Because it takes billions, and they can only draw the money from strike and pension funds.
The problem of monopolization of the media, started with the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Not to be confused with the Fairness doctrine or equal time rule.
Fairness doctrine was created by Truman in 1949 and repealed by Reagan in 1987
The Equal time rule ,created in 1927, still remains in effect, and it is the rule that Brendan Carr used to stop the appearance of Talarico from appearing on Stephen Colbert,although it does not apply to variety and talk shows., it does not apply to cable, internet and satellite services, only to over the air broadcasting.
Also, the FCC has jurisdiction over licenses of individual stations, not networks.
I privately suggested to Thom that he contact the Soros organization. In 2024, Soros Fund Management, an investment firm founded by George Soros, became the majority shareholder in Audacy, Inc., which is the second-largest radio company in the United States.
Of course I have heard of leveraged buyouts, I have a masters in finance, but but they can only engage in leveraged buyouts to save jobs, prevent hostile takeovers by outside firms, or gain ownership in response to concessions. not to become a profit center themselves.
You really are arrogant, Daniel, you apparently share one thing in common with Trump, you think that you know everything
And then you expect a talk show host to do the grunt work, because you ask him, That is not his forte, and he has no more clout than you. You are ridiculous
Union pension funds commonly hold communications stocks as part of their diversified investment portfolios.
Pensions & Investments
Pensions & Investments
Sector Weighting: As of mid-2024, pension funds had a roughly 9.3% allocation to the communication services sector.
Direct Holdings: Major union-related pension systems, such as the New York City pension funds, are long-term shareholders of communications giants like AT&T, holding millions of shares valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Common Stock Examples: Holdings often include diverse communication sub-sectors:
Telecom: AT&T and Verizon Communications.
Media & Entertainment: Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and Comcast.
Interactive Media: Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook).
Investment Vehicles:
Mutual Funds: Some plans, like the CWA Savings and Retirement Trust, allow members to invest in a broad array of mutual funds that include tech and communication stocks.
Targeted Trusts: While most equity-heavy funds hold these stocks, specialized funds like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust focus primarily on fixed-income mortgage-backed securities rather than individual stocks.
Shareholder Activism: Unions frequently use these stock holdings to file shareholder proposals aimed at increasing corporate accountability, such as requesting workforce diversity reports from companies like AT&T.
Republicans are getting away with murder. They own the legacy media, Facebook, Twitter etc. Democrats are no where to be found. It's no accident that they have been able to get their message out. MS NOW is the only outlet. Yes, where has the democratic leadership been? Hiding under a rock or getting their support from the same corporatists republicans get theirs. They elected Ken Martin as a campaign chair of the DNC. 4 1/2 months into this administration, he's been ineffectual and has lost the support of people that voted for a fighter, not someone who folds before the cards are dealt. Ben wikler, lost to Ken Martin unfortunately. His message was perfect for the times we face. Thom's letter brought home the dire consequences we're in, because democratic leadership has caved for two decades. Harris gave up before all the votes were even counted. The Democrats also have 4 members that are Sinema like, more interested in getting reelected.
Trump is using this moment to run drills, so must we — and with the same urgency.
The pro-democracy movement cannot afford to be simply reactive — showing up in court after the damage is done, scrambling to respond to each new provocation. Instead, we need our own test runs, and we need to begin them now.
Election officials in every state should be war-gaming what happens if federal agents show up at or near polling places, working with their attorneys general and governors to establish clear legal tripwires and rapid-response protocols.
Legal and civic groups should be preparing now for a system that could be tested in hundreds of places around the country simultaneously. Every elected official, every secretary of state, every mayor should be put on record now: Will you protect the vote? Will you stand up to federal overreach at the ballot box?
The media has a role to play as well. Too often, Bannon's statements, and those made by others in the MAGA movement, are covered as provocation or performance. They are not. When Bannon describes ICE agents being trained to check IDs as "perfect training for the fall of 2026," that is not hyperbole. It is a roadmap. The legacy media must report on it as one.
Trump and Bannon are not hiding their intentions. They are telling us, plainly, what they are planning and how they are preparing.
They are running test runs. It is time we ran ours.
