The aftermath of the shooting made two things clear. Mark, you were right on that the event should be permanently cancelled because it presents the press and a tyrant as being part of the same club. Also, Trump's media capture could not have been more blatant. Weijia Jiang on her post-shooting network interview clearly was full of herself, basking in the limelight and feeling so self important about exchanging phone calls with Trump. I have read that she even lauded Lyin' Leavitt for all the (despicable) work she does. Then Dana Bash asks Jamie Raskin if he feel guilty for saying terrible things about Trump? This is reminiscent of the Charlie Kirk assassination, when people lost their jobs for making fact-based criticisms of the late Turning Point leader. Even Brian Stelter joined the club, gushing over Trump for saying they were all in it together. People, if you want to stop this crap, volunteer for a mid-term campaign on any level because as our few Democratic leaders said when I lived in deep-red Missouri, "DC isn't coming to save us."
The comment made by CA President Weijia Jiang of CBS News wasn't 'naive' at all. It was either completely ignorant of the importance of the independence of the press, or she's bought and paid for. I suspect it's the latter.
I wish they would just NOT show up for this event while Trump - who lies and insults the press non stop is in office.
It’s a hall of unsightly mirrors reflecting the pandering to a malicious miscreant for what purpose exactly? Sound bytes?
I am glad you include the list with active URLs of his insults to the press. And I ache because of the groveling of some news outlet representatives ( like abused wives who are mentally locked and can’t leave their abusive husbands.)
We don’t have to be IN his eye-line to get information because he spews it non stop everywhere like a violent volcano.
By the way, thank you for making your work available even though we are not paying… yet.
Listening to Republicans and even journalists calling out *Democrats* for "heated" and otherwise excessive rhetoric makes me think I've wandered into the Twilight Zone. Have these Republicans been listening to themselves since the Reagan administration?? Btw, the "justices" who keep expanding the 2nd Amendment to include anyone who wants any kind of gun weren't nominated by Democrats.
Thanks Mark: Protect the first amendment . Without it the other amendments mean very little. It was deplorable what happened at the capitulators dinner and lets just put the Ballroom crap back to bed. The fellow Cole Allen was alleged to be going after pedophiles, rapist and traitors. I'm sure there were a few there. Its just another reason the Epstein files must be released. The pedophiles and rapist must be exposed and held to account.
FIRST of all: the media is NEVER supposed to be the story. So..since no one in the media was shot or killed..they all need to sit back down and zip it. SECOND..The kissing up to the man who is the enemy of the free press was vile in every way and actually violates some of the basic rules of journalism..like objectivity. But hey, why would the msm have any of that on hand? THIRD: if the Stockholm syndrome takes hold even further than it already has..thank goodness we have you Mark and other MSM expats here on substack to continue delivering the truth.
OMG, Jiang said the quiet part out loud! "As Jiang wrote ... she hoped it would “restore some normalcy between the Trump administration and the press. Maybe I was naïve, but I wanted it to be a room we don’t see enough of in Washington: a bipartisan one.”
This is *precisely" what the MSM has been doing all along, normalizing, rationalizing, temporizing, and sane-washing the firehose of criminal abnormalcy coming from this Administration. They are actively trying and participating in a sham sugar-coating of the corruption and outright lies. They know it, they admit it, and they are continuing to do it. This needs to be in giant neon sign on Times Square, "The Press is actively complicit!"
And didn't "bipartisan" used to mean Democrats and Republicans, not politicians and the press?? Jeez. Journalists often depend on "insider" sources, but they walk a very fine line in cultivating those sources. In some cases journalist and source will have a common goal, but their interests are *never* the same -- the relationship is essentially adversarial. When journalists forget or choose to ignore that, they become PR flacks.
Good point. For the life of me I don't understand why the press is so accommodating of Trump. I can't think of any other POTUS to whom they've played this submissively obliging role? This POTUS is an existential threat to a free press and the 1st amendment. In darker moments, I feel like they've taken leave of their senses. Some of it probably has to do with the fragile and turbulent state of journalism these days. I get that, but you take an oath(figuratively anyway) to pursue facts and truth without fear or favor. It would be like a doctor ignoring the Hippocratic Oath. This currying favor of him will be a stain on journalism for many many years, not the least of which for enabling trump to systematically destroy democracy to instigate authoritarianism.
A. J. Liebling's remark has been embedded in my brain for decades: "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." And these days the corporate ownership of most major U.S. newspapers is in Trump's corner, or at least in the corner of those who have been enabling Trump. The NY Times doesn't really fit this description, though, having been led by the Ochs-Sulzberger clan for well over a century. I don't think any of them signed up to fund Trump's ballroom.
