Our over-commercialized media is increasingly degraded by sociopathic billionaires (such as John Malone, the man behind Licht's moves at CNN) who see them as vehicles for producing the social and political dysfunction under which they can get richer. All media should be required to operate as public benefit corporations, a formalized form of the B Corporation.
That sounds good to me if we can make it happen. Just as elections must be fully funded without large private & corporate donations, our media must be truthful and reliant. It’s such a major part of the experiment called the United States. This is extremely dangerous propaganda allowed to be called news. It absolutely must be addressed. But it all depends on us winning a bigger majority in Congress.
Agreed that everything depends on winning a bigger majority. But also using it immediately for structural reforms that scale back the electoral power of reactionary voters to their actual numbers. Like DC statehood.
I've stopped watching CNN. If I want to watch Fox News Lite programming, I'll just turn to Fox News. CNN is about to discover that when given the choice, consumers will always go for the original as opposed to a cheap knockoff. So, good luck to CNN with that programming choice. Sadly, the same will soon be true of Politico. It's very disheartening to see.
#boycottCNN has trended much on Twitter. I haven't watched for well over a year. Of course he hired a smooth liar for CNN. More will be hired. I could see this coming and it's in all MSM. Having watched Nora Roberts attack the Biden admin a few times on CBS, all out opinion nonsense is gaining ground, not news. We are on the brink of being Germany in 1936. Politico has never been a bastion of news without a spin. The new spinner however is going to help them join the ranks of unbelievable like Fox, Newsmax, etc.
We are less than 2 months from midterms. If GOP takes back Congress, this country is in for a nosedive not seen in our memory and such media outlets will goose step along with it.
Vote. Support candidates with dollars and your time. America must be saved.
This is very frightening information. Instead of removing these liars and fear mongering trump supporters, we’re letting them add to large broadcasters. I’ve always thought of the Limbaugh, Faux News, OAN, CNN (under AT&T, now another Right winger) screamers as THE biggest source of enabling a lunatic like Trump et al.
This is so dangerous to the sane part of the public. Attacks will increase as sociopaths continue to hold the microphone.
We must win midterms and address this with laws by Congress! I’m not sure what other options there are.
As a liberal old lady I haven't watched CNN for years, or any other "news" channel on TV. I pretty much rely on print for information, and since learning about the change made at Politico I will pay less attention to it - certainly read it from an updated perspective.
There was an interesting thread posted by Twitter user @ReallyActivist the other day. He claims to be a former CNN employee from its earliest days and for 18 years meaning he left several years ago. He states that after CNN competitors MSNBC and FOX showed up, it stayed center while the others veered liberal and conservative respectively. In a nutshell he discusses the shrinking cable subscriber base, the quest for audience that drives ad revenue ….
In the late 2000s, CNN’s audience loss began and while some went to MSNBC many went to Fox. The chasm took off and in the Trump era CNN moved way liberal comparatively. They lost more audience. According to @ReallyActivist, so-called cable news caters to ages 50+ because they’re the only viable market. And based on the ratings, that audience want Fox. CNN needs the ratings and to get them they need to lure Fox viewers. It’s all about money, full stop.
In other words, John Malone wants some of what Rupert Murdoch is having.
I don’t debate what the ratings tell them, but I don’t believe the ratings are comprehensive. I’m over 50. We cut the cord a few years ago and watch “linear” TV through Hulu Live. Based on experience I don’t believe Nielsen has the capability to track viewing in this way, particularly if I’m watching on a mobile device off my network.
The folks at Puck have spent time dissecting the CNN situation and have some useful reporting, but I haven’t read anything compelling from them or elsewhere that discusses what seems to be missing in ratings calculations. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe in the 50+ group I’m a living unicorn.
At least we still have Popular Information. CNN is not becoming more objective. It's becoming more partisan. Letting Harwood and Stelter go signals they want to lean further right. Not towards the center. I haven't watched in a while but I certainly won't be tuning in now. The excuses these cowardly executives make for Trump is laughable. He was a fake president who cheated to win and then golfed for four years straight. The only thing he did was install far-right judges at every level and completely swayed the Supreme Court to the far-right. He doesn't belong anywhere near public service and he better never be president again.
When those Republican guest are on CNN/Fox Lite they all, every one of them, should be asked this question - “do you believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, yes or no”. Sadly, I don’t believe there is anyone in that organization who has the gonads to ask the question…
Wow. That was from 2001; back then, it sounded as if they simply wanted to turn people into little robots. It's so much worse now, especially in states like FL. The problem with TX is the power they have over textbooks for much of the US.
So much to take care of. Democrats need to remove, filibuster, electoral college, corporate personhood, and expand SCOTUS or properly impeach the rogue ones. But I have little faith in impeachment process.
Yes, that ridiculous eletoral college! I just read how Grover Cleveland won the popular vote while Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college, and thus the presidential election (cf Heather Cox Richardson)!
Our over-commercialized media is increasingly degraded by sociopathic billionaires (such as John Malone, the man behind Licht's moves at CNN) who see them as vehicles for producing the social and political dysfunction under which they can get richer. All media should be required to operate as public benefit corporations, a formalized form of the B Corporation.
Julie,
That sounds good to me if we can make it happen. Just as elections must be fully funded without large private & corporate donations, our media must be truthful and reliant. It’s such a major part of the experiment called the United States. This is extremely dangerous propaganda allowed to be called news. It absolutely must be addressed. But it all depends on us winning a bigger majority in Congress.
