Don’t trust, definitely verify
When we were kids, the older folks taught us a very valuable lesson. How do you know when a politician is lying? The answer? Their lips are moving. In all seriousness, lying and politics have gone hand in hand for the length of this experiment we call democracy. So, why is it so difficult for the mainstream media to do the basic job of vetting comments before running with them?
Apparently, Donald Trump has “agreed” to debate Kamala Harris on Fox News on September 4th. It will be beautiful in front of a packed MAGA house. It will be the best debate anyone has ever seen with fair and balanced moderators straight from Fox News. You won’t believe how great it will be. There is only one problem you have probably already guessed. Neither Fox nor Kamala Harris have agreed to anything.
Despite this, most mainstream media outlets initially reported that the two would debate on September 4th. Why? Simply put, Trump said so on his shitty little app. Of course the mainstream media ran with the story because of course Trump wouldn’t lie about something like this. The guy that told over 30,000 documented lies as president is the perfect kind of guy to take at his word no matter what he says.
That is until the try to cover up what he said and make it sound more palatable. The headlines only changed after they received a ton of pushback from readers and viewers. The media has never been able to figure out how to treat him as a whole, but we have occasional pockets of reporters that get things right. His appearance this past weekend before a group of African-American journalists was a masters class in holding him responsible for inflammatory rhetoric and dubious claims.
This is very simple and I can’t believe I have to write this down. He’s lying. If he’s arguing anything anywhere near policy he’s lying. He’s not even particularly good at lying. Imagine a second grader BS’ing their way through a copy of “Where the Red Fern Grows” and you have a good mental image. One good targeted question and that second grader goes running back to their seat with tears in their eyes. You know, big strong men with tears in their eyes.
The Trump way is to overwhelm you with a tsunami of lies. The hope and expectation is that you won’t catch them all. You don’t have to report on him in real time. You can stop and verify it simply because if it sounds like a load of crap then it probably is. Did he really agree to a debate on Fox? Does it make sense for Kamala Harris to agree to go on conservative sponsored media with conservative moderators and a conservative crowd? Of course, since the MSM bought it hook, line, and sinker, the Trump team gets to run with the narrative that Harris is backing out. It’s a really simple lie that a second grader could work through. I just wish the mainstream media were smarter than a second grader.
When I saw the first batch of headlines, I thought, here we go, it’s the weekend and the last hired and interns run the show.
That headline quoted Trump, without context.
1Some time ago, mainstream media ceased to be journalists and became stenographers. They’ll report anything a politician, particularly a Republican politician, says, word for word, without checking for veracity, at all.
2Nick, what thatotherjean said. And more. I’ll have more bandwidth later.
3The beauty of being trumpf and many repugnantican politicians is truth is irrelevant. If it sounds like something they’d like to be true, that’s good enough for them. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the media is after clicks and ad sales, so they just go with it and quietly clean up later In obscure revisions. Most don’t see those revisions. It’s only going to get worse the next 90ish days.
4The NYT is such a rag publication anymore with their blatant suck up to trumpf. I stopped my subscription but still see their headlines and trumpf propaganda.
“Baffle Them with Bullshit” is DiJiT and the GrOPer’s working principle.
Komrade Donnei’s ‘media company’ (Trump Media & Technology Group Corp) stock price seems to follow his public perception:
https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/djt
5Actually give me the stenographer over these people. At least you’d get an accurate reading of what he said. Imagine the subtle but huge difference between these headlines.
1) “Trump to debate Harris on Fox”
2) “Trump SAYS he will debate Harris on Fox”
I don’t need to do any research to write either headline. I can write the second one without any corrections. He said it. When it turns out not to be true then appropriate questions can be asked like “why did he say that if there wasn’t an agreement?” With the first headline the question will be “who backed out?” Again, one subtle word difference and absolutely no research required.
It was the NPR story on his “you won’t have to vote again” comments that baffle me. News reporting 101 says you report what they said. THEY get to do the hard work of parsing that out when they misspeak. You NEVER do that for them and certainly not without asking. So again, I’ll take the stenographer. At least you’ll get an accurate account of what he actually said.
6Where the Red Fern Grows is a favorite of mine and I did not find it until I was an adult. It still makes me tear up at the end. drumpf’s end would bring smiles to my mug.
The movie sucked just like drumpf.
7ps drumpf has lied about the 2020 election being rigged a conservative estimate 30 billion times.
8Tsunami of lies.
9IMHO The best example of what you’re saying was the debate that killed Joe’s reelection. The biggest mistake Joe and his campaign made was thinking that the inability of trump to interrupt and talk over was gonna create a level playing field that Joe could take advantage of to get his message across. But the trade-off of absolutely no slapping down of obvious lies by the so-called moderators was devastating. I’ve never been to debate contests, but I can’t imagine a better example of the Gish Gallop. trump’s lies were so relentlessly preposterous that NOBODY could’ve effectively countered them in the time allotted. When I remember the look on Joe’s face when he was struggling for words that the media pounced on as his feebility, what I see is somebody trying to wrap their head around the sheer absurdity of what they’re trying to respond to in a manner befitting a president. And finally he did. Twice. Once he called the malarkey. And once he finally said “Everything he just said is a lie”.
But not only did the media (for the most part) only cover Joe’s apparent confusion, they barely acknowledged the Niagara Falls of lies uttered by the Weaselheaded Fucknugget.
Thereby legitimizing them.
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2024/08/04
10From Trumpf’s playbook and the media just lets it slide.
His Atlanta rally was full of lies, racist attacks and incoherent slurring. Think much of the media focused on that like they did Biden’s debate performance. Nope.
Several years ago I tangled with a paper that published an article in which a person accused me of not doing my job correctly but the paper/reporter did not contact me to get my statement on the record. When I challenged the paper I was told that they had a good tape recorder and would not correct the reporter or article. The newspaper in question was the McDowell News in Marion, NC
That was in mid 80’s and I am still pissed.
11IF they debate, Harris should have a desk bell she can hit every time he lies.Even though the broadcaster might block it, the audience and attending press would hear it, and the word would get out.
12She better bring 2 bells cuz one will get worn out.
13