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Media meltdown and the damage it does to democracy
Washington Examiner ^ | Dec 05, 2017 | Washington Examiner Editorial

Posted on 12/04/2017 11:14:47 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom

If you tried to keep abreast of the news this weekend by reading the New York Times, watching ABC News, or following well-regarded veteran reporters on Twitter, you would have been led astray as badly as if you had followed a couple of guys working out of a coffee shop in Moldova.

Relying on the supposedly respectable news media would have left you believing that the FBI found President Trump urging national security adviser Michael Flynn to contact Russia during the campaign (it didn’t), that Trump national security aide K.T. McFarland wrote that Russia threw the election to Trump (she didn’t), and that Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, blasted sick, poor children as slackers (he didn’t).

These false or misleading stories, all of which, not coincidentally, disparaged Republicans, were parroted and retweeted and broadcast by countless reporters before being completely debunked. Countless readers and viewers still don't realize that the stories produced by this sloppy reporting are false. Or "fake," to borrow a phrase.

The costlier result is that no adult who cares for accuracy and honesty can take reports from these august outlets at face value without serous fact-checking.

Media sloppiness last weekend, which was extraordinary for both its low quality and its high volume, buttresses even Trump’s most outlandish claims. The public is concerned that Trump is convincing many people, particularly among his base voters, that news media are staffed with liars. That isn't true, but far too many media outlets have sacrificed their arduously won integrity in the delusional belief that today's circumstances has produced a uniquely appalling situation in which their primary role must be to hound the elected government.

Three stories showed this weekend that it is impossible to trust the many news media when they report damning things about Republicans.

Brian Ross of ABC News reported on Friday that Flynn was prepared to testify that Trump instructed him to contact Russians during the campaign. This story, which brought a look of feral joy to the face of the left-wing resistance, would, if true, prove many of Trump's pronouncements to have been false, and would have been a much-needed injection of credibility to the case of collusion against Team Trump. But, once the lie had spread around the world, the truth got its boots on and ABC had to retract the story as utterly false. Trump had told Flynn to contact the Russians during the transition, after he was elected, and it would have been a dereliction of his duty as incoming president if he had not done so. ABC suspended Ross for four weeks without pay. But, given the scale of TV money, this is no more than an unpaid vacation.

But this news catastrophe didn't make others extra cautious. The media smash-up continued.

On Saturday, the New York Times quoted a leaked email written by McFarland, a Trump adviser and former deputy national security director. The Times writers doctored the end of the email, mentioning Russia, “which has just thrown the U.S.A. election to” Trump. The reporters expressed agnosticism on whether McFarland was admitting Russia swung the election or whether she was merely characterizing an opinion held by former President Barack Obama.

It was obvious to any fair-minded reader that it was the latter. But nearly every reporter who tweeted out this passage excluded even the Times’ weak agnosticism as to the words' meaning. The effect was totally to misrepresent the words of a Trump adviser in a way that condemned Trump and confirmed the #resistance's fever dreams.

Only hours later was the entire email made public, allowing the reading public to appreciate the depth of media mendacity.

And even this did not chasten major news outlets, several of whom on Sunday misled their customers about the meaning of comments from Sen. Hatch. Hatch condemned federal waste that makes it harder for Washington to afford worthy programs, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Reporters claimed Hatch was calling sick, poor kids lazy and entitled.

Professional skepticism was absent. News media misreported stories in one direction, much as when all the mistakes in a cheat's tax return, oddly, tend to reduce what he owes. In other words, every major "mistake" in the weekend's reporting tended to confirm what biased, left-liberal reporters already believe or affect to believe: Trump and Russia colluded to cheat voters out of getting the president they wanted, McFarland is incompetent, and Republican senators hate the poor.

These biases and the inability of reporters to suppress them long enough to do a good job, prompts proper public doubt about everything the national news media say. This is bad. It's very bad.

The press is in the First Amendment because it — we — are needed to hold the powerful to account. We can’t do that if the people don’t trust us. After this weekend, asking the people to trust the press is a lot harder.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 201712; brianross; fbi; flynn; hatch; jamescomey; ktmcfarland; mcfarland; media; mediabias; partisanmediashills; peterstrzok; pressitutes; redscare; robertmueller; russians
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

The fifth-column leftist media no longer hides its seditionist propaganda. Lester was foaming at the mouth with his excrement at the start of yesterday’s evening “news” rant.


