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Bloomberg Destroys Journalism Norms
Townhall.com ^ | November 27, 2019 | Brent Bozell and Tim Graham

Posted on 11/27/2019 5:48:25 AM PST by Kaslin

Billionaire "news" media mogul Michael Bloomberg is running for president. How will his Bloomberg News empire cover this?

Bloomberg News posted an article touting how much trouble President Donald Trump is in. It lustily listed all his scandals: "Lawmakers and prosecutors are looking at whether he abused the powers of the presidency, obstructed an investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, engaged in fraudulent business practices, violated the emoluments clauses of the Constitution and defamed women by saying they lied about alleged sexual assaults."

That's how they cover Trump. How will they cover Bloomberg? Get ready.

Bloomberg has a long-standing policy of banning his reporters from investigating him or his businesses. Now he's banning any investigation of him as a presidential candidate, along with all of his fellow Democratic candidates! How does this not look like a massive, credibility-crippling conflict of interest?

Oh, they'll cover the Democratic campaigns, the debates, the horse race in the polls, the candidate finance reports. But investigating the other Democratic candidates is banned.

Kevin Smith, executive director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University, nailed it when he said, as reported by the Washington Times: "This is so outlandish it has to be recognized as a historical collapse of ethical standards. This isn't just worthy of a future textbook case study, it needs immediate condemnation by the profession."

Former Bloomberg BusinessWeek editor Megan Murphy, an unabashed Trump-hating liberal, tweeted that she was presented "with a near identical 'memo' during his 2016 flirtation." She added, "And I was very clear that I would quit the second it ever saw the light of day." Can we expect any abrupt departures from the thousands of compromised employees of Bloomberg News?

We're not talking about the gaggle of editors at the top of Team Bloomberg who have joined and will join his presidential campaign as advisers. They were primarily on the opinion/commentary team. But some, like Tim O'Brien, have been prominent Trump bashers on cable television.

In reality, Bloomberg's journalists have been compromised ever since Bloomberg first ran for mayor of New York City in 2001. After 12 years as mayor, Bloomberg became a big-time sugar daddy to liberal activists pushing government crackdowns on fossil fuel production and gun ownership. How "objective" reporters could ethically navigate all of their owner's political activism seems impossible.

But let's face it: Back then, the rest of the "news" media never found this objectionable. Bloomberg News was branded in a business-news niche and, in that sphere, looked like a progressive influence, so they didn't care.

So why care now? Because Michael Bloomberg represents a threat to the party's leftist base and is bizarrely seen as a "centrist," despite all his devoutly liberal public service and philanthropy. Ethical concerns have suddenly erupted.

Why would Bloomberg bother running? He doesn't look like he'll dominate the presidential race. It's pure arrogance. But David Martosko of the Daily Mail predicts that the current mogul in the White House will have a field day with this. He tweeted: "I predict Trump rallies will include this: 'Is there a Bloomberg reporter back there in the fake news section? They fly on Air Force One every day and chase me around but Little Mike won't let them investigate ANY Democrats. It's crooked as hell.'"

Journalists who perpetually lament Trump's destruction of "democratic norms" now face a candidate who's obliterating all the journalistic norms. This is an ethical test. Let's see how many will try to skip the class and hope it goes away.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: 2020electionbias; bloomberg; bloombergnews; tds; yellowjournalism

1 posted on 11/27/2019 5:48:26 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

If Bloomberg ever did win the presidency, the MSM would finally get the “state media” that they’ve been carping about over the past two years. And contrary to what they might believe, they wouldn’t be happy about it because Bloomberg would edge them out of every market.


2 posted on 11/27/2019 5:53:54 AM PST by LIConFem (I will no longer accept the things I cannot change. it's time to change the things I cannot accept)
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To: Kaslin

I think the FEC has rules about Payment In Kind or whatever its called. But Democrats seem to get away with almost anything.


3 posted on 11/27/2019 5:54:46 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: Kaslin

The last couple of days, the Denver market has been full of Bloomberg ads.


4 posted on 11/27/2019 5:55:50 AM PST by real saxophonist (Yeah, well, y'know that's just like, uh... your opinion, man.)
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To: Kaslin

I just seen my first bloomburg add in PA. WNEP, channel 16 in Scranton.


5 posted on 11/27/2019 5:57:24 AM PST by WakeUpAndVote
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To: Kaslin

Battle of the smart rich guys.


6 posted on 11/27/2019 5:58:45 AM PST by jetson
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To: Kaslin

Just remember this guy wants your gun!


7 posted on 11/27/2019 5:59:27 AM PST by Terry L Smith
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To: Kaslin

Is Bloomberg News going to do a tell all on each of the scandal plagued Democrats running against Mr. Bloomberg and if not why not?


8 posted on 11/27/2019 6:02:14 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Recall that unqualified Hillary Clinton sat on the board of Wal-Mart when Bill Clinton was governor)
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To: LIConFem
If you go back to colonial times, the press was really pamphlets that had some specific axe to grind, sometimes funded by political parties. However, everyone knew which pamphlet had which axe in its hands so the bias was unabashed and transparent.

Thus, in many ways, Bloomberg News is simply going back to the old times. Indeed, on some level, it could be beneficial if everyone in the press simply dropped this "neutral" lie and take the mask off.

9 posted on 11/27/2019 6:02:52 AM PST by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: DoodleBob
it could be beneficial if everyone in the press simply dropped this "neutral" lie and take the mask off.

Indeed, transparency instead of the lying.

10 posted on 11/27/2019 6:04:13 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: jetson
Battle of the smart rich guys.

One of the rich guys is an absolute lefty and bore.

11 posted on 11/27/2019 6:04:51 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: DoodleBob
"...it could be beneficial if everyone in the press simply dropped this "neutral" lie and take the mask off. "

I find it hard to disagree with that. At least then they'd be honest liars.
12 posted on 11/27/2019 6:09:28 AM PST by LIConFem (I will no longer accept the things I cannot change. it's time to change the things I cannot accept)
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To: Kaslin
Bloomberg has a long-standing policy of banning his reporters from investigating him or his businesses. Now he's banning any investigation of him as a presidential candidate, along with all of his fellow Democratic candidates! How does this not look like a massive, credibility-crippling conflict of interest?

If dems consider a stripper keeping her mouth shut to be an "in-kind contribution" then how is having a media empire do the same not one?

13 posted on 11/27/2019 6:14:32 AM PST by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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To: ClearCase_guy

QUESTION:
How many times did Bloomie meet Epstein and/or G. Maxwell?

What is the timeline?


14 posted on 11/27/2019 6:30:42 AM PST by ptsal
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To: Kaslin
What Norms?

15 posted on 11/27/2019 7:15:13 AM PST by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: Kaslin

Bloomberg already has spent millions trying to take guns away from normal citizens who have done nothing wrong with their weapons.

He has openly attacked the 2nd Amendment.

NOW-—he is openly attacking the 1st Amendment-—and his OWN EMPLOYEES.

I wonder how those employees feel about his edicts now?

Do your job or get fired.......because this jerk is running for President.

EXACTLY what kind of President would Bloomberg be? I do not wish to find out.


16 posted on 11/27/2019 7:50:19 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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