I don't know who usually pays for this, obviously, expensive event, but I suspect if it is held again in 30 days that it will be the American taxpayer who will be paying for the 2nd one. Yet another travesty on the American people. Ms Jiang is probably trying to keep her job with CBS, but that does not make it OK for her to compromise free speech.
Any normal person reading that list of Trump characterizations of any group would conclude one thing: whoever compiled it has a serious vocabulary problem — and a serious character problem. When a president calls journalists "piggy," "scum," "animals," and "enemy of the people," he is not calling for a cease fire; he is declaring an ongoing war on the people whose job is to tell us the truth. That's not a leader protecting democracy. That's a bully terrified of accountability. Words matter.
It is noteworthy how Trump/MAGA are accusing Dem's of starting this "fight". I am already seeing how MAGA in social media are doing an unfortunately good job a turning the table on all critics of Trump.
A worthy assignment for a reporter from a high-profile place like the NYT would be to compile the hundreds of times Trump has used violent rhetoric against Democrats and the media. Then reporters would have a handy list when GOP minions trot out the tired line that the left needs to tone things down. Or Democratic reps like Jamie Raskin could use it against idiots like Dana Bash. The GOP are absolute masters of working the refs and it's time that everyone stops letting them.
Dana Bash's question was idiotic, but she's not. I'm trying to stay supportive of the few decent mainstream journalists left who have some experience, 'cuz we're gonna need 'em if and when we get through this shit show.
The both-sidesism has worn me down to the point I have little tolerance left. As a former newspaper journalist, I get that you want to be "fair," but this question was ludicrous in light of reality. It's possible she was ordered to ask it.
Thanks for your note, Heidi. I'm a former newspaper reporter too, though I mostly worked as a public information officer. I see a lot of other folks berating Dana Bash, and I totally get it. 💙
The aftermath of the shooting made two things clear. Mark, you were right on that the event should be permanently cancelled because it presents the press and a tyrant as being part of the same club. Also, Trump's media capture could not have been more blatant. Weijia Jiang on her post-shooting network interview clearly was full of herself, basking in the limelight and feeling so self important about exchanging phone calls with Trump. I have read that she even lauded Lyin' Leavitt for all the (despicable) work she does. Then Dana Bash asks Jamie Raskin if he feel guilty for saying terrible things about Trump? This is reminiscent of the Charlie Kirk assassination, when people lost their jobs for making fact-based criticisms of the late Turning Point leader. Even Brian Stelter joined the club, gushing over Trump for saying they were all in it together. People, if you want to stop this crap, volunteer for a mid-term campaign on any level because as our few Democratic leaders said when I lived in deep-red Missouri, "DC isn't coming to save us."
The comment made by CA President Weijia Jiang of CBS News wasn't 'naive' at all. It was either completely ignorant of the importance of the independence of the press, or she's bought and paid for. I suspect it's the latter.
Dana Bash pressing Jamie Raskin, of all people, about heated political rhetoric? Laughable. But not surprising.
WHCA seems to revel in being humiliated.
That made me scream!
They have adopted his “look at me”. Shameful behavior from journalists.
Hi Mark
WHCP dinner
I wish they would just NOT show up for this event while Trump - who lies and insults the press non stop is in office.
It’s a hall of unsightly mirrors reflecting the pandering to a malicious miscreant for what purpose exactly? Sound bytes?
I am glad you include the list with active URLs of his insults to the press. And I ache because of the groveling of some news outlet representatives ( like abused wives who are mentally locked and can’t leave their abusive husbands.)
We don’t have to be IN his eye-line to get information because he spews it non stop everywhere like a violent volcano.
By the way, thank you for making your work available even though we are not paying… yet.
💙👏💙
Listening to Republicans and even journalists calling out *Democrats* for "heated" and otherwise excessive rhetoric makes me think I've wandered into the Twilight Zone. Have these Republicans been listening to themselves since the Reagan administration?? Btw, the "justices" who keep expanding the 2nd Amendment to include anyone who wants any kind of gun weren't nominated by Democrats.
Thanks Mark: Protect the first amendment . Without it the other amendments mean very little. It was deplorable what happened at the capitulators dinner and lets just put the Ballroom crap back to bed. The fellow Cole Allen was alleged to be going after pedophiles, rapist and traitors. I'm sure there were a few there. Its just another reason the Epstein files must be released. The pedophiles and rapist must be exposed and held to account.
