The 4th Estate Thread Has Surrendered

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:19 pm

Like the many things flying around I posted it in the Trump Presidency thread. This one is especially galling considering they are saying they support the military and with another breath ordering a life line and sense of normalcy for deployed troops to shut down. It costs $15M a year - a microscopic dot in the defense budget. There is no reason to close it other than to shut off 'free press' sources of information to the troops. It goes hand in hand with the take over of Voice of America. Trump is consolidating power over journalism that is directly in his control. It is another indicator of authoritarian intent.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 5:38 pm

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 7:34 pm

JFC. How is this really happening? What a way to run a country.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 7:37 pm

Did Stars & Stripes have anything to do with the recent polling that showed Trump down among the troops?

I thought the poll was from Military Times, but are they related?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 9:48 pm

Somebody must've agreed to toe the line. Not that I imagine S&S crosses the line often.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 11:56 pm

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:40 pm

This man claims CNN pays him 7 figures. It's hard to believe when his output shows high school news letter levels of mediocrity.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:45 pm

"This just in: compulsive liar who insults troops in public denies doing so in private!"

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 8:29 pm

malchior wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 7:34 pm JFC. How is this really happening? What a way to run a country.

This is how Lex Luthor stays out of jail. Release the giant radioactive monster YOU created... but then show up right before it eats Tiffany Trump (aka the expendable Trump) and kill it with an anti radioactive monster gun and win back some love.

Very crafty, Lex Trump. Very crafty.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Fri Sep 11, 2020 2:01 am

CNN cuts away from press briefing as Brianna Keilar says McEnany is lying.

https://secondnexus.com/cnn-keilar-lyin ... gh-mcenany

Hopefully this is a trend.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Sep 11, 2020 9:22 am

Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart puts the above into perspective.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:44 am

malchior wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 9:22 am Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart puts the above into perspective.

"When asked directly if the President had lied to the American public, McEnany had the gall to say, "The President has never lied to the American public on Covid." "

That might be technically correct. According to (Kelly? Mattis?), trump says whatever crosses his little mind, and believes it when he says it. He cannot differentiate between truth and lies -- the fact that he believes it means it's true. Ergo, he can't lie.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:56 am

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Sep 11, 2020 12:03 pm

malchior wrote: Sat Sep 05, 2020 3:40 pm This man claims CNN pays him 7 figures. It's hard to believe when his output shows high school news letter levels of mediocrity.

Cillizza's gonna Collizza.

The man's a walking illustration of how the free market doesn't automatically reward talent.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:36 pm

Cancel Chuck Todd already. This is notable because this is a colleague on Todd's own network calling out both him and the network itself for ignoring clear bias on their biggest show.

This morning @MeetThePress gave Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller a platform for 10 minutes

NO DEMOCRAT was allowed on the show afterward to counter him

I’m told a senior Democrat was booked—but Meet the Press canceled them AT THE LAST MINUTE

This is open Republican bias.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:57 pm

malchior wrote:Cancel Chuck Todd already. This is notable because this is a colleague on Todd's own network calling out both him and the network itself for ignoring clear bias on their biggest show.

This morning @MeetThePress gave Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller a platform for 10 minutes

NO DEMOCRAT was allowed on the show afterward to counter him

I’m told a senior Democrat was booked—but Meet the Press canceled them AT THE LAST MINUTE

This is open Republican bias.

My memory normally is terrible, but I remember posting here the night of the election in 2016, as we were watching Trump’s lead slowly grow (shudder), that Chuck Todd was acting like a kid at Christmas as soon as he thought it was all over for Clinton. I remember the moment vividly (I guess bc at the time I never considered him to be very left or right leaning, usually politically neutral on the air).

For some reason, I got some pushback here I assume from ppl who thought he leaned left for some reason (maybe because he was on MSNBC)?

Perhaps he’s a Trump double downer? No idea, since I stopped watching TV news years ago.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:06 pm

The Lincoln Project joins in as well. Jason Miller is extremely slimy and it really shows how far in the gutters some programs on MSM networks are. It is really depressing how shady the business side has pushed these programs in by putting mediocre yes men in charge.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:24 pm

malchior wrote:The Lincoln Project joins in as well. Jason Miller is extremely slimy and it really shows how far in the gutters some programs on MSM networks are. It is really depressing how shady the business side has pushed these programs in by putting mediocre yes men in charge.

That’s the weakest LP ad I’ve seen yet. The answer? Because nobody cares about Jason Miller!

Surely they can spend their creative juices more productively than going after a low level toady like him.

Yes, he seems to be a scumbag, and at some point in the next two years, he’ll probably show up on an episode of “Cops” or “Live PD”, shirtless and drunk.

But the other Miller...Steven...he’s the real danger that needs to be publicly outed for what he is.

I guess I believe there are degrees of scumbagginess, and JM barely tilts the scale relative to his other colleagues in the admin.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:32 pm

Well he is the Trump campaign spokesman...so it does make sense to highlight he is a bottom feeder. It and other pressure puts the outlets in a vice. The networks are getting crificized for bringing him on but also would get blasted for not giving air time to the official Trump spokesman. Any controversy is good because it might get people to notice who he is. In that sense I think he is a good target. And there is little harm taking shots when there is little effort required and no price to be paid to try.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:42 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:24 pm

I guess I believe there are degrees of scumbagginess, and JM barely tilts the scale relative to his other colleagues in the admin.

