(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The National Media Should be Taken to the Woodshed for their Bogus "Neutrality" [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-03 The National Media falsely pretends it’s neutral. It has elevated arguably the most dangerous man on the planet to celebrity instead of infamy, someone who masquerades as a legitimate candidate in our country’s most important Democratic Election. Instead of a man who is destined to inhabit the gutters and dark alleys of world history and seeks his own personal dictatorship. And will be viewed that way 100 years from now if the planet can be spared the worst effects of global warming. Guess who? Trump should be considered every bit as dangerous as Adolph Hitler was to the German people and the rest of the world in 1939. Not for his miserable, grifting self, but for the dangerous forces in America behind him bent on establishing dictatorship and the MAGA denial of our nation’s responsibility to strive, above all, for humanity, decency and a democratic way of life. Biden Ignored That same national media has largely ignored President Joe Biden, elected by a 7 million voter majority, when they are not criticizing him. It matters not the reason for the lack of coverage on Biden and the daily coverage of the poisons Trump spouts from his an*s like mouth. Biden must find better ways to break this arrangement. Republican clown show currently at the Biden impeachment inquiry. Direct attacks may backfire and make it appear Biden is attacking a free press. Not that the corporate media is anything like a free press. Biden is certainly clever enough and has a competent enough staff to go on the offensive without shooting himself in the foot. His strategy to date has had mixed results. It’s been one of bending over backwards to avoid a direct confrontation with the Republican Trumpers, appearing bi-partisan, and trusting that his actions and accomplishments will speak louder than words. We shall see what the corporate media does with coverage of the Republican clown show inquiry into an impeachment of Biden, which contains all fabricated “evidence” and was concocted quite obviously to distract from the Republican threatened closing down of government and to undermine Trump’s prosecution. There is no rule or law that media must be neutral. Historically this has not been the case. AOC delivers epic rebuke on hearings, worth listening to. No Media Source Can Claim Neutrality — Right or Left At one time, they advertised the station as “fair and balanced.” I can’t pin down the point at which the corporate media began its unwritten policies of alleged neutrality, perhaps with the arrival of T.V. and national networks? I know in the case of newspapers, they often would write editorial to endorse candidates while still giving the public the impression, usually falsely, that the rest of their coverage was objective. Of course we know newspapers are not neutral, regardless of political or practical motivations. Both the New York Post and Daily News, for example have switched political sides multiple times. CNN has recently retreated, at least in some of its coverage, from a recent attempt to spin rightward. Corporate media made up the notion of their alleged neutrality on their own. Which is especially bad at this time. The country hardly needs such a disservice since the Republicans have gone batsh*t crazy. Hiding Behind Neutrality President Biden. I’m not suggesting that media cannot or should not have a point of view or opinion. But much of corporate media hides behind it. Reporting many of the wildest, biased, racist, baseless, idiotic and destructive Republican news stories under such a banner. It matters because media can have a powerful influence on voters, particularly because Americans as a rule are poorly versed in politics as well as alienated from it. And do not follow it closely enough to fully grasp what’s going on or how they are being manipulated. And even though we fought a World War to defend democracy and stop fascism, a war in which 60 million people died, corporate media remains silent in the face of the recent developments in the Republican Party. That must change and Biden’s recent addresses in Arizona and Philadelphia appear to be headed for a more direct confrontation with the fascists. Finally saying at an Arizona address: “There’s something dangerous happening in America now. There’s an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs in our democracy.” . . . We should all remember, Democracies don’t have to die at the end of a rifle. They can die when people are silent, when they fail to stand up or condemn the threats to democracy.” Penetrating the News Cycle Clinton’s administration was capable of penetrating the news cycle. Biden and elected Democrats must scheme more ways to penetrate the new cycle and counter Republican and Trump domination. In the absence of a more deliberate and conscious strategy, this will likely never happen. Former President Clinton, whatever you think of his pandering to the right politics and the Monica Lewinsky affair, practiced such a plan. He could be counted on to respond quickly, frequently in the same 24 hour new cycle, exposing Republican rants. The networks are addicted to controversy and political infighting and the Democrats must supply more of it on their terms. This way the media is virtually forced to respond to the bombs the Republicans are always dropping. 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