[RD] August 16, 2018: A Pressing Exercise in Futility

[BvBPL]

Tomorrow, hundreds of press outlets will join with the Boston Globe in condemning Pres. Trump’s attacks on the press.

This will be a pointless, nonsensical exercise.

It’s repetitive. The press has been rightly offended by Pres. Trump’s attacks on the fourth estate for years, and has constantly defended itself from the White House’s assaults upon itself. One of more day of this wouldn’t shift the needle for anyone.

A unified opinion runs against a core conceit of press freedom. The freedom of the press is founded upon the ideal that a diversity of opinions creates the wealth in the marketplace of ideas that we all benefit from. The choice to publish a uniform message denies that ideal.

It plays right into Pres. Trump’s belief that he’s a victim. Pres. Trump has repeatedly decried the media’s criticism of him as an unwarranted conspiracy against his office and person. A day of unified op-eds against him will only serve to cement the President’s view.

This will be less a call to arms for the American people to wake up and smell the press freedom that’s burning on the range and more of a creative writing exercise for editorial boards. It will only serve to galvanize the press against the president and the president against the press in a manner that changes no one’s mind.

The most effective ploy against the Trump administration has been the exposure of its incompetency. It is its own worst enemy. We need the press to report the administrations misdeeds as news to the public, rather than publishing self-gratifying op-ed pieces.

 

[Lexicus]

A unified opinion runs against a core conceit of press freedom. The freedom of the press is founded upon the ideal that a diversity of opinions creates the wealth in the marketplace of ideas that we all benefit from. The choice to publish a uniform message denies that ideal.

"If they all have the same opinion, they should pretend not to"

The most effective ploy against the Trump administration has been the exposure of its incompetency. It is its own worst enemy. We need the press to report the administrations misdeeds as news to the public, rather than publishing self-gratifying op-ed pieces.

Talk about stuff that won't change anyone's mind...

 

[rah]

What will FOX being doing tomorrow?

 

[metalhead]

The most effective ploy against the Trump administration has been the exposure of its incompetency. It is its own worst enemy. We need the press to report the administrations misdeeds as news to the public, rather than publishing self-gratifying op-ed pieces.

But then when they do that, an army of sycophants stands ready to go to message boards and post misleading and/or dishonest content obfuscating the valid points being made.

We also need a polity that doesn't comprise horrible people willing to obfuscate any level of misdeeds perpetrated by their side. One side does this on a much, much grander scale than the other, and it happens to be the side with all the power.

It's easy, and stupid, to blame the media. Armchair media critics are a dime a dozen, and are almost always lazy hacks, if not outright liars, who usually don't even consume the media they criticize. It's predictable, it's tiresome, and it's killing our country. So thank you for your service.

 

[Broken_Erika]

What will FOX being doing tomorrow?

Probably running segments on how Brave and Fearless the President is to stand up against the Deep-State Liberal-Media Fake News Peddlers.

 

[BvBPL]

But then when they do that, an army of sycophants stands ready to go to message boards and post misleading and/or dishonest content obfuscating the valid points being made.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Editorial columns are just a nice varnish. Effort should be placed where it is most effective, in reporting the news, rather than self-aggrandizing op-eds about the press itself.

 

[metalhead]

They do report the news. You would know that if you read the news, rather than doing the tired routine of criticizing news outlets you don't look at.

 

[Synobun]

They do report the news. You would know that if you read the news, rather than doing the tired routine of criticizing news outlets you don't look at.

They exaggerated a few things, though. I just can't tell a difference between CNN and Fox News.

 

[Lexicus]

Y'all act like there is a serious difference between CNN and Fox News. CNN is corporate propaganda, almost exactly like Fox but with a slightly different target audience.

 

[BvBPL]

They do report the news.

Yes, and they should focus on that tomorrow. The flood of op-eds will not be news.

 

[Synobun]

Y'all act like there is a serious difference between CNN and Fox News. CNN is corporate propaganda, almost exactly like Fox but with a slightly different target audience.

Tell me more, Alex Jones.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Tell me more, Alex Jones.

CNN is run by the Lizard People, Fox News is run by space aliens from Uranus and MSNBC is run by Abominable snowmen.

 

[warpus]

The freedom of the press is founded upon the ideal that a diversity of opinions creates the wealth in the marketplace of ideas that we all benefit from.

Sure, but in this case most people just happen to agree that your president is a dangerous moron.

Freedom of opinion doesn't mean that we all always have to have differing opinions.

 

[metalhead]

Yes, and they should focus on that tomorrow. The flood of op-eds will not be news.

You realize that tomorrow's papers will still have a news section that publishes with the op-eds, right? Because it's hard to tell if you do.

 

[Lexicus]

Tell me more, Alex Jones.

CNN is an integral part of the media apparatus that "m a n u f a c t u r e s c o n s e n t" for the rule of the organized business class and in particular the regime's various imperial ventures.

I mean, it's true that Fox News is worse than CNN, but only because Fox News caters to the segment of Americans whose minds have been most thoroughly destroyed by the propaganda of the aforementioned organized business class.

 

[JollyRoger]

Each and every one of these outlets reported that Trump won the election. Obviously Fake News.

 

[NovaKart]

On August 16th madonna will also be 60 years old.