Why can't democratic election officials get out and do their job? What tRump is doing now is a dry run to see how much he can get away with. ICE agents in airports, Ice agents in cities and ICE agents perhaps at polling places. Before he tries to put ICE agents at polling places. "Election officials in every state should be war-gaming what happens if federal agents show up at or near polling places, working with their attorneys general and governors to establish clear legal tripwires and rapid-response protocols." Minneapolis pushed back. An attorney there has now filed charges against the ICE agent that murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We need more of that not respond after the damage is done.
We don't have the votes . That was a period. We need to do jujitsu to get ANYTHING.
At this point, we don't know whether an election will taake place, and if one does, as Stalin said, (s)he who votes means nothing. He who counts the votes, everything.
Just a side note...The Trump regime thought their super rich sycophants buying out all the big news media sources would result in restricting what we see and hear. He thought he could just regurgitate all the Trump BS & puke and we would buy it.
But we have independent news sources, like yourself, that we can count on to give us the straight scoop on what’s going on. So, if he thinks he has a monopoly on the news, he’s got another think coming!
Unfortunately, MSM still dominates and produces MAGA propaganda.
The closest thing we have to "straight scoop" that reaches the public airwaves is Canadian broadcasting, which is limited. While Canadian networks rely heavily on U.S. programming, the reverse is not true; American audiences generally have low exposure to Canadian-produced television, though some content gains traction through streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Wikipedia
The FCC limits maximum power for commercial AM radio stations to 50,000 watts (50 kW), a standard established by the 1938 Wheeler Resolution to manage signal interference and protect "clear-channel" stations. This cap ensures broad coverage for Class A stations, while smaller stations are often required to reduce power at night.
Once upon a time companies set up stations in Mexico that powered more than 1 million watts:
Key Border Blaster Stations
XER/XERA (Villa Acuña, across from Del Rio, TX): Founded in 1931 by Dr. John R. Brinkley, this was the first major "border blaster," initially running 50,000 watts and later up to 500,000 watts to promote his "goat-gland rejuvenation" surgery and other services.
XERF-AM (Ciudad Acuña): Replacing XERA in 1947, it became one of the most famous, often running at 250,000 watts and featuring popular DJs like Wolfman Jack.
XENT (Nuevo Laredo): Operated by Norman Baker, a notorious proponent of fraudulent cancer cures.
XEG (Monterrey): Ran a 150 kW signal at night, broadcasting R&B and entertainment content from the 1960s through the 1980s.
XERB (Rosarito Beach/Tijuana): Branded as "The Mighty 1090," it was famously used by Wolfman Jack and bragged "50,000 watts of Boss Soul Power," though it often boasted a much stronger, wider range.
Ray Davies, the voice of Bluegrass, was on a blaster station.
I also keep asking whether Canada could increase its wattage to permeate US radio?
We watch a lot of those. My wife goes to Zev and Lev first, but we also watch a lot of British stuff, Malcolm Nance, Ukranian stuff, and even Tousi etc. We have given up on "entertainment."
I am in discussion groups every day -- some filled with MAGATs -- some in Spanish. I get emails daily from some of my former colleagues who are on top of esoteric stuff.
Yesterday, my UM discussion group spent a lot of time on the death penalty and Cuba. Apparently, the rest of the country is oblivious to what is happening here in Baghdad By the Sea.
We don't talk much politics in my Spanish group. I'm writing about Latin Jazz.
Billionaires own and influence much of our media. Murdoch, Sinclair and Ellison, and Musk are just 4 and yet they influence so much here, and around the world.
Buying their influence in news, and entertainment, social networks, media and it’s been going on for at least 35 years by billionaire “conservatives” who influence MAGAats and their beliefs.
Can the media do its job right and not have a "liberal bias"? Because to support and defend the ideals of democracy, justice, and the Constitution is to be suspicious of authoritarian institutions and processes like business, religion, and the military, which are inherently conservative.
To suppress the media into useless docility is to do the same to us. There is no neutral ground for the media to occupy and report from dispassionately; that is a fiction.
There is an obvious trend in the MSM to report MAGA news almost to the exclusion of liberal news. I have posted before that the news today focuses on infotainment to attract an audience which helps their sponsors thrive. Thus, headlines are normally clickbait. "FLASH: Here is Trump's latest outrageous remark/edict/act/event..."
