Progressives blasting the entire mainstream #media in an undifferentiated way irk me a bit.
Not because they are totally wrong and not because I was a #journalist myself. But partly because #fascists do much the same thing, albeit for the opposite reasons.
I'm not saying the sector isn't in need of repair. And I do know that 'mainstream' means different things in different places. But do you seriously think that left-wing angles are liable to replace wishy-washy ones in the current climate?
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The problem is that eroded confidence in conventional information channels leaves a gap. And right now, the sad fact is that more people are likely to fill that gap with #fascist or #conspiracy-theory garbage than with progressive analysis. That is why fascists trash the media incessantly.
An example to showcase the outcome: How many readers turn to information undeniably proving that #covid is worse than shown by the major news channels? And how many more prefer some totally nutcase take?
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So, please consider saying 'right-wing' media and not 'mainstream media' - to avoid using the same term as #fascists, while meaning a totally different thing.
So what't the bottom line answer as to what's reliable and good and what's not anymore?
As a news consumer I made the choice to cut the cable and stop piping that junk into my house a long time ago. To use your COVID example I quit taking advice from WaPo and NYT because they keep platforming the likes of Wen and Tufecki.
I don't consider the NYT or WaPo to be Fox or OAN, but I also can't consider them to be reliable sources consistently.
I guess my question is, where does that leave us? What's "right-wing" and what's "mainstream" and where's the cutoff?
Really appreciate the answer, and I think I would have answered my own question about the same way that you just did.
@BE
Yes, I guessed someone would catch me out on that point. ;-)
As a European leftist, I think I am to the left of most American leftists, and therefore obviously sympathise with your stance.
But the question I still see is this one: Do the WaPo and the NYT really do more harm than good, given the current trends in US society?
Yep, where is the cutoff? To me, almost any US paper is right-wing... but I can also appreciate that my standards don't apply in relative terms.