After many years of subscribing to the digital version of The Washington Post, I will not be renewing. My subscription runs out in a month.
They now have few hard-hitting stories. Most of my favorite columnists have left. Quite a few of their editorial staff have left. They refuse to provide a partial refund to what is essential a completely different newspaper.
I have also cancelled my subscription to WP, and NYT, because they can’t be trusted and I refuse to line bozo’s pockets. Their egregious lying about the situation in Gaza and their blind support of Israel’s narrative in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, was the deciding factor. MSM IS the reason, or at the very least a main reason, that we are where we are today.
This an excellent article that needs to be shared far and wide... the "sharpies" sycophants awaiting to be told they can keep their businesses... elon knows where his bread is buttered though and it is not in the US.
"Just as there’s no constitutional requirement for the president or the White House to host, humor, and answer to journalists, there’s no constitutional requirement for the press to cover the president or the White House at all.
Why don’t the major newspapers, television networks, etc. get together and set up the White House “press pool” on their own terms instead of subjecting themselves to the president’s terms?" Thomas L. Knapp
This is a very . . . problematic interview. Terrible, but telling (responses), actually. The issues are mostly with the interviewee, with Baron -- though Harwood ought to have pushed back a little harder on a few of the topics. Baron, while he makes a fuss about taking care to understand what "real people" who do not live on "the coasts" want, need, experience, he comes across as woefully out-of-touch, and, despite his protestations, strongly biased (read: elitist, right-wing, hyper-capitalist). Harwood gives him an opportunity by following up with useful, reasonable questions about the state of democracy and journalism and Baron prattles on about the need for _owners_ of media to make profit, profit, profit. What we need, in fact, is much more of quite the opposite: more TRULY independent, subscriber-supported, non-corporate (and, therefore, not beholden and thereby offering far more opportunity to be "free of bias").
There is quite a bit that comes out of Baron's mouth that is simply misleading, factually incorrect -- example, when speaking about supposedly "independent" media:
"And then you have nonprofits, which a lot of people put their hopes in. But where do nonprofits get their money? They get it from elites, too."
I don't want to spend much more time on this since I'd be preaching to the choir in terms of most Zeteo subscribers, but truly _independent_ media, via its very name obviously, is not funded by elites, not by a handful of massive donations that would leave the outlet beholden yet again to particular interests. It is funded by many, many, many small amounts of monthly or yearly member fees or many tiny donations from "regular" people with "regular," humble or low annual incomes or wages. _When_ there are mixed models, the advertisers are few and far between and (usually/ideally) carefully selected for ethical/compatible values and practices and, even then, they usually make up a much smaller portion of the backing. Non-profits that take only a small number of massive donations from corporations or are owned by billionaires -- not independent. Just.Like.Media. Just.Like.Newspapers. Those days of laws, rules, and followed norms to keep our institutions in check-ish -- media, necessary services, GOVERNMENT -- long gone. What we, in fact, need to do is bring that back, improve upon it, air tight as possible, no assumptions about norms and good intentions, and make certain there are serious, _impactful_ consequences for those who violate the laws, unnecessarily burden or harm audiences/users/consumers -- regular people. Bezos should not be wielding any kind of power over one of the necessary pillars of democracy, journalism, and, frankly, I'd advise keeping him away from anything and anyone we care about.
Those days of laws, rules, and followed norms to keep our institutions in check-ish -- media, necessary services, GOVERNMENT -- long gone. What we, in fact, need to do is bring that back, improve upon it, air tight as possible, no assumptions about norms and good intentions, and make certain there are serious, _impactful_ consequences for those who violate the laws, unnecessarily burden or harm audiences/users/consumers -- regular people. Bezos should not be wielding any kind of power over one of the necessary pillars of democracy, journalism, and, frankly, I'd advise keeping him away from anything and anyone we care about.
After many years of subscribing to the digital version of The Washington Post, I will not be renewing. My subscription runs out in a month.