My daily news summary makes it obvious that the ratio of Trump noise to Democrat noise in the MSM is about 8 to 1. Trump uses social media to rule the world. No democrat has ever done that. Trump issues orders on X and Truth Social. It isn't even illegal as long as formal paperwork exists in the system. Trump's control of the MSM has turned our democracy into an aristocracy in one year. That would make Adolf Hitler blush with envy were he still alive.
Today, only Democrats want to govern "for the people," but cannot because the Republicans really like RULING for the rich. Our president is not only amoral, but he also lacks dignity and honor. He has insulted every national leader in public and on TV. We have no allies, as Hormuz has demonstrated. Trump leaves China alone simply because they can hit back. They only support America when it is in their nation's interest by coincidence. Western Europe now views America like it viewed the Soviet Union - A nation of selfish thugs.
I want to know what Thom considers to be mainstream media. I mostly watch CNN and MS NOW and they consistently pelt the republicans. Paul Krugman appears there frequently blasting the administration's handling of the economy....
Thom: I'm sure you know who it was, that taught the Republican party to accuse the Democratic party and others of what they themselves are guilty of, and to keep pounding the drum.
Take TDS for example.
When I first encountered the term I thought it described MAGAts, then I leanred that MAGAts accuse us of TDS.
Someone in their propaganda department, knew that Trumps cult was deranged so they created the phrase and applied to Trump's cult opponents.
Look what they did to antifascism, but there the left was too clever for itself, creating a meme antifa separated it from antifascism, and now Trump and his fascists use antifa, as a euphemism for terrorism and enemies of the state, thus confirming that the state is already fascist, except the hopeful liberal can't wrap their head around that. By the time that they do, it will be too late to really fight back.
You should have said "We, as Netanyahu have lost the propaganda war?
Not hard to do, only MAGA believes Trump, no one else does, they are however afraid of him, because his mercurial, irrational, but his power comes from the fact that America is the great consumer. Were it not for our consumption, he would have no power
Trump uses blackmail, mostly financial, to force nations and instiutions to their knees, and many an American as well.
I disagree with Thom's analysis. The "mainstream" media are owned by obscenely wealthy billionaires.they have concentrated their ownership to having 90 percent ownership of the "mainstream" media belonging to six corporations. The obscenely wealthy want us all to be ignorant slaves with no access to real information. The addiction to wealth and power of these mega wealthy people is the greatest threat to Democracy in the U.S. and all life on Earth! It is the wealthy owners not the Republicans who have made the press so rightwing oriented.
Great advice, but 30 years too late. If not before, the bias has been obvious since tRump rode down his escalator in 2015 declaring his run for the presidency and the “main-stream-media” spent more time telling their audience that Hillary was crooked and tRump was a legitimate candidate.
I’ve been monitoring this. Local news in a large market in a purple state NBC News. National News ABC with David Muir. Sunday Morning Face the Nation. Results: pro Republican coverage. Dating back to 2016 election. FTN would generally have 3 Republicans, 1 or 2 Dems. Sometimes 3 Republicans, no Dems. In an election year. When Obama was President a drone strike took out ISIS leaders. Should have been a good week for Obama. FTN that Sunday had three Republicans, NO dems. One Republican was Bob Gates, former Sec of Defense. After discussing the strike against ISIS, the reporter asked Gates: “Do you think Hillary Clinton is QUALIFIED to be Commander and Chief?” Bob Gates looked shocked, responding: “I’m a Republican, WHY would you ask ME that?”
The current media landscape consists of rightwing propaganda and the mainstream media (ABC CBS NBC CNN). Rightwing media lies. Mainstream doesn’t lie much, they just won’t cover anything factual that makes Democrats look good, or Republicans look bad. They edit and censor. I consider the mainstream media as Rightwing Lite. And that was before MAGA launched their takeovers of CBS and CNN. Dictatorships usually take over the media first. Mussolini did, Hitler did, Viktor Orban did in Hungary and he has been advising the Republican leadership at CPAC meetings.
If the appropriate Democrats, meaning all of us, have not ferociously responded to the successful "media bias" campaign of the last 30 years by the rabies infested rabid right, why would we expect them to do that now? This is the gaping hole in almost every conversation of what the Dems should be doing. And yes, why haven't unions and others bought a major network? Maybe WF and DS could put some of their energy into a real plan to do this.
