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July 24, 2023

Deconstruction: Ron DeSantis Echoes Jefferson Davis In New Florida Policy

Florida’s Board of Education, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attacks on honest teaching about racism, decided last week that students should be taught that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” So, according to the state of Florida, slavery was a job training program.

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July 17, 2023

10 Questions CNN Should Ask Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be interviewed by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon – his first such sit-down with CNN since he announced his presidential campaign.

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July 13, 2023

Despite What The Media Tells You, There Is Good News

Have you ever known anyone who was terrible at accepting bad news? I’ll bet you have. But the mainstream media have the opposite problem: They simply can’t handle good news.

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July 5, 2023

Facts or Feelings? Inside the Media’s Misleading Economic Coverage

Why do the media focus on polls more enthusiastically than on economic data? Perhaps because polls provide answers without a reporter having to interview experts and sort through the often-conflicting economic indicators. Polls are easy. They’re a snapshot. Economic trends are difficult, and they’re constantly changing.

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June 26, 2023

How the Media Manufacture Moderates

Being middle-of-the-road, or centrist, is the way to bridge the nation’s ideological chasm and reach the bipartisan promised land. At least some journalists seem to think so, and that’s why they adore moderates. And if they can’t find enough real moderates, they invent them.

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June 20, 2023

The Conspiracy Candidacy

Beware of people who demand serious public examination of ridiculous conspiracy theories.

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June 14, 2023

‘33 Bathrooms’: The Right’s Reaction to the Indictment

Right-wing reaction to the stolen-documents investigation and indictment of Donald Trump has been as bizarre as the idea of keeping national secrets in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom…

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June 12, 2023

“We Don’t Make The News” And Other Lies The Media Tell Themselves

When news organizations defend their platforming of fascist liars, they don’t seem to understand the power of television, especially its ability to legitimize extremism. Many viewers think if someone is on TV, it means they’re important. And if they didn’t have something significant to say, TV stations wouldn’t put them on the air. Right?

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June 8, 2023

CNN’s Platforming Problem

Real journalists put people on their platforms only if they think their appearance will bring the audience the truths they need in order to manage their lives and defend their democracy. Journalism is context, history, fact-checking. It’s value-added. It’s not being a bystander who is busy selling advertising and lets the newsmakers say whatever they want.

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June 1, 2023

Same, Same, But [Not] Different

If effective campaigns are about defining the issues, DeSantis has to create much more separation from Trump than he has so far. His wariness about straying from Trumpism is evidenced by his agreement with the ex-president’s outrageous view that many of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists may deserve pardons. DeSantis even said he might pardon Trump.

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May 19, 2023

The 1968 Republican Party Platform Was ‘Woke’

In 1968, the United States had a political party that pushed gun control, supported the FBI, wanted to boost the District of Columbia’s political clout, sought to liberalize the voting system, acknowledged the “frustrations” that led to urban riots, pushed for a federal crackdown on polluters, and endorsed a fairer immigration system.

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May 11, 2023

Here’s What Should Have Happened on CNN Last Night

As expected, the event was a big win for Trump and yet another defeat for real news. But that’s what CNN seems to be after these days, as long as it’s a player in the game. The very act of letting a known liar like Trump on the air normalizes him.