control his followers - a form of brainwashing. Unbeknown to these followers, the person who's ideology they are following is not Trump, but Putin.
Microsoft has PROVED that 58% or more of all cyber attacks into the U.S. come from Russia. They have hacked into our: food and supplies, our military and security systems, our hospitals and medical supplies, our cell phones and communication sources, our banks and financial institutions, and admittedly into our elections and probably our polls. Polls sway voter opinions. Wake up Americans!
For the American public, our first source of information comes from our media - newspapers, TV, social media, and even movies. Since "Oppenheimer" was the Oscar winner in our 2024 Cinema history, it shows an awakening of the real dangers faced by Putin's threats of nuclear war. Putin's government also admitted to U.S. election interference in 2016 and 2020; they have said it will continue; AND Putin has "shouted from the nearest mountain-top" that Trump will win the 2024 election. What does he know that the American public does not? Has our media failed to do their research and inform the public of these dangers or are they continuing to focus on Trump's legal issues instead of the real danger facing America? Trump is NOT an ordinary political candidate - but a criminal and a traitor (From Democracy to Democrazy). Their broadcasts on sensationalism instead of reality is disconcerting.
I was at a book-signing event at a Barnes and Noble in Tucson, AZ. A middle-aged woman came up to me and said "I think Putin is a smart and great leader." I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out - I was shocked. These were the exact same works spoken by Trump only the prior week and in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This, my friends, is BRAINWASHING.
Brainwashing is defined as telling lies over and over until it is perceived as the truth (wikipedia). If hatred is contained in the lies, it releases a chemical in the human brain to enact violence. Hitler used mass mind manipulation to turn an entire peaceful nation into mass murderers. Hitler killed about 6 million people through torture and slaughter, and probably another million or more on the battlefields attempting to stop his madness. Jim Jones, an American, amassed a cult of over 900 followers. He ordered them all to drink poisonous KoolAid and they all perished. Brainwashing is REAL and was started about 100 years ago in totalitarian countries (the long list of countries is found in From Democracy to Democrazy). Once a person is brainwashed, they may have little to no independent thought. This form of brainwashing was used in Germany by Hitler, was absorbed by Putin during his many years working as a Russian spy in Germany, and lo and behold it is now used daily in the United States by Trump.
The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. Yes, we should take Trump seriously because we must take Putin seriously. Our democracy hangs in the balance.
Elizabeth, www.democrazy2020.org
______________________________________
Elizabeth spent about 20 years living and working in Russia, the five countries of Central Asia, and the war-torn countries of Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Rwanda. She was told by a Russian friend who is also a KGB operative that her Russian file is at least 5 inches thick. She was living in Moscow during Trump's many trips there.
The current coverage is poor, discounting Biden in many ways and mentioning where Trump spoke without detailing the lies, threats, and gibberish that pour out of him.
All great points! And you're so right about people treating Trump like he's a normal person who's capable of rational behavior. My personal theory is that normal folk have a mental block: they can't imagine any other way to be, so they keep right on assuming Trump would never do the things he's promising. But those of us who have experienced serious dysfunction, or who were just born to be weird (like me; I was Wednesday Addams before Wednesday was cool), well...we see Trump for the monster he is. So news orgs just need to hire really weird reporters to cover Trump! ;0