If democracy is to be defended, we’ll need Democratic leadership more interested in defending it than in controlling who gets admitted to the club. The necessary housecleaning will require aggressive, courageous, relentless dedication, a willingness to both guide and listen to the electorate, and a focus on working the constitutionally feckless media.
Unfortunately, my reps are all Republican ( I live in Florida), so it's not possible to send an email through the system. I blast the GOP reps, though, and recently sent a shaming email, "Where is your sense of decency!"(yes, I copied it)
I am worried about the Administration and the elected Republicans completely ignoring the Constitution. The liberal press thing has been going on forever. If I have been scolded for watching CNN once it has been thousands of times. Our country seems to be going down in flames and I worry about the young people in my family living their lives in a far different country then I have enjoyed.
OK, you are certainly right,but if no one is paying attention, what damned difference does it make?! Where are our leaders who should be screaming from the rooftops! Why are our congressional leaders not going on independent sub stacks and telling it like it is, daring the networks not to have them on—-making some noise, creating some controversy, calling out their fellows across the aisle to come on Krugman or Borowitz and have a national debate. Call the bastards out !!
I keep asking why unions and others haven't bought a major TV network?
Because it takes billions, and they can only draw the money from strike and pension funds.
The problem of monopolization of the media, started with the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Not to be confused with the Fairness doctrine or equal time rule.
Fairness doctrine was created by Truman in 1949 and repealed by Reagan in 1987
The Equal time rule ,created in 1927, still remains in effect, and it is the rule that Brendan Carr used to stop the appearance of Talarico from appearing on Stephen Colbert,although it does not apply to variety and talk shows., it does not apply to cable, internet and satellite services, only to over the air broadcasting.
I guess you never heard of leveraged buyouts.
Also, the FCC has jurisdiction over licenses of individual stations, not networks.
I privately suggested to Thom that he contact the Soros organization. In 2024, Soros Fund Management, an investment firm founded by George Soros, became the majority shareholder in Audacy, Inc., which is the second-largest radio company in the United States.
Why do you comment when you have no clue?
Ouch Daniel
Of course I have heard of leveraged buyouts, I have a masters in finance, but but they can only engage in leveraged buyouts to save jobs, prevent hostile takeovers by outside firms, or gain ownership in response to concessions. not to become a profit center themselves.
You really are arrogant, Daniel, you apparently share one thing in common with Trump, you think that you know everything
And then you expect a talk show host to do the grunt work, because you ask him, That is not his forte, and he has no more clout than you. You are ridiculous
Grunt work. It's a lead.....
Every major lawfirm has an M&A department. You are so full of shit.
You are way off.
Union pension funds commonly hold communications stocks as part of their diversified investment portfolios.
Pensions & Investments
Pensions & Investments
Sector Weighting: As of mid-2024, pension funds had a roughly 9.3% allocation to the communication services sector.
Direct Holdings: Major union-related pension systems, such as the New York City pension funds, are long-term shareholders of communications giants like AT&T, holding millions of shares valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Common Stock Examples: Holdings often include diverse communication sub-sectors:
Telecom: AT&T and Verizon Communications.
Media & Entertainment: Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and Comcast.
Interactive Media: Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook).
Investment Vehicles:
Mutual Funds: Some plans, like the CWA Savings and Retirement Trust, allow members to invest in a broad array of mutual funds that include tech and communication stocks.
Targeted Trusts: While most equity-heavy funds hold these stocks, specialized funds like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust focus primarily on fixed-income mortgage-backed securities rather than individual stocks.
Shareholder Activism: Unions frequently use these stock holdings to file shareholder proposals aimed at increasing corporate accountability, such as requesting workforce diversity reports from companies like AT&T.
Republicans are getting away with murder. They own the legacy media, Facebook, Twitter etc. Democrats are no where to be found. It's no accident that they have been able to get their message out. MS NOW is the only outlet. Yes, where has the democratic leadership been? Hiding under a rock or getting their support from the same corporatists republicans get theirs. They elected Ken Martin as a campaign chair of the DNC. 4 1/2 months into this administration, he's been ineffectual and has lost the support of people that voted for a fighter, not someone who folds before the cards are dealt. Ben wikler, lost to Ken Martin unfortunately. His message was perfect for the times we face. Thom's letter brought home the dire consequences we're in, because democratic leadership has caved for two decades. Harris gave up before all the votes were even counted. The Democrats also have 4 members that are Sinema like, more interested in getting reelected.
