via They Just Don’t Make ’em like Goebbels Anymore | The Smirking Chimp
Tag: Media
When the immediate threat of these fires has passed, many bigger questions will remain. The Conversation will continue to bring you the responsible, evidence-based journalism you need to be properly informed. Thank you for your continued support.
Deadspin (where, interest declared, my amazing colleague Tommy Craggs was once editor-in-chief), was a lot of what journalism should be: a thorn in the side of the smug, self-righteous, and overly comfortable. The story of its demise is the story of a news industry bleeding from a thousand cuts—litigation, the collapse of advertising revenue, platform changes, political point-scoring, and rapacious and/or incompetent owners.
At Mother Jones, we’ve encountered a lot of the same challenges Deadspin and so many other organizations have. We fought a massive lawsuit from a conservative billionaire. We’re regularly attacked by everyone from members of Congress to Twitter trolls. We lost advertising revenue with the flick of a switch at Facebook.
But here’s the difference: Our owners have a deep commitment to journalistic independence and fearlessness. They are smart, funny, and exceptionally good-looking. They are…you.
Trump still contends that the summary of the July call released by the White House clears him of any wrongdoing, a claim that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has distanced himself from and that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has effectively contradicted.
via Trump Allies Smear Decorated Veteran Testifying In Impeachment Inquiry | HuffPost Australia
Another UNPRECEDENTED move by Trump ODT)
Top Democrats reacted with anger to Donald Trump’s decision to go ahead with the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid without giving them advance notice, on grounds that they were not to be trusted with such highly sensitive information.
In a break with precedent, Trump excluded senior Democrats on the so-called Gang of Eight – the group of congressional leaders who by law are to be informed of covert actions ordered by the US president – from all operational intelligence.
Those cut out of the loop included Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, and Adam Schiff, who chairs the House intelligence committee.
via Pelosi slams Trump for cutting Democrats out of loop on Baghdadi raid | World news | The Guardian
Donald Trump is so weak and pathetic he actually may have staged a photo from Saturday to make it appear as though he was monitoring the raid on the Baghdadi compound when his official schedule shows that he was actually on the golf course.
It’s truly sad when the Reality Show President* is more concerned about appearances than doing the real work that every single other President did before him. Here is a great compilation of real and unstaged photos taken by Pete Souza from the Situation Room, taken during the raid on Osama bin Laden. The most iconic is this one:
Did The White House Stage Situation Room Baghdadi Raid Photo? | Crooks and Liars
Trump’s not bringing the troops home. He’s been haphazardly deploying more troops, drones, and dollars abroad, while waging a shadow foreign policy for his own benefit.
Donald Trump loves to talk about ending the endless U.S. wars that he inherited as president. He tweets about it. He endlessly criticizes his predecessors for their martial mistakes.
But like the old saw about the weather, Trump talks a whole lot about endless wars but doesn’t do anything about them.
Fair and unbiased reporting is disappearing in Australia as the Coalition Government and Murdoch Mafia gain control of our news, writes Ranald Macdonald.
via Australia’s Right-wing stranglehold over public interest journalism
It doesn’t get any better than this does it? (ODT)
LNP SEEMING TO CONTINUE ITS POLICY OF AVOIDING ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE PEOPLES MEDIA OUR ABC (ODT)
“I can’t answer for Ken … Ken made the decision, or someone made the decision, that Ken was not going to be appearing tonight and I’m disappointed Ken was not able to be here.”
Related Article
Anthony Albanese: “It is clear to me that enshrining that voice in the constitution is what must come first.”
Journey from the heart
Indigenous ‘voice’ to Parliament ‘must come first’: AlbaneseBurney affirmed Labor’s commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart – “in its entirety, including to the Voice”.
She declared: “Our position is very clear at the moment.”
In an era when Labor’s old light on the hill has been replaced with a candle in the wind, this is the caveat to watch for: “At the moment.”
via The most interesting thing on Q&A was who didn’t turn up
Key points:
Mr O’Rourke accused Mr Trump of trying to shift the public’s focus away from recent mass shootings
The FBI and the Department of Justice’s inspector general have opened investigations into Mr Epstein’s death
Mr Trump has a history of promoting conspiracy theories about political rivalsAfter Saturday’s death of Mr Epstein, a millionaire charged with sex trafficking who once counted Mr Trump and former president Bill Clinton as friends, Mr Trump retweeted a claim from a conservative comedian that Mr Clinton was involved in the death.
Mr Trump retweeted Terrence K Williams, who said Mr Epstein “had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead”.