They now have few hard-hitting stories. Most of my favorite columnists have left. Quite a few of their editorial staff have left. They refuse to provide a partial refund to what is essential a completely different newspaper.
Darkness is killing Democracy.
I have also cancelled my subscription to WP, and NYT, because they can’t be trusted and I refuse to line bozo’s pockets. Their egregious lying about the situation in Gaza and their blind support of Israel’s narrative in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, was the deciding factor. MSM IS the reason, or at the very least a main reason, that we are where we are today.
This an excellent article that needs to be shared far and wide... the "sharpies" sycophants awaiting to be told they can keep their businesses... elon knows where his bread is buttered though and it is not in the US.
Is it really fear of Trump, or is he protecting his assets?
"Just as there’s no constitutional requirement for the president or the White House to host, humor, and answer to journalists, there’s no constitutional requirement for the press to cover the president or the White House at all.
Why don’t the major newspapers, television networks, etc. get together and set up the White House “press pool” on their own terms instead of subjecting themselves to the president’s terms?" Thomas L. Knapp
This is a very . . . problematic interview. Terrible, but telling (responses), actually. The issues are mostly with the interviewee, with Baron -- though Harwood ought to have pushed back a little harder on a few of the topics. Baron, while he makes a fuss about taking care to understand what "real people" who do not live on "the coasts" want, need, experience, he comes across as woefully out-of-touch, and, despite his protestations, strongly biased (read: elitist, right-wing, hyper-capitalist). Harwood gives him an opportunity by following up with useful, reasonable questions about the state of democracy and journalism and Baron prattles on about the need for _owners_ of media to make profit, profit, profit. What we need, in fact, is much more of quite the opposite: more TRULY independent, subscriber-supported, non-corporate (and, therefore, not beholden and thereby offering far more opportunity to be "free of bias").
There is quite a bit that comes out of Baron's mouth that is simply misleading, factually incorrect -- example, when speaking about supposedly "independent" media:
"And then you have nonprofits, which a lot of people put their hopes in. But where do nonprofits get their money? They get it from elites, too."
I don't want to spend much more time on this since I'd be preaching to the choir in terms of most Zeteo subscribers, but truly _independent_ media, via its very name obviously, is not funded by elites, not by a handful of massive donations that would leave the outlet beholden yet again to particular interests. It is funded by many, many, many small amounts of monthly or yearly member fees or many tiny donations from "regular" people with "regular," humble or low annual incomes or wages. _When_ there are mixed models, the advertisers are few and far between and (usually/ideally) carefully selected for ethical/compatible values and practices and, even then, they usually make up a much smaller portion of the backing. Non-profits that take only a small number of massive donations from corporations or are owned by billionaires -- not independent. Just.Like.Media. Just.Like.Newspapers. Those days of laws, rules, and followed norms to keep our institutions in check-ish -- media, necessary services, GOVERNMENT -- long gone. What we, in fact, need to do is bring that back, improve upon it, air tight as possible, no assumptions about norms and good intentions, and make certain there are serious, _impactful_ consequences for those who violate the laws, unnecessarily burden or harm audiences/users/consumers -- regular people. Bezos should not be wielding any kind of power over one of the necessary pillars of democracy, journalism, and, frankly, I'd advise keeping him away from anything and anyone we care about.
They run the shit here. You just live here. Everything translate to money, Media, just the tool to get it.
Cont'd.
Those days of laws, rules, and followed norms to keep our institutions in check-ish -- media, necessary services, GOVERNMENT -- long gone. What we, in fact, need to do is bring that back, improve upon it, air tight as possible, no assumptions about norms and good intentions, and make certain there are serious, _impactful_ consequences for those who violate the laws, unnecessarily burden or harm audiences/users/consumers -- regular people. Bezos should not be wielding any kind of power over one of the necessary pillars of democracy, journalism, and, frankly, I'd advise keeping him away from anything and anyone we care about.