21 posted on 12/05/2017 4:34:20 AM PST by Carl Vehse
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To: wbarmy; Bratch

The MSM tell the truth most of the time. Compare it to income tax forms, or a resume. Out of 100 items, there are only lies on 5 or 6 lines of the tax form, or 5 or 6 things in the resume.

It is their 95% accuracy that causes them to feel justified. They are accustomed to being graded on the curve. If all the other media lie then they have a passing grade.

95% accuracy allows them to successfully con a large number of the gullible.


22 posted on 12/05/2017 4:39:10 AM PST by spintreebob
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To: spintreebob

I agree and you are correct. My post was an attempt at humour by wondering how they would respond to an attempt to prove that they were NOT all liars.


23 posted on 12/05/2017 4:52:49 AM PST by wbarmy (I chose to be a sheepdog once I saw what happens to the sheep.)
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To: Gene Eric

MSM is the Country’s greatest threat. Parent companies: Disney, Comcast, and now AT&T.””

I repeat this daily. How else would a Muslim Marxist crap on the country for 8 agonizing years and while doing so, turn people against his opponents, 98% of which are republicans? Many freepers spend Most of their time attacking and dividing their own party against itself. The power of a corrupt media is absolutely astounding. Even the RNC leaders are fearful of this propaganda machine of the left.


24 posted on 12/05/2017 4:53:29 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed)
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To: Neoliberalnot

I’ve changed my tag


25 posted on 12/05/2017 4:59:44 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (MSM is the CountryÂ’s greatest threat. Parent companies: Disney, Comcast, Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo..)
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To: Neoliberalnot

Adjusting the tag


26 posted on 12/05/2017 5:02:03 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo...)
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So did KT McFarland really write that email?

I did a Google news search & everyone is reporting that she did!!

27 posted on 12/05/2017 5:26:18 AM PST by KavMan
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To: Bellagio
>>Actually, no.
 
Actually...  Yeah,
 
"EDUCATING THE COMMON PEOPLE,
THIS IT IS THE BUSINESS OF THE STATE TO EFFECT
AND ON A GENERAL PLAN"
 

 

"...that government Of the People,

By the People,

FOR the people shall not perish from the Earth"
--Abraham Lincoln, Republican
--Gettysburg, November 19, 1863

28 posted on 12/05/2017 6:16:22 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Bellagio
>>Our general government employs no masters as you called our elected officials.


Meanwhile, in reality land...

Eisenhower's "Military-Industrial Complex" Speech

Origins and Significance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y


"Oops"

29 posted on 12/05/2017 6:20:56 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Bellagio

>>masters as you called our elected officials.

Actually. Where?

“our” elected officials are bought, paid for, and pwned by THEIR masters.


30 posted on 12/05/2017 6:24:35 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Neoliberalnot

>>MSM is the Country’s greatest threat. Parent companies: Disney, Comcast, Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo..

BINGO!

Got Oligarchic Corporate Collectivism?


31 posted on 12/05/2017 6:28:09 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Bellagio
>>The people have the responsibility to keep government honest and accountable through the election, petition and litigation processes... and the duty to always question governments authority... and to NEVER trust its intensions.

What’s an “intension”?

What you're regurgitating sounds like a lesson plan rendered by my SuperGenius L.I.F.E.R. Nevada edumacator Brother-In-Law and/or his L.I.F.E.R. Jesuit-Marxist Bernietard SJW offspring — while not having a clue how the real world operates for the benefit of the Oligarchic Kleptocracy.

32 posted on 12/05/2017 6:44:07 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom
This would be easier to understand if they had quoted the full text of McFarland's tweet.

Why the gratuitous slap at Moldova? As if they didn't have enough troubles with Russia backing a breakaway region.

33 posted on 12/05/2017 6:48:39 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: JohnyBoy

Democracy in America didn’t die, because it never lived in this Constitutional Republic!


