MSNBC, of course, is not so much in the news business as it is in the plutocratic promotion business and the Russophobic business as marketed by the Democratic Party. Staffed to the rafters with former - and in some cases, current - security and military officials, it preaches hatred of Trump, fear of Putin, and loathing of Bernie Sanders -- all crammed in between commercials for overpriced prescription drugs, wealth management experts, the goodness of oil and gas, the beneficence of for-profit hospital chains, and all manner of antisocial neoliberal claptrap.
The Times, long known for at least a pretense of seriousness and impartiality, has recently branched out into video, including a partnership with Hulu to produce weekly documentaries starring its own reporters, as well as producing its own podcasts. It has, meanwhile, stopped publication of often trenchant political cartoons for the sin of offending too many people.
When Edward Bernays wrote his seminal volume on propaganda in 1928, he estimated that about one-quarter of all the front page articles in the Times were pure propaganda, the contrived "narratives" coming in about equal portions from government, big business. and the various public relations/lobbying outfits currently euphemized as "think tanks."
With the introduction of Russiagate and now Ukrainegate, the mere one-quarter propaganda content has at the very least doubled, especially since the lockstep opinion columnists now receive pride of place on the digital homepage. ("Where do they find these people?" Hedges marveled on the Useful Idiots podcast.)
Exactly one hundred years ago, about a decade before the Bernays book, muckraker Upton Sinclair had described the Times as "the great organ of world capitalism," writing in The Brass Check:
Our newspapers do not represent public interests but private interests; they do not represent humanity but property; they value a man, not because he is great, or good, or wise, or useful, but because he is wealthy, or of service to vested wealth.The Times not only refused to review Sinclair's book, whose observations and criticisms have held up remarkably well over the past century, it even refused to run paid advertisements for it.
The historic truth of the consolidated media's inherent capitalistic value system has been conveniently muffled by the emergence of Donald Trump and the media's subsequent positioning of itself as "Resistance, Inc." Trump has gifted them with a new opportunity to advance the interests of property in the name of endangered Norms and abused Decency. They relish their roles as the righteous victims of Trump's fascistic "enemies of the people" crusade and as the simultaneous hypocritical enablers of Trump, feverishly covering his every Nuremberg-style rally and republishing his every tweet the minute it emanates from his twitchy thumbs.
So never mind the brass check. Times columnist Michelle Goldberg was recently given a blank check, or at least a generous expense account, to travel to all the way to Ukraine just to assert that the Democracy which America has always tried so very, very hard to export has been sadly supplanted by the rank corruption that Donald Trump and his mafia minions have been single-handedly forcing down that beleaguered nation's throat.
She didn't personally travel to the Russian border to cover the "proxy war's" skirmishes and battles. She didn't interview ordinary Ukrainians. Instead, she followed the MSNBC echo chamber playbook and interviewed like-minded fellow professionals in trendy Kiev cafes. She even glowingly quoted the discredited neoconservative Francis "The End of History" Fukayama, who is now trying to rebrand himself as a professional Never-Trump liberal resistance fighter.
According to Goldberg - Bernays and Sinclair notwithstanding - the epidemic of fake news and propaganda is a brand-new, purely TrumPutian phenomenon which only started a few years ago:
Ukrainians are no strangers to post-truth politics. The first time I ever heard the term “fake news” was in 2015, when I learned about the Ukrainian fact-checking organization StopFake. It was created by a group of journalists to push back against the torrents of Russian disinformation sowing chaos in the country’s politics. At the time, it would have been hard to imagine that the United States would soon join Russia as a source of weaponized untruth in Ukraine....
Pro-Western reformers, the Ukrainian philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko told me, had seen the United States as a “a perfect democracy functioning very well,” with an admirable system of checks and balances. “And now this image is crumbling and that’s very dangerous.”When you combat alleged fake news with pure propaganda, as Michelle Goldberg does with her column, nothing good can come of it. (It does help, though, that Goldberg's propaganda is so clumsily rendered that it becomes a virtual parody of itself.)
Not only does she omit any mention of the US-backed Maidan Square coup of 2014, she ignores the entire imperialistic history of the US and its numerous CIA-led regime changes, its aiding and abetting and installation of myriad corrupt and vicious right-wing dictators (Pinochet, the Shah of Iran, Armas, etc.) who are compliant with US corporate interests. Did I mention that her other regular gig is paid MSNBC punditry?
