The Rise of Trump Shows the Danger and Sham of Compelled Journalistic 'Neutrality'
Actually, many people are alarmed, but it is difficult to know that by observing media coverage, where little journalistic alarm over Trump is expressed. That's because the rules of large media outlets -- venerating faux objectivity over truth along with every other civic value -- prohibit the sounding of any alarms. Under this framework of corporate journalism, to denounce Trump, or even to sound alarms about the dark forces he's exploiting and unleashing, would not constitute journalism. To the contrary, such behavior is regarded as a violation of journalism. Such denunciations are scorned as opinion, activism, and bias: all the values that large media-owning corporations have posited as the antithesis of journalism in order to defang and neuter it as an adversarial force.
Just this morning, NPR media reporter David Folkenflik published a story describing the concern and even anger of some NPR executives and journalists over a column by longtime NPR commentator Cokie Roberts -- the Beacon of Washington Centrism -- that criticizes Trump. "NPR has a policy forbidding its journalists from taking public stances on political affairs," he wrote. For any NPR reporter, Roberts's statements -- warning of the dangers of a Trump presidency -- would be a clear violation of that policy.
An NPR vice president, Michael Oreskes, published an internal memo to NPR staff this morning highlighting Roberts's non-reporting and non-employee role as a reason she would not be punished, but he pointedly noted, "If Cokie were still a member of NPR's staff we would not have allowed that." And in an interview that Oreskes "directed" Roberts to do this morning with Morning Edition host David Greene about the matter, the NPR host chided Roberts for expressing negative views of Trump, telling her:
Objectivity is so fundamental to what we do. Can you blame people like me for being a little disappointed to hear you come out and take a personal position on something like this in a campaign?
Imagine calling yourself a journalist, and then -- as you watch an authoritarian politician get closer to power by threatening and unleashing violence and stoking the ugliest impulses -- denouncing not that politician, but, rather, other journalists who warn of the dangers.
Read the rest at The Intercept.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Actually, many people are alarmed, but it is difficult to know that by observing media coverage, where little journalistic alarm over Trump is expressed. That's because the rules of large media outlets -- venerating faux objectivity over truth along with every other civic value -- prohibit the sounding of any alarms. Under this framework of corporate journalism, to denounce Trump, or even to sound alarms about the dark forces he's exploiting and unleashing, would not constitute journalism. To the contrary, such behavior is regarded as a violation of journalism. Such denunciations are scorned as opinion, activism, and bias: all the values that large media-owning corporations have posited as the antithesis of journalism in order to defang and neuter it as an adversarial force.
Just this morning, NPR media reporter David Folkenflik published a story describing the concern and even anger of some NPR executives and journalists over a column by longtime NPR commentator Cokie Roberts -- the Beacon of Washington Centrism -- that criticizes Trump. "NPR has a policy forbidding its journalists from taking public stances on political affairs," he wrote. For any NPR reporter, Roberts's statements -- warning of the dangers of a Trump presidency -- would be a clear violation of that policy.
An NPR vice president, Michael Oreskes, published an internal memo to NPR staff this morning highlighting Roberts's non-reporting and non-employee role as a reason she would not be punished, but he pointedly noted, "If Cokie were still a member of NPR's staff we would not have allowed that." And in an interview that Oreskes "directed" Roberts to do this morning with Morning Edition host David Greene about the matter, the NPR host chided Roberts for expressing negative views of Trump, telling her:
Objectivity is so fundamental to what we do. Can you blame people like me for being a little disappointed to hear you come out and take a personal position on something like this in a campaign?
Imagine calling yourself a journalist, and then -- as you watch an authoritarian politician get closer to power by threatening and unleashing violence and stoking the ugliest impulses -- denouncing not that politician, but, rather, other journalists who warn of the dangers.
Read the rest at The Intercept.
Actually, many people are alarmed, but it is difficult to know that by observing media coverage, where little journalistic alarm over Trump is expressed. That's because the rules of large media outlets -- venerating faux objectivity over truth along with every other civic value -- prohibit the sounding of any alarms. Under this framework of corporate journalism, to denounce Trump, or even to sound alarms about the dark forces he's exploiting and unleashing, would not constitute journalism. To the contrary, such behavior is regarded as a violation of journalism. Such denunciations are scorned as opinion, activism, and bias: all the values that large media-owning corporations have posited as the antithesis of journalism in order to defang and neuter it as an adversarial force.
Just this morning, NPR media reporter David Folkenflik published a story describing the concern and even anger of some NPR executives and journalists over a column by longtime NPR commentator Cokie Roberts -- the Beacon of Washington Centrism -- that criticizes Trump. "NPR has a policy forbidding its journalists from taking public stances on political affairs," he wrote. For any NPR reporter, Roberts's statements -- warning of the dangers of a Trump presidency -- would be a clear violation of that policy.
An NPR vice president, Michael Oreskes, published an internal memo to NPR staff this morning highlighting Roberts's non-reporting and non-employee role as a reason she would not be punished, but he pointedly noted, "If Cokie were still a member of NPR's staff we would not have allowed that." And in an interview that Oreskes "directed" Roberts to do this morning with Morning Edition host David Greene about the matter, the NPR host chided Roberts for expressing negative views of Trump, telling her:
Objectivity is so fundamental to what we do. Can you blame people like me for being a little disappointed to hear you come out and take a personal position on something like this in a campaign?
Imagine calling yourself a journalist, and then -- as you watch an authoritarian politician get closer to power by threatening and unleashing violence and stoking the ugliest impulses -- denouncing not that politician, but, rather, other journalists who warn of the dangers.
Read the rest at The Intercept.