Dunno. If the allegations are true, to me he's one of the worst kind of men.

Jason Miller, a pro-Donald Trump contributor at CNN, is leaving his job. The announcement comes after Splinter published a report detailing an allegation that Miller drugged a former mistress with an abortion pill, to terminate her pregnancy.

Court documents for the custody battle between Miller and A.J. Delgado, another former Trump staffer, show that Miller also allegedly had an affair with a woman he met at an Orlando, Fl., strip club in 2012.

When this woman told Miller that she was pregnant, he allegedly gave her an abortion pill without her knowledge. According to court documents, he mixed the pill into a “smoothie beverage.” The pill allegedly caused her pregnancy to be terminated, and nearly fatal health complications that sent her to the emergency room.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:47 pm

Jesus. Ok, I retract my former post!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:49 pm

Too late! You're now on record as not hating Jason Miller enough.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 3:36 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:47 pm Jesus. Ok, I retract my former post!

This is the problem. Not enough people know how bad he is. And he is the Trump campaign spokesman and they throw him on tv all the time. All the guardrails are gone. Not that people they put on tv were all decent (obviously) but we know this guy is a real scumbag and they just ignore that to keep the dance card full.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:43 pm

I've known he was a d-bag for a while, but is there anything beyond allegations regarding the abortion pill?

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:29 pm

Well he admitted to hiring prostitutes.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 12:07 am

Jaymann wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:29 pm Well he admitted to hiring prostitutes.

I don't think the affair or the impregnation are in question.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:35 am

Alefroth wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 12:07 am
Jaymann wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:29 pm Well he admitted to hiring prostitutes.
I don't think the affair or the impregnation are in question.

No, but you asked if there was anything beyond that and I delivered.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:58 pm

Pelosi went on Wolf Blitzer's show. He pressed her on why she wouldn't accept Trump's deal. She rightly asked why they won't accept the Democratic deal and called him an apologist for the Republican position. That said, I think she had a iffy showing. She can't cut through this stuff in a succinct way.

As an aside, watching Blitzer taking on the persona as a great populist is ridiculous. He is living in the clouds if he thinks Pelosi is the problem but that is where we are.

Pelosi goes head to head with Blitzer.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:26 am

Malpractice.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:29 am

Sourced by Giuliani, Bannon, and Rupert Murdoch. Seems legit.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:36 am

In the meantime executive privilege, lawsuits, and the DOJ acting as personal legal team for POTUS, shield the American people from knowing his relationship with Putin, Deutsche Bank, etc...

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:45 am

Holman wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 8:29 am Sourced by Giuliani, Bannon, and Rupert Murdoch. Seems legit.

I do find it amusing that this might be all Rudy got after a year of dredging "deep secrets" from the Ukrainian oligarchy-class.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:04 am

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:06 am

Ha! I just read that thread. Maggie Haberman from the NY Times retweeting that story....oh boy. She might make some comment that she wasn't endorsing it...blah blah...but in the end she signal boosted propaganda.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:37 pm

Maggie Haberman two hours after her propaganda boost...

Edit: And Jake Sherman decided to get in on this too. FFS guys. It is hard to believe these guys are at the *top* of their fields.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:39 pm

What was Haberman's original tweet on this - was it a retweet without context?

edit: that Jake Sherman tweet is terrible. I can see how there can be tough judgment calls where you want an official response from the Biden campaign, but there has to be a minimum threshold on the credibility of the story. E.g., "No response from the Biden campaign about whether Joe Biden is part of a secret cabal of lizard-like aliens running the world."

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:40 pm

El Guapo wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:39 pm What was Haberman's original tweet on this - was it a retweet without context?

Correct. Naked retweet -- well a bit of a mini-quote snipped out -- it's up the thread a bit if you want to see it.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:43 pm

El Guapo wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:39 pmedit: that Jake Sherman tweet is terrible. I can see how there can be tough judgment calls where you want an official response from the Biden campaign, but there has to be a minimum threshold on the credibility of the story. E.g., "No response from the Biden campaign about whether Joe Biden is part of a secret cabal of lizard-like aliens running the world."

It might be a bit of pop psychology but it feels like some of these people are desperate for a reversal of trend. They need the horse race.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:46 pm

malchior wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:40 pm
El Guapo wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:39 pm What was Haberman's original tweet on this - was it a retweet without context?
Correct. Naked retweet -- well a bit of a mini-quote snipped out -- it's up the thread a bit if you want to see it.

I think this is her tweet at issue. I do have some sympathy for the tough calls on this, and she did have subsequent tweets which made clear the general shittiness of the story. So I do go back and forth on how responsible to hold her for tweets which can get used by other bad faith actors in isolation.

But clearly they can do better.

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:08 pm

malchior wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:43 pmIt might be a bit of pop psychology but it feels like some of these people are desperate for a reversal of trend. They need the horse race.

The media is going to miss Trump.

“We in the news media have thought for years that this gravy train is coming to an end. Donald Trump brought us better ratings than we ever thought we’d have by this time in 2020,” one cable-news host told me, adding that the president “has given many of us extended relevance, or new relevance.” Would a Biden presidency bring a ratings dip on cable? Could publications like the Times and the Washington Post see subscriptions slow to a trickle? How would daily news coverage, of which Trump has been the central figure, shift without him in power?