My published comment on her Oct. 12th column:
My own earliest memory of the term "fake news" was when President Obama used it on a trip to Europe in November 2016, shortly after Trump's election. He called it a "threat to democracy."
In the Athens leg of his trip, the White House shared a "travel diary" with photos of a pensive Obama at the Parthenon and other ruins in the birthplace of Democracy. He wrote:
"We view ourselves as part of a broader humanity and a community of nations that can work together to solve problems and lift up what’s best in humanity.”
But what neither he nor most US media outlets saw fit to share were photos and footage of riot police lobbing tear gas at some 7,000 Greek citizens who were protesting and demanding "Yankee go home!" just blocks away from the American embassy where he was dining with officials. People were not only protesting the harsh austerity measures imposed by bank-friendly politicians, but the timing of the presidential visit. It occurred on the anniversary of the 1973 revolt that helped oust the military junta backed by the US.
"Fake news" can also be perpetrated by the deliberate omission of salient facts, giving any "narrative" the desired slant. "Exporting Democracy" is greasing the skids for multinational corporate plunder with the weaponized help of what is commonly euphemized as "the intelligence community."
Corruption is baked right into the system. Maybe we can start to root it out at home by overturning the Citizens United ruling that's made most of it perfectly legal.
8 comments:
Fake News (FN)is a bad term. It lends too much legitimacy. Why not just Made Up Stuff (MUS) or Lies (LIES).
There seem to be changes inside the NYT that have dragged it down from hypocritical establishment voice, down to absurd farce. They could hardly dream up anything more self-damaging than the stuff they've been doing lately.
There is scope for some serious reporting on the inside changes that led to this.
In the "Useful Idiots"* episode linked at the top of Karen's article, Hedges, if I heard correctly, makes a nasty but necessary comment about NYT opinionator Bret Stephens to the effect that Stephens can't even write ... or think. Chris, none of that matters if you're sheltered under the masthead of the NY Times and toe the party line. Furthermore, the font 'Times New Roman' in and of itself reeks of authority and gravitas, no matter what you say. Image is everything.
BTW, I notice that just about everything on Sardonicky is written in Times New Roman (title, headlines, blogroll) EXCEPT for the main articles and comments, which are cast in some variety of sans-serif type. [Sigh] Bye-bye gravitas.
Once upon a time I kept urging Karen to drop her contacts with the NYT. I've since changed my mind. Her comments introduce an element of sense to the opinion page and probably stay the hand of Zeus or some other severe deity from casting thunderbolts down upon a contemptible publication.
*About Rolling Stone's 'Useful Idiots' blog itself: Matt Taibbi is an exciting writer, but a so-so ex-tempo talker/interviewer. Still, he's absolutely brilliant if compared to the silky-voiced co-host Katie Halper who over the course of an hour was never able to utter one coherent sentence or figure out what do to with her right hand. Hedges was not amused by her interruptions. (Hedges comes on at about minute 20.)
Talk about Fake News, Hillary Clinton claims Tulsi Gabbard is a Putin tool being groomed by Russia to run as a third party candidate, just like Jill Stein! At least now everyone can see just how batshit crazy that old battleaxe really is.
Broadcast TV media covered it on last night's news. CBS put Tulsi's response on the screen for everyone to read:
"You, the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long, have finally come out from behind the curtain."
"From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know — it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose."
"It’s now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don’t cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly."
Fire away, Tulsi!!!
If Bernie Sanders doesn't stand up for Tulsi and condemn the smears of the Clinton Democratic Machine, he'll be proving his weakness. He's already positioned to be the next victim as a democratic socialist. Speak now or forever hold your peace, Bernie! Let's recall that Trump showed a lot of nerve when he stood up to the Bushes on the debate stage and condemned their wars and also fired away at war hero John McCain. He was not afraid and Americans liked that and rewarded it, especially because jellyfish Obama couldn't take a stand on anything for fear of losing favor with the Clinton Machine. I mean his corporate donors. Same difference.
Sadly, even if voters reward Tulsi with higher polling that earns her a place on the next debate stage, the DNC will just change their rules again to keep her off. She's going to get some serious blowback, so now's the time to join ranks and take them on.
