(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Almighty Corporate Media Is Failing Us - Good News for Bluesday, June 27th [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-27 By faithfully serving the interests of their corporate ownership, our mainstream media is engaged in a considerable disservice to their audience, i.e. us. The combined effects of job-number-one being maximizing profit, permitting puffery in exchange for access, and the widespread abandonment of journalistic rigor in favor of sensationalism has plunged the fourth estate into serious decline. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post regularly publish stories purporting to be news, that appear to have been penned by employees of the republican national committee. Fox News abused what should be a position of public trust to, among many other unethical and probably criminal acts, help foment an armed insurrection. There’s an old aphorism that states, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Murdoch and Co. have introduced a corollary, “There are only assholes at Fox News.” Instead of stories about the benefits of the roll out from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act and/or the Inflation Reduction Act we are subjected to endless stories about the views of troglodytes sitting in diners in Iowa, waxing despotic about which despicable cretin they’re supporting in the primaries, 8 excruciatingly long months from now. Where are the top of the news stories about advancements in fighting opioid addiction, reasons that addressing climate change are everyone’s responsibility, or even how to remove overzealous autocrats from local school boards? Where are the well reasoned pieces about the pros, cons, and possible ramifications of proposed policy rollouts? Even if I knew what was special about a tinker’s damn, I still wouldn’t give one for yet another story touting the reasons some barely literate thug resonates with the masses. First, it’s not factually true — those masses are far from a majority. And second it’s extremely tedious for them to tell the same ridiculous fairy tale over and over again. That might be fine for entertaining preschoolers and adults who never matured past that level, but it’s nails on a chalkboard for the rest of us. If there’s an afterlife, and if he is are aware of what has become of most of our media, I would bet Edward R. Murrow is currently spinning fast enough to power the entire East Coast all the way to the Mississippi river. Sensationalist drivel and thinly disguised puffery proliferates with wild abandon. We are saddled with Russian state propaganda organs (RT), white supremacist platforms (InfoWars), and whatever the hell Elon Musk is, all purporting to be purveyors of news. It’s all hype and no substance. They are trying to treat truth as a fungible commodity. And they are doing a transparently bad job of it. What to do? What to do? Well, aside from the letters to the editor and complaints to the FCC, our best defense is to be aware. Tell your friends and neighbors to be on guard against drowning in a avalanche of bullshit. Perhaps the Snafu Society (aka the Reichwing Blunderfactory) inadvertently performed a laudable act with all the caterwauling and whining they generated over “fake news.” They shined a spotlight on just how bad a job the media has been doing. Because the media gave airtime, and thereby at least tacit approval to a more than veritable mountain of nonsense, they’ve led more and more of us to question their motivations. They’ve let lies like “Russia hoax” go mostly unchallenged in the interest of a “balanced” approach. False equivalences, ridiculous levels of bothsiderism, single-source reporting, and just plain old sloppy fact checking permeate the media landscape. We can use the media’s obvious failures as a means to influence wavering and independent voters. There’s almost no pushback or bothsiderism against media criticism, so it’s an easy(ish) avenue into political conversations. When 60 to 70 percent of the country agrees with you on most issues, your only real task to make them aware of that fact. The 10 to 20 percent of the population who vote against their own beliefs can be reached. And, we’re just the persistent kind of culture warriors to do that. Remember, truth has a liberal bias. We have the power. We have the ability. We can and we will do this. Slava Ukraini! Remember the Children Screw you, Samuel Alito The studio owners are still working at pushing writers into poverty, so here’s something fun from Don Caron at Parody Project x YouTube Video Here’s another one for good measure. x YouTube Video On to the news and such: I’m running really late (I overslept) with finding news stories. Most of the stuff at the top of the news feeds I use is either about Prigozhin or the case against tfg. It’s all good news for us, but I leave the coverage of Ukraine to kos and mark, and I’m so very tired of reading about The Treason Guy, so I’m declaring this news section a tfg free zone for today. This is a short (for me) news section. You can help out by linking important good news stories in the comments. Aleasto Takes a Drubbing One of my 6 least favorite Supreme Court justices got seriously roasted on Sunday. Salon: Gabriella Ferrigine: Law professors torch Alito for demanding “safe space” and "complete insulation from critique" Two law professors criticized Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's Wall Street Journal op-ed last week seeking to defend against a ProPublica report detailing his luxury fishing trip with Republican billionaire megadonor Paul Singer. ✂️ "And yet this man who has penned fiery dissents in decisions securing equal rights for LGBTQ+ people and other minority groups is so thin-skinned that he can't brook a hint of dissent directed at him," they continued. "The man who represents an institution charged with interpreting the 1st Amendment can't bear others exercising their free speech rights to criticize him. Instead, he uses his stature and appearances to take potshots at those bold enough to question an institution that, as we keep learning, is loath to observe rules or restrictions." Litman and Murray noted that the conservative legal movement has long identified itself in opposition to "liberal judicial 'imperialism.'" "And yet it is Justice Alito, a prominent face of that project, who insists on the prerogatives of an emperor-king, among them unstinting general adulation and complete insulation from critique," they wrote. "It's no wonder the court's public standing is in trouble: Some of the justices seem to be letting the term 'supreme' go to their heads." The Stupid, It Burns I couldn’t help laughing at this godawful spit take from Faux News. I think Maria Bartiromo wants to be Empty Greene’s new bestie after the latter’s breakup with Sideshow Boebert. Mother Jones: Inae Oh: Fox News Has an Interesting New Theory About