Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen is an activist and author. Cohen was an associate professor of journalism and the director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, founder of the media watch group FAIR, and former board member of Progressive Democrats of America. In 2002, he was a producer and pundit at MSNBC (overseen by NBC News). He is the author of "Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media" - and a co-founder of the online action group, www.RootsAction.org. His website is here: http://jeffcohen.org
Articles by this author
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Views Monday, April 26, 2021 Media Evasions on Racism and the Role of Derek Chauvin Let's acknowledge at the outset that corporate liberal media—owned and sponsored by the mightiest economic forces in our society—have increased their talk about race and racism in recent years, especially since the rise of Trump. They've even learned to throw around the phrase "systemic racism"—... Read more |
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Views Thursday, April 01, 2021 The Liberal Contempt for Martin Luther King's Final Year The anniversary of his assassination always brings a flood of tributes to Martin Luther King Jr., and this Sunday will surely be no exception. But those tributes—including from countless organizations calling themselves progressive—are routinely evasive about the anti-militarist ideals that King... Read more |
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Views Thursday, March 11, 2021 Rahm Emanuel Is in the Running for a Top Ambassador Post. The Prospect Is Appalling. Rahm Emanuel has never been associated with the word "diplomatic," but news reports say that President Biden is seriously considering him for a top position as U.S. ambassador to Japan or China. Naming Emanuel to such a post would be an affront to many of the constituencies that got Biden elected... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, November 17, 2020 President-Elect Biden: Time for YOU to Follow the Climate Science One of the keys to Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump was his constant and accurate accusation that Trump "refuses to follow the science" on COVID-19—that "he won't listen to the scientists." It proved to be a winning campaign theme. Indeed, it's sobering to realize that without COVID—both Trump... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, September 01, 2020 Four Years Ago, We Warned That Trump Could Win. Now, We’re Warning Again. Five days before the election that put Donald Trump in the White House, a 2016 article we wrote appeared under the headline “ Dangerous Myths About Trump That Some Progressives Cling To .” The piece warned progressive activists about “three key myths”: Myth #1: “Trump can’t win.” Myth #2: “If Trump... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Democratic Leaders Have Blocked Real Healthcare Reform for Decades. Time to Give ‘Em Hell. In 1948, Harry Truman pushed for a national nonprofit health insurance program in his successful, come-from-behind presidential campaign. When Truman’s plan was denounced as "socialized medicine" and "un-American" by the powerful American Medical Association, "Give ‘'Em Hell Harry" stood his ground... Read more |
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Views Friday, July 03, 2020 Politicians of Color Should Not Be Immune From Criticism To me, being an anti-racist activist means that one consistently challenges the structures of racist exclusion, exploitation, repression, and incarceration. It does not mean that one must defend or praise establishment politicians of color when their politics are an affront to our values and vision... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, June 17, 2020 Just Saying "Systemic Racism" Doesn't Expose Systemic Racism If you’ve been watching mainstream TV news programs lately, you’ve probably noticed that a number of corporate journalists—prodded by the marvelous protests against police violence—seem to have learned a new phrase, which they invoke regularly: “systemic racism.” That’s an improvement from a dozen... Read more |
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Views Monday, March 16, 2020 Socialists for Biden and the Power of Corporate Media It’s doubtful that Sunday night’s CNN debate shifted momentum in the presidential race currently favoring Joe Biden. The next few weeks offer the Bernie Sanders movement perhaps its last chance to win over—mostly through electronic means—Democratic primary voters. One voting bloc to focus on might... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, March 03, 2020 Did Chris Matthews Reveal That Democratic Establishment's Real Fear Is a Bernie Win? Mainstream news outlets keep pounding home the same message—that the "Democratic establishment" or "Democratic moderates" are worried sick that Bernie Sanders can't beat Trump. They worry about a Trump landslide, and a "down-ballot disaster" in Congressional races. Democratic insiders, we're told,... Read more |