I'm sorry but we are a minority and have to use jujitsu. We need to be unified to get rid of Trump.....
I think that the best chance we have is to energize Congressional Republicans who oppose Trump.
Marc Elias recommends the following plan.
Trump is using this moment to run drills, so must we — and with the same urgency.
The pro-democracy movement cannot afford to be simply reactive — showing up in court after the damage is done, scrambling to respond to each new provocation. Instead, we need our own test runs, and we need to begin them now.
Election officials in every state should be war-gaming what happens if federal agents show up at or near polling places, working with their attorneys general and governors to establish clear legal tripwires and rapid-response protocols.
Legal and civic groups should be preparing now for a system that could be tested in hundreds of places around the country simultaneously. Every elected official, every secretary of state, every mayor should be put on record now: Will you protect the vote? Will you stand up to federal overreach at the ballot box?
The media has a role to play as well. Too often, Bannon's statements, and those made by others in the MAGA movement, are covered as provocation or performance. They are not. When Bannon describes ICE agents being trained to check IDs as "perfect training for the fall of 2026," that is not hyperbole. It is a roadmap. The legacy media must report on it as one.
Trump and Bannon are not hiding their intentions. They are telling us, plainly, what they are planning and how they are preparing.
They are running test runs. It is time we ran ours.
Not either or....That's not responsive.
House Republicans can stop this. Democrats can't.
Why can't democratic election officials get out and do their job? What tRump is doing now is a dry run to see how much he can get away with. ICE agents in airports, Ice agents in cities and ICE agents perhaps at polling places. Before he tries to put ICE agents at polling places. "Election officials in every state should be war-gaming what happens if federal agents show up at or near polling places, working with their attorneys general and governors to establish clear legal tripwires and rapid-response protocols." Minneapolis pushed back. An attorney there has now filed charges against the ICE agent that murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We need more of that not respond after the damage is done.
We don't have the votes . That was a period. We need to do jujitsu to get ANYTHING.
At this point, we don't know whether an election will taake place, and if one does, as Stalin said, (s)he who votes means nothing. He who counts the votes, everything.
Just a side note...The Trump regime thought their super rich sycophants buying out all the big news media sources would result in restricting what we see and hear. He thought he could just regurgitate all the Trump BS & puke and we would buy it.
But we have independent news sources, like yourself, that we can count on to give us the straight scoop on what’s going on. So, if he thinks he has a monopoly on the news, he’s got another think coming!
Unfortunately, MSM still dominates and produces MAGA propaganda.
The closest thing we have to "straight scoop" that reaches the public airwaves is Canadian broadcasting, which is limited. While Canadian networks rely heavily on U.S. programming, the reverse is not true; American audiences generally have low exposure to Canadian-produced television, though some content gains traction through streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Wikipedia
The FCC limits maximum power for commercial AM radio stations to 50,000 watts (50 kW), a standard established by the 1938 Wheeler Resolution to manage signal interference and protect "clear-channel" stations. This cap ensures broad coverage for Class A stations, while smaller stations are often required to reduce power at night.
Once upon a time companies set up stations in Mexico that powered more than 1 million watts:
Key Border Blaster Stations
XER/XERA (Villa Acuña, across from Del Rio, TX): Founded in 1931 by Dr. John R. Brinkley, this was the first major "border blaster," initially running 50,000 watts and later up to 500,000 watts to promote his "goat-gland rejuvenation" surgery and other services.
XERF-AM (Ciudad Acuña): Replacing XERA in 1947, it became one of the most famous, often running at 250,000 watts and featuring popular DJs like Wolfman Jack.
XENT (Nuevo Laredo): Operated by Norman Baker, a notorious proponent of fraudulent cancer cures.
XEG (Monterrey): Ran a 150 kW signal at night, broadcasting R&B and entertainment content from the 1960s through the 1980s.
XERB (Rosarito Beach/Tijuana): Branded as "The Mighty 1090," it was famously used by Wolfman Jack and bragged "50,000 watts of Boss Soul Power," though it often boasted a much stronger, wider range.