the Wagner Group and Hunter Biden As the international community sorts through the fallout of the short-lived rebellion by Russia’s powerful Wagner Group mercenary force—the most significant challenge to Vladimir Putin’s regime in more than two decades—some are apparently unimpressed by the stunning events. In fact, according to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, the White House and the State Department have collaborated in drumming up “drama” in Russia in order to distract from what Bartiromo has labeled the real story of the week: new allegations surrounding Hunter Biden. Bartiromo told Fox & Friends on Sunday that she had even predicted that such an elaborate deflection scheme would be underway soon: On Friday, I said, “Wow, what a blockbuster WhatsApp message [sent by Hunter Biden]. I’m sure there will be an enormous story over the weekend that the White House is gonna be pushing to take this story off of the front page.” And sure enough, we’ve got the State Department drumming up all the drama that took place over the weekend in Russia. So I don’t know if it’s gonna break through. The mainstream media has an excuse again not to cover it. They’re covering everything about Russia and the Wagner Group—as if it really matters to the US right now. Speaking of Empty There’s trouble ‘a brewin’ for Barney Rubble’s Body Double (h/t Keith Olbermann) in the treason caucus. Just think how loathsome she has to be if her fellow bottom dwellers are contemplating ousting her from their we-hate-everyone club. Politico: Olivia Beavers: Freedom Caucus takes key vote on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s future House Freedom Caucus members took a momentous vote Friday on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s future with the group, according to three people familiar with the matter — but it’s not yet clear whether she’s been officially ejected. The right-flank group took up Greene’s status amid an internal push, first reported by POLITICO, to consider purging members who are inactive or at odds with the Freedom Caucus. Greene’s close alliance with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and her accompanying criticism of colleagues in the group, has put her on the opposite side of a bloc that made its name opposing GOP leadership. While her formal status in the conservative group remains in limbo, the 8 a.m. Friday vote — which sources said ended with a consensus against her — points to, at least, continued strong anti-Greene sentiment. Yer Regular Dose of Andy Andy went on the road to Alaska for this story. That’s some real dedication right there. Yes siree, Bob. The New Yorker: Satire from the Borowitz Report: Paul Singer Sets Fishing Record by Catching Two-Hundred-Pound Supreme Court Justice ALASKA (The Borowitz Report)—The billionaire Paul Singer set a sport-fishing record by catching a Supreme Court Justice who weighed in at approximately two hundred pounds. The Justice, who was estimated to measure over sixty inches, became Singer’s catch during a luxury fishing trip to Alaska in 2008. Singer, who said that he kept his record catch a secret because he does not “like to brag,” revealed that the jurist was “much easier to catch” than he had anticipated. Recycling Isn’t Just for Households I keep being pleasantly surprised by every new move to become better stewards of the planet. GoodNewsNetwork: Andy Corbley: Scientists Are Recycling Wastewater to Reclaim Valuable Phosphorous to Put Back in Soil Scientists have taken pollutant phosphorus from wastewater and infused it into a soil superfood called biochar to really “close the loop” on several widespread agricultural practices. The biochar itself is made from incinerated organic material inside an oxygen-deprived environment, turning it into charcoal that acts like an underground rainwater sponge that also delivers the necessary phosphorus and other nutrients for plant growth.✂️ Daniel Strawn, Professor of Environmental Soil Chemistry at the University of Idaho, and his colleagues have demonstrated a method and technology that can use phosphorus collecting in wastewater treatment plants to enrich biochar. Musical Interlude x YouTube Video Music from Ukraine Here’s another song from KRUTb (Maryna Krut), singing and playing her bandura. Воля means Freedom. Mother, don't cry. You gave birth to me for the freedom. And at the cost of our own blood Sunflowers will sprout on the fields. Mother, I'm starting the journey Because we've got nothing left to lose. We never knew how to stay silent Because there are no other people's children [1] Instead of air raid siren sounds in the cities Sing me beautiful songs. We will wake up one day From springtime and good news. My mother, I'm just a small human being, But I have a family of millions of people That will win one springtime day. Translation from LyricTranslates.com x YouTube Video On the Lighter Side (with an Edge) Quote of the Day No assemblage of politicians except the Republicans would ever conceive of running for the American presidency by running against the Constitution and the rule of law. But that’s exactly what they’re planning. — former U.S. appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig (appointed by George H.W. Bush and served from 1991 to 2006.) The Hunting Pressley Report Musings from the desk of Pressley T. NotEver Pressley surrounded by her diverse security detail Dateline: (Waiting for treats at Chez NNNE). In today’s edition, Pressley speaks out on press(ley)ing issues faced by Doggie Nation. The microphone is all yours, Pressley. Doggone it! I’m pissed. We are supposed to be living in a dog eat treat world. Yet those dogdamn republican’t turd piles won’t stop ranting about Hunter Biden long enough to work at making sure the water at the dog park is safe to drink. I see a lot of barking, some backbiting, and a bunch of pointless tail-chasing going on. What I don’t see is any real cooperation — no fetching; no herding; no rescuing — just chaos. I think they all just expect us to roll over and play dead while they sneak in to steal our toys and food bowls. The itch they cause is worse than flea bites. Whew. Glad I got that out from under my fur. How about I share a video starring a patient cat (I’m not a big fan of speciesism, so I try to be inclusive) to make up for it? x YouTube Video Closing Notes Let’s end this meeting of the GNR Grateful Dead Appreciation Society with a performance of A Lazy River Road from June, 1993. This is a late Hunter/Garcia collaboration. For the price of a taxi ride Night double-clutches into today Like a truck downshifting it's load Way down down along Lazy River Road Thread the needle right through the eye The thread that runs so true [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/27/2177575/-The-Almighty-Corporate-Media-Is-Failing-Us-Good-News-for-Bluesday-June-27th Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/