I'm really glad to see you on here. You make a coherent and painfully true point. Journalism school is fine, but in all honesty I learned more about how to write about contemporary times by being a U.S. History major. Journalism has become an excessively careerist ambition that overlooks the history of the trade and why it can be tumultuous, but necessary. You hit the nail on the head when you said that many prospered under the old rules and don't want to adapt. It's a sad truth about human nature that won't change until the environment changes. (The environment already has changed, but not drastically enough to impede the incentive structures mentioned in this article.) Thank you for the work you do. I look forward to seeing more.
Thanks for your comments, Steward. I just think we have to understand that some of the bad behavior we're seeing is attributable to basic human nature. We need to better incentivize good behavior.
The free press was conceived of as the 4th rail of democracy. Political journalists at legacy media outlets have made a mockery of this role.
Dissident journalists in other countries have died fighting to bring truth to light, while Beltway media refuses to do the bare minimum to alert the country to a clear and present danger.
Are they unaware of history? Have they failed to notice how a free press died in Poland? Will they rationalize their way into acting as state media, or are they so insulated that they really believe it won't happen to them?
I'd like to also shout out the journalists at RNS (www.religionnews.com), who have been covering Christian nationalism since *before* Jan. 6. Afterward, RNS got a grant from the Pulitzer Center and later from the Stiefel Foundation, to cover this phenomenon in more depth. Much of this work has been published in the Washington Post and other mainstream news organizations. Here is a small example:
imagine believing, in the fall of 2023, after the press and the powers that be have indicted, smeared, sued, impeached, insulted, raided and arrested Trump, only for it to have insanely backfired into a huge surge in the polls, that we just need to keep doing the same thing in order to defeat him. this is the definition of insanity. this has been going on for 7 years! Trumps whole populist brand is that he is a proxy in the war of elites vs. the public. everytime he gets raided or indicted, his polls go UP! I can't stand Trump, but this is a losing strategy sir. the best way forward is to convince the moderates and independents of a better way forward with Biden, if that's still possible. advocating for the media to go on an even more scorched earth policy against Trump will only make him stronger...
only, that yer suggestion that the media increase it's attacks on him is massivly counter productive. we need better strategy, not ones that haven't worked for 7 years and only made him more popular.
I'm really glad to see you on here. You make a coherent and painfully true point. Journalism school is fine, but in all honesty I learned more about how to write about contemporary times by being a U.S. History major. Journalism has become an excessively careerist ambition that overlooks the history of the trade and why it can be tumultuous, but necessary. You hit the nail on the head when you said that many prospered under the old rules and don't want to adapt. It's a sad truth about human nature that won't change until the environment changes. (The environment already has changed, but not drastically enough to impede the incentive structures mentioned in this article.) Thank you for the work you do. I look forward to seeing more.
Thanks for your comments, Steward. I just think we have to understand that some of the bad behavior we're seeing is attributable to basic human nature. We need to better incentivize good behavior.
Thank you Mark!
The free press was conceived of as the 4th rail of democracy. Political journalists at legacy media outlets have made a mockery of this role.
Dissident journalists in other countries have died fighting to bring truth to light, while Beltway media refuses to do the bare minimum to alert the country to a clear and present danger.
Are they unaware of history? Have they failed to notice how a free press died in Poland? Will they rationalize their way into acting as state media, or are they so insulated that they really believe it won't happen to them?
I'd like to also shout out the journalists at RNS (www.religionnews.com), who have been covering Christian nationalism since *before* Jan. 6. Afterward, RNS got a grant from the Pulitzer Center and later from the Stiefel Foundation, to cover this phenomenon in more depth. Much of this work has been published in the Washington Post and other mainstream news organizations. Here is a small example:
https://religionnews.com/series/christian-nationalism-after-the-jan-6-attack/
imagine believing, in the fall of 2023, after the press and the powers that be have indicted, smeared, sued, impeached, insulted, raided and arrested Trump, only for it to have insanely backfired into a huge surge in the polls, that we just need to keep doing the same thing in order to defeat him. this is the definition of insanity. this has been going on for 7 years! Trumps whole populist brand is that he is a proxy in the war of elites vs. the public. everytime he gets raided or indicted, his polls go UP! I can't stand Trump, but this is a losing strategy sir. the best way forward is to convince the moderates and independents of a better way forward with Biden, if that's still possible. advocating for the media to go on an even more scorched earth policy against Trump will only make him stronger...
I appreciate you taking the time to offer your views, but I don't think a "go easier on Trump in the media" strategy makes any sense right now.
that is not what I'm saying.
only, that yer suggestion that the media increase it's attacks on him is massivly counter productive. we need better strategy, not ones that haven't worked for 7 years and only made him more popular.