Why has Carlson gone on holiday? To avoid the flack his bullshit caused and the number of advertisers lost.Even Andrew Bolt has dumbed down a little claiming he’s the victim. You shouldn’t be surprised to see them or simalr Murdoch men at CPAC Sydney (ODT)
The Fox New host’s nightly diatribes are making the US an ever more terrifying place for immigrants and people of color
Carlson’s rhetoric about non-white people has long been virtually identical to that of white supremacist terrorists in New Zealand and El Paso. Here, for example, is a passage from Carlson’s most recent book, on the topic of why “diversity” makes us weaker:
When confronted or pressed for details, [proponents of diversity] retreat into a familiar platitude, which they repeat like a zen koan: diversity is our strength. But is diversity our strength? The less we have in common, the stronger we are? Is that true of families? Is it true in neighborhoods or businesses? Of course not. Then why is it true of America? Nobody knows. Nobody’s even allowed to ask the question.
And here is an excerpt from the manifesto issued by the man who killed 51 people in a New Zealand mosque:
Why is diversity said to be our greatest strength? Does anyone even ask why? It is spoken like a mantra and repeated ad infinitum … But no one ever seems to give a reason why. What gives a nation strength? And how does diversity increase that strength? What part of diversity causes this increase in strength? No one can give an answer.
Guess who said it: Tucker Carlson or a far-right shooter | Nathan Robinson | Opinion | The Guardian
Amazingly, coverage of the deniers’ messages has risen over the past five years as the climate crisis has worsened, with much of it being uncritical,” Allison Fisher, outreach program director for Public Citizen’s climate program, said Thursday. “The media should not give these organizations a platform, and if they must cover them, do a better job of alerting readers and viewers who is funding them.”
AOC knows the archival power of social media. The current President does not.
Now you might argue Trump’s stream of consciousness approach disregards hypocrisy. Maybe. But the wider society (excluding the MAGA cultists) does not. They have the opportunity to look at the evidence and see his thousand-and-one backflips,
Conclusion: The Role of Independent Media
Governments’ reactions to critical coverage clearly shows that it hits a nerve. Whether Spud screams media bias, or Trump screeches ‘fake news’, this should encourage us. We should continue to speak truth to power. They know they are losing the war and so they screech louder. Forward, my friends. Let us show these dinosaur politicians the true power of the information age.
via Politicians and The Information Age – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Remember Charlottesville and Trump trying to say the murder was just an accident because both side are violent and violence is bad but both sides are equivalent. He’s pulling the same here he’s not guilty and is ready to call on all foreign governments to feed him information in 2020 because now he’s President and can get away with everything. His family and cronies are on line waiting to collude and he’s ready to obstruct. (ODT)
After President Donald Trump sparked outrage when he admitted in an interview that he would “listen” to any damaging information on his opponent even if it came from a foreign government, pro-Trump media quickly came to his defense.
via How pro-Trump media spun Trump saying he’d accept dirt from foreign governments in the 2020 election
Minister for Hot Air
Angus Taylor’s handling of the latest emissions data is a lesson in spinThe emissions report was eventually released to the general public yesterday, and Taylor appeared on RN Breakfast this morning to continue making the case that up was down and down was up when it comes to Australia’s emissions. Furthermore, what was important, he said, was that the LNG and coal industries were creating jobs and investment opportunities.
Taylor, like his Coalition colleagues, is happy to count the earnings from resource companies, but refuses to calculate the cost of rising emissions and the effects of climate change on every other sector of the economy. The minister for energy and emissions reduction has a long history of promoting fossil-fuel industries and opposing support for renewables. He also has an ongoing scepticism of emissions reduction schemes generally, which, to be blunt, is probably why he was appointed to his current role.
MURDOCHIAN SPIN
Here’s the first paragraph, published in yesterday’s paper: “Australia is not given sufficient credit internationally for the carbon dioxide savings it helps other nations achieve, Energy Minister Angus Taylor says.”
Only in the fifth paragraph did Lloyd mention that Australia’s emissions were “0.8 per cent higher than the previous quarter and 0.7 per cent higher than last year”.
Angus Taylor’s claim LNG exports reduce global emissions ‘likely wrong’ – climate expert
Bill Hare says claim by emissions reduction minister is ‘grossly exaggerated’
President criticized Fox News at a rally on Monday for giving Democrats airtime after candidate Pete Buttigieg appeared on the channel
via Trump turns on Fox News over 2020 coverage: ‘What’s going on there?’ | US news | The Guardian
Conclusion
I realise that all of these ideas may not be practical, and I have not worked out all the details. Rather, I hope to start a conversation here. Australia needs to get its democracy back. A major way we move towards this is by removing the poison that is Murdoch’s media empire and banning the wealthy from purchasing elections.
via The 2019 Election and The Need for Media Reform – » The Australian Independent Media Network
A MUST READ. News Corp and the fight against it for a BETTER Australia (ODT)
The Coalition lacks policies. It also lacks charisma. It has no other option but fear, writes Ben Eltham.