Ray Davies, the voice of Bluegrass, was on a blaster station.
I also keep asking whether Canada could increase its wattage to permeate US radio?
These are the ones I follow (including God). They may not be perfect, but…
* The Hartmann Report (aka RawAmerica or Thom Hartmann, (www.hartmannreport.com)
* Robert Reich Substack (robertreichsubstack.com)
* Bryan Tyler Cohen (YouTube)
* MSNOW (tv newscast and opinion programs)
* “God” on Facebook (the godpod@substack.com)
* ProPublica: propublica.org (independent nonprofit
* Politifact: politifact.com) and Snopes: snopes.com (fact checkers)
* Politico: www.politico.com
* Newsweek: www.newsweek.com
* Reuters: https://www.bbc.com/news (global news)
* The Guardian: theguardian.com (British news site)
* Axios: www.axios.com (open AI news with human review)
* The Atlantic News: (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/?after=MjAyNi0wMy0xMCAwOTowMDowMC0wNDowMHw2ODYzMDI%3D)
* The Bulwark Podcast: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast
We watch a lot of those. My wife goes to Zev and Lev first, but we also watch a lot of British stuff, Malcolm Nance, Ukranian stuff, and even Tousi etc. We have given up on "entertainment."
I am in discussion groups every day -- some filled with MAGATs -- some in Spanish. I get emails daily from some of my former colleagues who are on top of esoteric stuff.
Yesterday, my UM discussion group spent a lot of time on the death penalty and Cuba. Apparently, the rest of the country is oblivious to what is happening here in Baghdad By the Sea.
We don't talk much politics in my Spanish group. I'm writing about Latin Jazz.
Billionaires own and influence much of our media. Murdoch, Sinclair and Ellison, and Musk are just 4 and yet they influence so much here, and around the world.
Buying their influence in news, and entertainment, social networks, media and it’s been going on for at least 35 years by billionaire “conservatives” who influence MAGAats and their beliefs.
Can the media do its job right and not have a "liberal bias"? Because to support and defend the ideals of democracy, justice, and the Constitution is to be suspicious of authoritarian institutions and processes like business, religion, and the military, which are inherently conservative.
To suppress the media into useless docility is to do the same to us. There is no neutral ground for the media to occupy and report from dispassionately; that is a fiction.
There is an obvious trend in the MSM to report MAGA news almost to the exclusion of liberal news. I have posted before that the news today focuses on infotainment to attract an audience which helps their sponsors thrive. Thus, headlines are normally clickbait. "FLASH: Here is Trump's latest outrageous remark/edict/act/event..."
My daily news summary makes it obvious that the ratio of Trump noise to Democrat noise in the MSM is about 8 to 1. Trump uses social media to rule the world. No democrat has ever done that. Trump issues orders on X and Truth Social. It isn't even illegal as long as formal paperwork exists in the system. Trump's control of the MSM has turned our democracy into an aristocracy in one year. That would make Adolf Hitler blush with envy were he still alive.
Today, only Democrats want to govern "for the people," but cannot because the Republicans really like RULING for the rich. Our president is not only amoral, but he also lacks dignity and honor. He has insulted every national leader in public and on TV. We have no allies, as Hormuz has demonstrated. Trump leaves China alone simply because they can hit back. They only support America when it is in their nation's interest by coincidence. Western Europe now views America like it viewed the Soviet Union - A nation of selfish thugs.
God. Those people are evil incarnate.
I want to know what Thom considers to be mainstream media. I mostly watch CNN and MS NOW and they consistently pelt the republicans. Paul Krugman appears there frequently blasting the administration's handling of the economy....
If CNN and MSNOW were resposible, they'd hold Gvt. Republicans to their oaths.
They'd correct Trump, point blank to his face, in front of the other MSM cameras and microphones.
Thom: I'm sure you know who it was, that taught the Republican party to accuse the Democratic party and others of what they themselves are guilty of, and to keep pounding the drum.
Take TDS for example.
When I first encountered the term I thought it described MAGAts, then I leanred that MAGAts accuse us of TDS.
Someone in their propaganda department, knew that Trumps cult was deranged so they created the phrase and applied to Trump's cult opponents.
