Good article, Katharine. You touch on some sensitive topics regarding how truth is told. Long story made short, the Free Press is about telling truth despite threats from dictators. That's not the same as Fee Press like Fox Noise, News Mox, etc. that are corporate owned or dictator owned, whatever.
There's information (let's say that's the true story as told by reputable journalism... and not attacked by the corporate oligarchs....
Something I found long ago during the Cold War: (1) Information as noted above;
(2) misinformation or outright lies (much of the fake media like Faux Noise etc)
(3) but worst of all, DISINFORMATION, which the Soviets excelled at, and the corporate oligarchs have readily picked up on. Disinformation means taking a true news story (let's say 100 sentences) and then planting one or two sentences of outright lies in the story... many readers will innocently skim through the article, acknowledge what they know to be true, and not realize they just swallowed a lie. I'll make up a quick example of this, which is the deadliest of all lies:
Imagine an article that describes the life work of an imaginary, fictitious Democratic politician we'll call Jay Shine. Mr. Shine has been a Congressional delegate for years, sponsoring bills about all sorts of pro-labor, pro-people, pro-equality, pro-you name it causes hated by the maga-brains, hated by the corporate oligarchs, and hated by the fake evangelists. So we have a positive article about Jay Shine, one hundred sentences, but buried in the middle of it is a fake statement: Jay Shine was accused of molesting little girls during his early political years... This is a totally fictitious example of how a career can be ruined, doubt sowed upon a good person & cause... by Disinformation. The Soviets called it (if I recall) disinformatzie or something like that in Russian.
We've seen the traditional media folding, leg by leg, bowing to the TrumMusk regime of zoo animals...and once the Free Press is totally gone, eaten alive by the alligators of Smelly Murdock and the other manipulative billionaires, then we are no long a Free Country... actually, looking at our fake, murderous medical corporate industry... we are in many ways already a Fee Country. Oh boy, time to do something about it! Unite!
Perhaps for those who already know this stuff. But the bias of that particular publication was new to me. I don’t even know how I got on their mailing list, but it has been eye-opening for me.
We are at a very difficult place right now, Katharine. Republican legislators lie to their constituents about what they are doing. They are supporting a felon as he destroyed all foreign aid, a policy of the country’s. I am dismayed all but one House Republican voted to move forward on a $4.5 trillion tax cut for billionaires on the backs of the poor, children that need food, our elders in nursing homes, and soon to be shuttered rural hospitals.
Carl is opposed to extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, set to expire soon. If allowed to expire, the average taxpayer will see a 22 percent tax hike. This means the average family of four will see their taxes go up $1,700.
Well, Richard, I just did a quick search because I know nothing about this. But the Brookings Institute has a detailed report which gives a rather different set of numbers.
You'd have to cite. These numbers are generally accepted by both left and right. Carl's point is extending the TCJA favors the rich. But I really don't care. I only care about working people, and failure to extend the TCJA will cost them.
Good article, Katharine. You touch on some sensitive topics regarding how truth is told. Long story made short, the Free Press is about telling truth despite threats from dictators. That's not the same as Fee Press like Fox Noise, News Mox, etc. that are corporate owned or dictator owned, whatever.
There's information (let's say that's the true story as told by reputable journalism... and not attacked by the corporate oligarchs....
Something I found long ago during the Cold War: (1) Information as noted above;
(2) misinformation or outright lies (much of the fake media like Faux Noise etc)
(3) but worst of all, DISINFORMATION, which the Soviets excelled at, and the corporate oligarchs have readily picked up on. Disinformation means taking a true news story (let's say 100 sentences) and then planting one or two sentences of outright lies in the story... many readers will innocently skim through the article, acknowledge what they know to be true, and not realize they just swallowed a lie. I'll make up a quick example of this, which is the deadliest of all lies:
Imagine an article that describes the life work of an imaginary, fictitious Democratic politician we'll call Jay Shine. Mr. Shine has been a Congressional delegate for years, sponsoring bills about all sorts of pro-labor, pro-people, pro-equality, pro-you name it causes hated by the maga-brains, hated by the corporate oligarchs, and hated by the fake evangelists. So we have a positive article about Jay Shine, one hundred sentences, but buried in the middle of it is a fake statement: Jay Shine was accused of molesting little girls during his early political years... This is a totally fictitious example of how a career can be ruined, doubt sowed upon a good person & cause... by Disinformation. The Soviets called it (if I recall) disinformatzie or something like that in Russian.
We've seen the traditional media folding, leg by leg, bowing to the TrumMusk regime of zoo animals...and once the Free Press is totally gone, eaten alive by the alligators of Smelly Murdock and the other manipulative billionaires, then we are no long a Free Country... actually, looking at our fake, murderous medical corporate industry... we are in many ways already a Fee Country. Oh boy, time to do something about it! Unite!
John T. Cullen JTC Sheep Heil!
johntcullen.substack.com <---- please read!
https://www.johntcullen.com
https://www.galleycity.com <---- 40+ books; bookstore model (read half free)
MARA Make America Real Again
Thank you, John. I have read a few of your posts and appreciate your work. We must preserve a free press.
The Federalist? You're not going to get a neutral analysis from a righty source, any more than from a lefty source.
Not sure that I implied it was a neutral source, Richard. I thought I was exposing their bias. But thank you for reading anyway.
You exposed their bias admirably. But isn't that shooting fish in a barrel? : )
Perhaps for those who already know this stuff. But the bias of that particular publication was new to me. I don’t even know how I got on their mailing list, but it has been eye-opening for me.
Excellent
We are at a very difficult place right now, Katharine. Republican legislators lie to their constituents about what they are doing. They are supporting a felon as he destroyed all foreign aid, a policy of the country’s. I am dismayed all but one House Republican voted to move forward on a $4.5 trillion tax cut for billionaires on the backs of the poor, children that need food, our elders in nursing homes, and soon to be shuttered rural hospitals.
Well Carl you may not need that two grand added to your tax bill. But a whole lot of us do, and could care less what the billionaires get.
???
Carl is opposed to extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, set to expire soon. If allowed to expire, the average taxpayer will see a 22 percent tax hike. This means the average family of four will see their taxes go up $1,700.
Well, Richard, I just did a quick search because I know nothing about this. But the Brookings Institute has a detailed report which gives a rather different set of numbers.
You'd have to cite. These numbers are generally accepted by both left and right. Carl's point is extending the TCJA favors the rich. But I really don't care. I only care about working people, and failure to extend the TCJA will cost them.