Any candidate who doesn't openly condemn this Clintoxic smear machine proves they don't have the courage to stand up to foreign leaders nor to the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, tech industries and Wall St. on our behalf. Without an all out assault against the corruption and politics of personal destruction of the Clinton Democratic machine, even if a Democrat wins, we'll just end up with another Clinton packed administration. So far only Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson have spoken up to defend Tulsi but not to condemn Hillary's red-baiting smear Machine. That looks like fear to me, but the fact is, it's the right thing to do and the right time to do it and could help the right candidate.
Barring that, Trump will once again get elected based almost solely on proving that he's the only major candidate who has a spine, perhaps because he's not a politician who has spent decades honing wishywashy politispeak which Americans despise. Even outright lies are tolerated over that mushmouth crap.
Frankly, any 'GUTSY WOMAN' who has the nerve to directly take on Hillary Clinton and the corrupt Democratic Party smear machine has earned respect. Regardless of what pundits and pollsters claim, voters often hold their cards close to the vest whenever media and the establishment condemn their favorites, but reward courage in the voting booth.
Too bad Tulsi has already been blacked out by the media for so long. This little ray of light won't shine far in that darkness.
Nevertheless, a big salute for the courage of Tulsi Gabbard!
Annie,
Hillary's reckless mudslinging might be indicative of her desperation. The investigation into the origins of "Russiagate" threatens to expose her and her minions as the perpetrators. Of course, anybody who read the book "Shattered" already knows that the Clintonites were at the heart of it.
Today's NY Times notes, way down at the bottom of its article, that lead investigators (John Durham and John Eckenrode) also had probed Bush-era torture and the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. Even Trump critics are "reassured" by the presence of these two "straight-shooters."
Under their direction FBI agents apparently have even traveled to Ukraine, where they've already interviewed about 70 people, none of whom are particularly high-ranking.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/19/us/politics/durham-review-fbi-witnesses.html
I notice that conservative outlets are chortling over Tulsi's brilliant tweet, while the liberal/'resistance' press is downplaying it. Hillary is an embarrassment, even to them.
Tulsi and Jill Stein should sue her for slander, and the media for libel, even though their public personae legally make them "fair game" for all kinds of nastiness. But if they can prove malice, who knows what might happen. At the very least, Hillary should be forced to produce evidence... of which she has exactly none.
Also, if Tulsi is such a traitor, as Hillary claims, don't you think Nancy Pelosi would immediately begin proceedings to condemn, sanction, or expel her from Congress?
Finally... Hillary is out there trying to sell another book. Follow the moolah.
P.S.
I'm still waiting as well for Bernie, AOC, Ilhan, etc to come to Tulsi's defense. So far, from the "left" only Van Jones has had the guts to do so. Wonder if his days at CNN are numbered as a result.
Speaking just for myself, in the past several weeks I have been attacked in the Times comment boards (when, that is, they don't censor my comments) for criticisms I leveled at Hillary years ago, even when the comment in question never even mentioned Hillary. I have also been accused of being a Russian asset for a comment criticizing wars and the CIA. Tellingly, the Times publishes these smears and only removes them, if at all, until many hours after I complain.
So lately I find myself doubling down rather than retreating, because riling these jerks up feels so satisfying.
And not to sound paranoid or anything, but I find it highly suspicious that the top rated adulatory comment to Admiral McRaven's jingoistic op-ed in yesterday's paper began with slavishly calling him "Sir"and also merited a golden Times Pick. There are bots, there are trolls and then I am sure there are more than a few paid M.I.C. meat puppets in the mix.
These people are absolutely terrified of the "rabble" and are trying to gaslight critics and stifle independent thought. Hillary actually called for more internet censorship at the end of her slander-fest with Obama's former aide, Plouffe.
Hi, I read your blog on a regular basis. Your humoristic style is awesome, keep
it up!
Gee, Hillary says Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian tool, which sounds worse than a deplorable. Does the charge spring from fact or fire water, Hillary?
Thanks for reporting Tulsi's powerful response of surgical precision. Think I'll frame her tweet and hang it on the wall.
As for Bernie the revolutionary, the cat that's had his tongue at least since 2016 sure don't hang around Tulsi's door.
The only meaningful way to support Tulsi's uppityness is to send her a buck or two.
If you want a head-shaking laugh from a so-called center-left [cough] mag's reaction to the dustup, looky here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/hillary-clinton-elevating-tulsi-gabbard/600370/
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