Look what they did to antifascism, but there the left was too clever for itself, creating a meme antifa separated it from antifascism, and now Trump and his fascists use antifa, as a euphemism for terrorism and enemies of the state, thus confirming that the state is already fascist, except the hopeful liberal can't wrap their head around that. By the time that they do, it will be too late to really fight back.
Corrected my comment.
We, as Netanyahu have lost the propaganda war. We have to become better liars I guess.
You should have said "We, as Netanyahu have lost the propaganda war?
Not hard to do, only MAGA believes Trump, no one else does, they are however afraid of him, because his mercurial, irrational, but his power comes from the fact that America is the great consumer. Were it not for our consumption, he would have no power
Trump uses blackmail, mostly financial, to force nations and instiutions to their knees, and many an American as well.
I disagree with Thom's analysis. The "mainstream" media are owned by obscenely wealthy billionaires.they have concentrated their ownership to having 90 percent ownership of the "mainstream" media belonging to six corporations. The obscenely wealthy want us all to be ignorant slaves with no access to real information. The addiction to wealth and power of these mega wealthy people is the greatest threat to Democracy in the U.S. and all life on Earth! It is the wealthy owners not the Republicans who have made the press so rightwing oriented.
Great advice, but 30 years too late. If not before, the bias has been obvious since tRump rode down his escalator in 2015 declaring his run for the presidency and the “main-stream-media” spent more time telling their audience that Hillary was crooked and tRump was a legitimate candidate.
OR the FCC could again enforce the Fairness in Reporting Act.
I’ve been monitoring this. Local news in a large market in a purple state NBC News. National News ABC with David Muir. Sunday Morning Face the Nation. Results: pro Republican coverage. Dating back to 2016 election. FTN would generally have 3 Republicans, 1 or 2 Dems. Sometimes 3 Republicans, no Dems. In an election year. When Obama was President a drone strike took out ISIS leaders. Should have been a good week for Obama. FTN that Sunday had three Republicans, NO dems. One Republican was Bob Gates, former Sec of Defense. After discussing the strike against ISIS, the reporter asked Gates: “Do you think Hillary Clinton is QUALIFIED to be Commander and Chief?” Bob Gates looked shocked, responding: “I’m a Republican, WHY would you ask ME that?”
The current media landscape consists of rightwing propaganda and the mainstream media (ABC CBS NBC CNN). Rightwing media lies. Mainstream doesn’t lie much, they just won’t cover anything factual that makes Democrats look good, or Republicans look bad. They edit and censor. I consider the mainstream media as Rightwing Lite. And that was before MAGA launched their takeovers of CBS and CNN. Dictatorships usually take over the media first. Mussolini did, Hitler did, Viktor Orban did in Hungary and he has been advising the Republican leadership at CPAC meetings.
If the appropriate Democrats, meaning all of us, have not ferociously responded to the successful "media bias" campaign of the last 30 years by the rabies infested rabid right, why would we expect them to do that now? This is the gaping hole in almost every conversation of what the Dems should be doing. And yes, why haven't unions and others bought a major network? Maybe WF and DS could put some of their energy into a real plan to do this.
If democracy is to be defended, we’ll need Democratic leadership more interested in defending it than in controlling who gets admitted to the club. The necessary housecleaning will require aggressive, courageous, relentless dedication, a willingness to both guide and listen to the electorate, and a focus on working the constitutionally feckless media.
Excellent information, Thom!
Unfortunately, my reps are all Republican ( I live in Florida), so it's not possible to send an email through the system. I blast the GOP reps, though, and recently sent a shaming email, "Where is your sense of decency!"(yes, I copied it)
I am worried about the Administration and the elected Republicans completely ignoring the Constitution. The liberal press thing has been going on forever. If I have been scolded for watching CNN once it has been thousands of times. Our country seems to be going down in flames and I worry about the young people in my family living their lives in a far different country then I have enjoyed.
OK, you are certainly right,but if no one is paying attention, what damned difference does it make?! Where are our leaders who should be screaming from the rooftops! Why are our congressional leaders not going on independent sub stacks and telling it like it is, daring the networks not to have them on—-making some noise, creating some controversy, calling out their fellows across the aisle to come on Krugman or Borowitz and have a national debate. Call the bastards out !!