Labor has spent years honing and sandbagging its policy platform, which on any sensible judgment is moderate and achievable. In contrast, the Coalition has spent the last three years consumed by its own internal hatreds. Now that the crisis has arrived, the Coalition finds itself without a coherent assault plan to break down Labor’s platform. Time is running out.
via Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself… And A Coalition Campaign Built On It – New Matilda
Spurned on by extremist and biased Islamophobic media globally. The largest in the English speaking world being Murdoch Media. In Melbourne alone in 2018 some 2850 anti- Islamic articles were published in the Herald Sun alone with Andrew Bolt an obsessed and leading contributor via his columns, radio, blogs, and Sky presance. He played a part so much so after the Barcelona bombings he was imploring the Christian youth of Australia to have the guts and fight back. A reminder of Alan Jones during the Cronulla Riots. (ODT)
The emergence of cold-blooded psychopaths and murderers who harbor plans to slaughter Muslims is becoming an alarming trend not only in Europe, but in the rest of the world.
via Anti-Islamic terrorism becomes ‘alarming trend’ in Europe & beyond – Moscow — RT World News
Also on rt.com UK Islamophobic incidents soar 600% in week after Christchurch terrorist attacks
There is no fineness of oppression. We become the words we use. One small lie inevitably must be paid for with another larger lie, and that with more again. To rob one human of freedom demands that we must rob another, or the crime becomes too obvious. That is why to falsely imprison one human for no crime is a scandal while to kidnap and falsely imprison thousands for no crime is called a national necessity.
This was, and always was only about the basest electoral politics, playing to a racist idea of Australia, that over 20 years, gave cover and then legitimacy to increasingly dangerous and murderous groups in our society.
Paris (AFP) – The five largest publicly listed oil and gas majors have spent $1 billion since the 2015 Paris climate deal on public relations or lobbying that is “overwhelmingly in conflict” with the landmark accord’s goals, a watchdog said Friday.
Despite outwardly committing to support the Paris agreement and its aim to limit global temperature rises, ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP and Total spend a total of $200 million a year on efforts “to operate and expand fossil fuel operations,” according to InfluenceMap, a pro-transparency monitor.
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An observation
Lying in the media is wrong at any time however when they do it by deliberate omission it is even more so. Murdoch’s papers seem to do it with impunity.
via How to fix our democracy (Part 1) – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The killings in Christchurch are part of an international pattern of attacks on Muslims, which seem to have increased over the past two years. In January 2017, a man entered a mosque in Quebec City and shot and killed six people. He was sentenced to at least 40 years in prison this year. The killer followed white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and right-wing commentators online, and he was fixated on Muslims and immigrants. He was a fan of President Donald Trump and his Muslim ban.
Since 2016, at least three U.S. mosques have been set afire, and at least three other Islamic institutions across the country have targeted for terrorist attacks.
via Despite Crackdowns, White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Videos Take Stubborn Root on YouTube
The show goes on Sine wasn’t sacked he didn’t resign he was shifted sideways to deflect attention that from the fact that Murdoch runs the White House.(ODT)
Trump reportedly “feels he was sold a bill of goods by Hannity” about Shine’s abilities, “but Trump needs Hannity and so he will never attack him publicly”
Former Fox News executive and Roger Ailes’ “right-hand man” Bill Shine has left his job as White House communications director to join President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign as a senior adviser — despite reported complaints from the president about Shine’s poor performance.
Get over it folks this is journalistic integrity at Murdoch’s Fox News and in Trump’s reality a fake American immigrant who snuck in for the lifestyle and fascist opportunity to take over the country’s media. He hasn’t been able in Australia because they have the ABC an independant public media the most trusted in the country and compulsory democratic voting. Murdoch however has done a major job of it in the UK and now almost a complete job of it in the USA. His profits in the USA are financing the consolidation of Murdoch media globally and ensuring a product that services the 1% largely corporations across the English speaking world. Let’s face it he’s MMussolini’s and Trump’s wet dream. (ODT)
via Fox’s “news” team is an essential cog in a corrupt propaganda machine
We saw it happen time and time again (ODT)
A war has been declared on Venezuela, of which the truth is “too difficult” to report.
It is too difficult to report the collapse of oil prices since 2014 as largely the result of criminal machinations by Wall Street. It is too difficult to report the blocking of Venezuela’s access to the US-dominated international financial system as sabotage. It is too difficult to report Washington’s “sanctions” against Venezuela, which have caused the loss of at least $6billion in Venezuela’s revenue since 2017, including $2billion worth of imported medicines, as illegal, or the Bank of England’s refusal to return Venezuela’s gold reserves as an act of piracy.
Should the CIA stooge Guaido and his white supremacists grab power, it will be the 68th overthrow of a sovereign government by the United States, most of them democracies. A fire sale of Venezuela’s utilities and mineral wealth will surely follow, along with the theft of the country’s oil, as outlined by John Bolton.
Under the last Washington-controlled government in Caracas, poverty reached historic proportions. There was no healthcare for those could not pay. There was no universal education; Mavis Mendez, and millions like her, could not read or write.