34 posted on 12/05/2017 7:35:30 AM PST by Redleg Duke (Build KateÂ’s Wall! Never Forget!)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Oshkalaboomboom.
Relying on the supposedly respectable news media would have left you believing that the FBI found President Trump urging national security adviser Michael Flynn to contact Russia during the campaign (it didn’t), that Trump national security aide K.T. McFarland wrote that Russia threw the election to Trump (she didn’t), and that Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, blasted sick, poor children as slackers (he didn’t). These false or misleading stories, all of which, not coincidentally, disparaged Republicans, were parroted and retweeted and broadcast by countless reporters before being completely debunked. Countless readers and viewers still don't realize that the stories produced by this sloppy reporting are false. Or "fake," to borrow a phrase. The costlier result is that no adult who cares for accuracy and honesty can take reports from these august outlets at face value without serous fact-checking. Media sloppiness last weekend, which was extraordinary for both its low quality and its high volume, buttresses even Trump’s most outlandish claims.
Pulitzers should not be given this year -- an apropos protest.


35 posted on 12/05/2017 12:16:20 PM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: Oshkalaboomboom
News media misreported stories in one direction, much as when all the mistakes in a cheat's tax return, oddly, tend to reduce what he owes. In other words, every major "mistake" in the weekend's reporting tended to confirm what biased, left-liberal reporters already believe...

Has ANYONE ever seen the effing press make a 'mistake' that damaged Democrats? Yeah, me either. Not ever.

36 posted on 12/05/2017 9:14:50 PM PST by GOPJ (Are the NBC women 'NOT complaining' the ones who 'put out' then MOVED up the ladder?)
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To: HLPhat
You can't read what you have written? Correct me if I'm wrong...

"..the 1st amendment declares the right of WE THE PEOPLE to contradict your master's ERRORS..."

You make reference to our government as "master's ERRORS..."

As for the rest of your nonsensical responses... you seem to have grossly misunderstood what I have written. I politely make a loose correction in my understanding of what you wrote and point out the responsibilities we have, regardless of the current reality and corruption... to always be vigilant against our governments interpretation of the laws we entrust to them in which they in-turn use to educate the common people, and guard our liberties and natural rights. Yes, that is how government educates us... from the very authority we entrust to them, to establish the laws that educate those who would follow, and that we have a government authorized by a free people. A government that is trusted to be the guardians of our liberty, security and natural rights... yes, a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

But instead you spew an unwarranted level of arrogance along with an ignorant understanding of my meaning and criticize my response with a juvenile level of ridicule and display.

"What you're regurgitating sounds like a lesson plan rendered by my SuperGenius L.I.F.E.R. Nevada edumacator Brother-In-Law and/or his L.I.F.E.R. Jesuit-Marxist Bernietard SJW offspring — while not having a clue how the real world operates for the benefit of the Oligarchic Kleptocracy."

Really?? What a load of arrogant self-masturbating crap. What are you, 12? You need to stop trying to sound smart because you come off looking very stupid.

FYI... I end this conversion and will give no further response.
37 posted on 12/06/2017 1:33:46 AM PST by Bellagio
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To: HLPhat

Not following. Corps are business entities. It’s the leftist psychopaths in power that are the problem; the socialist, the communist, the would be dictators.


38 posted on 12/06/2017 3:30:10 AM PST by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo...)
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To: Bellagio

>>You make reference to our government as “master’s ERRORS...”

Nope. That’s the straw ASSumption you pulled out of your wherever.


39 posted on 12/06/2017 9:21:37 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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To: Neoliberalnot

>>Corps are business entities.

Look into the definition of the word “corporate”.

It means a group of individuals operating in one body.

I learned it by accident when I took a course in “corporate worship” - in that context “corporate” means the worship activity of multiple members of the body of Christ joined together, like in a church service.

The corporate organizational structure is, unfortunately, a natural environment for cultural Marxists to do their thing once they manage to inflict their “culture” on the worker bees.

Spend some time working for a Berkeley indoctrinated CTO and you’ll experience the meaning.


40 posted on 12/06/2017 9:26:53 AM PST by HLPhat ("TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS" -- Government with any other purpose is not American.)
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