Agreed that everything depends on winning a bigger majority. But also using it immediately for structural reforms that scale back the electoral power of reactionary voters to their actual numbers. Like DC statehood.
I've stopped watching CNN. If I want to watch Fox News Lite programming, I'll just turn to Fox News. CNN is about to discover that when given the choice, consumers will always go for the original as opposed to a cheap knockoff. So, good luck to CNN with that programming choice. Sadly, the same will soon be true of Politico. It's very disheartening to see.
So discouraging...thank you for the work you do and these articles.
#boycottCNN has trended much on Twitter. I haven't watched for well over a year. Of course he hired a smooth liar for CNN. More will be hired. I could see this coming and it's in all MSM. Having watched Nora Roberts attack the Biden admin a few times on CBS, all out opinion nonsense is gaining ground, not news. We are on the brink of being Germany in 1936. Politico has never been a bastion of news without a spin. The new spinner however is going to help them join the ranks of unbelievable like Fox, Newsmax, etc.
We are less than 2 months from midterms. If GOP takes back Congress, this country is in for a nosedive not seen in our memory and such media outlets will goose step along with it.
Vote. Support candidates with dollars and your time. America must be saved.
So discouraging... I'm keeping an eye on NPR too, their reporting has changed in the last several months, very odd.
I have noticed this as well
Another home run, Judd!
This is very frightening information. Instead of removing these liars and fear mongering trump supporters, we’re letting them add to large broadcasters. I’ve always thought of the Limbaugh, Faux News, OAN, CNN (under AT&T, now another Right winger) screamers as THE biggest source of enabling a lunatic like Trump et al.
This is so dangerous to the sane part of the public. Attacks will increase as sociopaths continue to hold the microphone.
We must win midterms and address this with laws by Congress! I’m not sure what other options there are.
As a liberal old lady I haven't watched CNN for years, or any other "news" channel on TV. I pretty much rely on print for information, and since learning about the change made at Politico I will pay less attention to it - certainly read it from an updated perspective.
Excellent. Focusing occasionally on the non-Fox media makes sure that people don’t forget that they all must be held accountable.
There was an interesting thread posted by Twitter user @ReallyActivist the other day. He claims to be a former CNN employee from its earliest days and for 18 years meaning he left several years ago. He states that after CNN competitors MSNBC and FOX showed up, it stayed center while the others veered liberal and conservative respectively. In a nutshell he discusses the shrinking cable subscriber base, the quest for audience that drives ad revenue ….
In the late 2000s, CNN’s audience loss began and while some went to MSNBC many went to Fox. The chasm took off and in the Trump era CNN moved way liberal comparatively. They lost more audience. According to @ReallyActivist, so-called cable news caters to ages 50+ because they’re the only viable market. And based on the ratings, that audience want Fox. CNN needs the ratings and to get them they need to lure Fox viewers. It’s all about money, full stop.
In other words, John Malone wants some of what Rupert Murdoch is having.
I don’t debate what the ratings tell them, but I don’t believe the ratings are comprehensive. I’m over 50. We cut the cord a few years ago and watch “linear” TV through Hulu Live. Based on experience I don’t believe Nielsen has the capability to track viewing in this way, particularly if I’m watching on a mobile device off my network.
The folks at Puck have spent time dissecting the CNN situation and have some useful reporting, but I haven’t read anything compelling from them or elsewhere that discusses what seems to be missing in ratings calculations. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe in the 50+ group I’m a living unicorn.
At least we still have Popular Information. CNN is not becoming more objective. It's becoming more partisan. Letting Harwood and Stelter go signals they want to lean further right. Not towards the center. I haven't watched in a while but I certainly won't be tuning in now. The excuses these cowardly executives make for Trump is laughable. He was a fake president who cheated to win and then golfed for four years straight. The only thing he did was install far-right judges at every level and completely swayed the Supreme Court to the far-right. He doesn't belong anywhere near public service and he better never be president again.
“First, control the media.” Goebbels
[DELETE] ←That was me deleting the Politico bookmark from my browser
When those Republican guest are on CNN/Fox Lite they all, every one of them, should be asked this question - “do you believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, yes or no”. Sadly, I don’t believe there is anyone in that organization who has the gonads to ask the question…
Objectivity
• the belief that there is such a thing as being objective
• the belief that emotions are inherently destructive, irrational, and should not
play a role in decision-making or group process
• invalidating people who show emotion
• requiring people to think in a linear fashion and ignoring or invalidating
those who think in other ways
• impatience with any thinking that does not appear “logical” to those with
power
Source: https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/museums/files/White_Supremacy_Culture.pdf
Wow. That was from 2001; back then, it sounded as if they simply wanted to turn people into little robots. It's so much worse now, especially in states like FL. The problem with TX is the power they have over textbooks for much of the US.
Thank you--I'll read this link later. My bottom line goes to: so much for creative thinking, all of the arts, and the power of great comedians.
So much to take care of. Democrats need to remove, filibuster, electoral college, corporate personhood, and expand SCOTUS or properly impeach the rogue ones. But I have little faith in impeachment process.
Yes, that ridiculous eletoral college! I just read how Grover Cleveland won the popular vote while Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college, and thus the presidential election (cf Heather Cox Richardson)!