Media Fail
James Fallows calls out the media:
I’ve heard angrily from a number of reporters in the last few days. They are objecting to my claims that mainstream journalism is “enabling” Senate dysfunction by describing it as dysfunction plain and simple, rather than as the result of deliberate and extremely effective Republican strategy. That strategy, over the past four-plus years, has been to apply the once-rare threat of a filibuster to virtually everything the Administration proposes. This means that when the Democrats can’t get 60 votes for something, which they almost never can, they can’t get nominations confirmed, bills enacted, or most of what they want done.
You can consider this strategy brilliant and nation-saving, if you are a Republican. You can consider it destructive and nation-wrecking, if you are a Democrat. You can view it as just what the Founders had in mind, as Justice Scalia asserted recently at an Atlantic forum. You can view it as another step down the road to collapse, since the Democrats would have no reason not to turn the same nihilist approach against the next Republican administration. Obviously I think it does more harm than good. You can even argue that it’s stimulated or justified by various tactics that Democrats have used.
But you shouldn’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. That was my objection to a recent big Washington Post story on what is wrong with the Senate, which did not contain the word “filibuster.” And there is an example again this very day. I wish to Heaven that the item had appeared somewhere else, but it happens that it’s also in the Post. A story on what happened to Obama’s jobs-bill proposal in the Senate concentrates on the two Plains States Democrats, Ben Nelson and Jon Tester, who defected during the cloture vote — and not on the 100% Republican opposition to even bringing this bill up for consideration.
Go read the whole thing. Fallows is correct. Our media narrative is a huge problem.
Tags: Mainstream Media
It is a huge problem — and this episode might be an example of what Jay Rosen calls *the manufacturing if innocence*. Media types just repeating what people say or what happens with no context or fact-checking. Because if no-context or fact-checking = objectivity, then reporters are completely off the hook from observing what is really going. And off the hook from from holding anyone accountable for any of the foolishness.
Agreed. We are f*cked. The press has utterly failed our democracy.
Agreeing, too, the corporate ownership of almost all of print & broadcast media (which boils down to about 5 or 6 corporations, if I recall the Nation’s graph correctly) has funneled the message to control the masses with bread & circuses, facts are divorced almost entirely.
Mr. Fallows has always been one of my favorites, since back in the reign of Bush the First.
Let’s hear it for DL’s citizen media message!! Tell 5 people to read this blog tomorrow!
oh yes, it’s all the GOP’s fault for this. I mean really it’s so obvious. And the guys representing Delaware won’t be meeting any of the corporations that have signs on the top floor of their Skyscrapers in the states Capital (Wilmington)
Yes, it’s all the medias fault. None of the Dems could be on TV pushing their own narrative could they. Like CBS, NBC and ABC all turn down the Dems when they want to appear on TV and spread their message?
You think people like Ben Nelson are on our side? That guy that lost to bush the 2nd time around? Wait…wait…how about that lady in Lousiana? Ohhhhhh I know…that dude in liberal West Virgina?
Wait, I got another guy that’s on our side but just can’t get the word out b/c of the GOP is keeping him from doing the real work of the people. That guy that took special loans from Country wide…White hair, northern guy, Chris? Dodd? Oh him..
get a clue
Um… who here said it was the GOP’s fault?
I blame the GOP for that nonsense comment.
Just read something today about how the traditional media produces negative Obama pieces 4 to 1 over positive, though a good amount are neutral. Compare that to Perry & Palin with a higher percentage of positive pieces over negative.
Yes, dear. GE, NewsCorp, Comcast, Disney, et al, certainly place reality and truth over profits.
Must. Have. Horserace. Sell. Soap. High. Price. Stock. Get. BONER!