So far they have did you see Dana on CNN both sizing it all
FIRST of all: the media is NEVER supposed to be the story. So..since no one in the media was shot or killed..they all need to sit back down and zip it. SECOND..The kissing up to the man who is the enemy of the free press was vile in every way and actually violates some of the basic rules of journalism..like objectivity. But hey, why would the msm have any of that on hand? THIRD: if the Stockholm syndrome takes hold even further than it already has..thank goodness we have you Mark and other MSM expats here on substack to continue delivering the truth.
OMG, Jiang said the quiet part out loud! "As Jiang wrote ... she hoped it would “restore some normalcy between the Trump administration and the press. Maybe I was naïve, but I wanted it to be a room we don’t see enough of in Washington: a bipartisan one.”
This is *precisely" what the MSM has been doing all along, normalizing, rationalizing, temporizing, and sane-washing the firehose of criminal abnormalcy coming from this Administration. They are actively trying and participating in a sham sugar-coating of the corruption and outright lies. They know it, they admit it, and they are continuing to do it. This needs to be in giant neon sign on Times Square, "The Press is actively complicit!"
And didn't "bipartisan" used to mean Democrats and Republicans, not politicians and the press?? Jeez. Journalists often depend on "insider" sources, but they walk a very fine line in cultivating those sources. In some cases journalist and source will have a common goal, but their interests are *never* the same -- the relationship is essentially adversarial. When journalists forget or choose to ignore that, they become PR flacks.
Good point. For the life of me I don't understand why the press is so accommodating of Trump. I can't think of any other POTUS to whom they've played this submissively obliging role? This POTUS is an existential threat to a free press and the 1st amendment. In darker moments, I feel like they've taken leave of their senses. Some of it probably has to do with the fragile and turbulent state of journalism these days. I get that, but you take an oath(figuratively anyway) to pursue facts and truth without fear or favor. It would be like a doctor ignoring the Hippocratic Oath. This currying favor of him will be a stain on journalism for many many years, not the least of which for enabling trump to systematically destroy democracy to instigate authoritarianism.
A. J. Liebling's remark has been embedded in my brain for decades: "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." And these days the corporate ownership of most major U.S. newspapers is in Trump's corner, or at least in the corner of those who have been enabling Trump. The NY Times doesn't really fit this description, though, having been led by the Ochs-Sulzberger clan for well over a century. I don't think any of them signed up to fund Trump's ballroom.
Great quote.
The press should boycott the press conferences. We don’t know all the facts yet. We may never know. But journalists shouldn’t go. Enough already.
I sure hope they call it off. Even before the dinner started, I'd watched a bit of the "red carpet" extravaganza on CSpan, and it was nauseating.
I don't know who usually pays for this, obviously, expensive event, but I suspect if it is held again in 30 days that it will be the American taxpayer who will be paying for the 2nd one. Yet another travesty on the American people. Ms Jiang is probably trying to keep her job with CBS, but that does not make it OK for her to compromise free speech.
Given what's happening at CBS, Ms. Jiang is likely to do just fine there.
Any normal person reading that list of Trump characterizations of any group would conclude one thing: whoever compiled it has a serious vocabulary problem — and a serious character problem. When a president calls journalists "piggy," "scum," "animals," and "enemy of the people," he is not calling for a cease fire; he is declaring an ongoing war on the people whose job is to tell us the truth. That's not a leader protecting democracy. That's a bully terrified of accountability. Words matter.
It is noteworthy how Trump/MAGA are accusing Dem's of starting this "fight". I am already seeing how MAGA in social media are doing an unfortunately good job a turning the table on all critics of Trump.
There it is: u n I t y 🤦🏼♀️
Unity is pointless with this administration.
A worthy assignment for a reporter from a high-profile place like the NYT would be to compile the hundreds of times Trump has used violent rhetoric against Democrats and the media. Then reporters would have a handy list when GOP minions trot out the tired line that the left needs to tone things down. Or Democratic reps like Jamie Raskin could use it against idiots like Dana Bash. The GOP are absolute masters of working the refs and it's time that everyone stops letting them.
Dana Bash's question was idiotic, but she's not. I'm trying to stay supportive of the few decent mainstream journalists left who have some experience, 'cuz we're gonna need 'em if and when we get through this shit show.
The both-sidesism has worn me down to the point I have little tolerance left. As a former newspaper journalist, I get that you want to be "fair," but this question was ludicrous in light of reality. It's possible she was ordered to ask it.
Thanks for your note, Heidi. I'm a former newspaper reporter too, though I mostly worked as a public information officer. I see a lot of other folks berating Dana Bash, and I totally get it. 💙