"A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology,”
I’d love for reporters to start pushing politicians when they say dumb shit. Don’t just let them say it and then gawk at the camera like you’re Jim from the office or move on with questions.
“in what way are you concluding that Mr. Mamdani is a communist? Are you aware of the difference between communism and socialism, and could you explain how he is a communist?”
“what terrorist ideology? waits for answer In what way is this the ideology of a terrorist?”
Show that they have no idea what the words they spew mean. Show that they’re just using buzzwords that sound scary.
Too often they treat what these people say as if it the news itself. Unbiased, and a source of truth. Reporting has just become gossip repeating the worse people say.
This really is a big problem, “look at what this person said” type stories are basically how Donald Trump Rose to power, his words quoted as if they were the news itself, without any sort of filtering to fact checking. If he had simply been reported as lying without repeating the LIE his power would be significantly reduced
It’s a consequence of access journalism. And the false notion that neutrality is possible. The grain of wood is biased. The proteins that make up our body and its biological functions fold in a biased way. The fundamental particles and fields of the universe have biases too.
There is nothing wrong with bias as long as it is biased in favor of the truth. Performative neutrality, presenting two positions weakly/lazily as equally plausible. It has no value. If we lived in a society where individuals not only had the time, but desire to independently research everything for themselves as well. This wouldn’t be such a problem. But we don’t.
People read reporting and articles to be informed. When the reporting doesn’t present anything definitive other than party A said one thing and party B said another thing. Then the reader simply chooses the one they prefer. Regardless of the facts.
i don’t really ever watch news anymore, but when I did I would scream at the television, “ASK A FUCKING FOLLOW-UP QUESTION”
I don’t know what is being taught as journalism anymore but it seems to be just take the statement, get the sound bite, and think up a clickbaitable title.
I know people who got journalism degrees. They work in other areas now. You can’t have true journalism when the powers that be don’t want to rock the gravy boat.
I was watching PBS tonight and one of the guests called Mamdani a “socialist”. And everyone just kind of went along with it. It really, really chaps my hide.
I’d love for reporters to start pushing politicians when they say dumb shit. Don’t just let them say it and then gawk at the camera like you’re Jim from the office or move on with questions.
“in what way are you concluding that Mr. Mamdani is a communist? Are you aware of the difference between communism and socialism, and could you explain how he is a communist?”
“what terrorist ideology? waits for answer In what way is this the ideology of a terrorist?”
Show that they have no idea what the words they spew mean. Show that they’re just using buzzwords that sound scary.
And then give the facts.
Too often they treat what these people say as if it the news itself. Unbiased, and a source of truth. Reporting has just become gossip repeating the worse people say.
This really is a big problem, “look at what this person said” type stories are basically how Donald Trump Rose to power, his words quoted as if they were the news itself, without any sort of filtering to fact checking. If he had simply been reported as lying without repeating the LIE his power would be significantly reduced
You hit the nail on the head. It’s insanely frustrating.
It’s a consequence of access journalism. And the false notion that neutrality is possible. The grain of wood is biased. The proteins that make up our body and its biological functions fold in a biased way. The fundamental particles and fields of the universe have biases too.
There is nothing wrong with bias as long as it is biased in favor of the truth. Performative neutrality, presenting two positions weakly/lazily as equally plausible. It has no value. If we lived in a society where individuals not only had the time, but desire to independently research everything for themselves as well. This wouldn’t be such a problem. But we don’t.
People read reporting and articles to be informed. When the reporting doesn’t present anything definitive other than party A said one thing and party B said another thing. Then the reader simply chooses the one they prefer. Regardless of the facts.
if only…
i don’t really ever watch news anymore, but when I did I would scream at the television, “ASK A FUCKING FOLLOW-UP QUESTION”
I don’t know what is being taught as journalism anymore but it seems to be just take the statement, get the sound bite, and think up a clickbaitable title.
I know people who got journalism degrees. They work in other areas now. You can’t have true journalism when the powers that be don’t want to rock the gravy boat.
I was watching PBS tonight and one of the guests called Mamdani a “socialist”. And everyone just kind of went along with it. It really, really chaps my hide.