And, Speaking Of The MSM ...

You might think that, in the face of an Administration whose approach to a pandemic crisis is another round of "Wishing Will Make It So," combined with finger-pointing at everyone who won't reflexively lick its boots, the press, or what's left of it, would finally wake up and understand that the numbers T**** generates for them simply doesn't outweigh the damage that T**** is doing to their country--or, for that matter, their readers.

You would be wrong.

Once again, the right-wing narrative of the "liberal" press is outweighed by the ancient and irrefutable maxim that freedom of the press belongs to the people that own one.  And, in an age of near-total economic consolidation, one that has not spared media-owning corporations, it has never been more clear that the press reflects not the politics of the reporting or pundit class, but the politics of the shareholding class.  In other words, conservative politics.  Very conservative politics.

Which explains why, in the face of a press event on the coronavirus crisis that featured a President who could not speak coherently, and an overall response to the crisis that made it clear that the focus on dealing with it would be a combination of partisan messaging and wishful thinking, the coverage of said event treated the event as though it was an appropriate way of responding to a potentially lethal emergency.

You can, if you have a strong enough stomach, and were not previously exposed to this clusterf**k, experience the gory details here.

But take heart.  It's not as if the media owners are totally incapable of a major response to a crisis.

During this same week, one of them fired a veteran political reporter for acting in a way that allegedly threatened its reputation for objective reporting.

His crime?

Speaking privately to an individual about his personal views.  Not on the air, or in print.  Privately.  (Or so he thought, since the person he was speaking to was part of a right-wing sting operation.)

I was not aware that reporters had a First Amendment obligation to cease being human upon accepting employment as a reporter.  In fact, I'm quite sure that they have no such obligation.  ABC, apparently, sees this differently.

Which is why you should boycott ABC, and demand that they reinstate David Wright immediately.

And why you should monitor any other media outlets you follow for nonsense like this.  It's poisoned our democracy for far too many decades.

It is not the obligation of the press to be fair and balanced.

It is the obligation of the press to tell the truth, whether one side or the other thinks it sucks or not.