Sally McKeeNov 23, 2022
Jay Rosen

True:

"Mainstream journalists, who are endlessly harangued for their alleged liberal bias, jump at opportunities to strut their evenhandedness, even when it backfires on them." https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/22/midterms-mainstream-media-stand-by-red-wave/

That's from the Washington Post's media columnist, Erik Wemple:

What Wemple describes is a major factor. I've been writing about it for years. It helps explain yesterday's staggering "they both lie" tweet from Ashley Parker comparing Biden's mendacity to Trump's.

#journalism #journalists

News outlets stand by their midterm debacle

What do news organizations have to say about pre-election reports that painted a grim picture for Democrats?

The Washington Post
Nov 23, 2022 at 4:11pmWeb
Show threadPoeticLicenseDKNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu
Bothsidesism represents intellectual or moral cowardice at best, targeted information warfare at worse.
Show threadDe pasoNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu You appear to be accepting the frame of "Biden's mendacity."
Show threadJay RosenNov 23, 2022
@DePasoPorEsteMundo You appear to be trolling. Don't do that, please. Thanks.
Show threadDe pasoNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I wasn't trolling. But I will not reply to any more of your posts. No problem.
Show threadBertrand AllainNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu Things get ugly fast when journalists see objectivity as some sort of easily balanced scale. I think it is important to chase nuanced conversations and make sure you aren't overlooking complexities....but when folks haven't truly vetted the strength of their sources or considered the power/influence/agenda of the voices they give "equal" billing to - all of the attempts at objectivity can be damaging...and anything BUT balanced.
Show threadMary M. RedouteyNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu It seems that with the deregulation of the media, the buy out of it, and the formation of monopolies by wealthy, mostly Republican, owners and corporations, any liberal media bias that once existed got tossed aside in the favor of Red reporting.
There is now the belief, sadly backed up by the lack of coverage of Democratic events and candidates and the over coverage of Trump. even when he was not running for office,
Show threadMary M. RedouteyNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu that the media is corporate mostly swinging Republican as it caters to the needs of advertisers and seeks lower taxes just as other corporations do.
The contamination of the news media with reporters who purposefully slant their coverage of the news adding their bad opinions of our President and Harris alleging dementia or purposefully not mentioning the good that they do rather than attempting to be fair and objective in their reporting really has a lot of Democrats steamed.
Show threadBertrand AllainNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I also love the point about the headlines themselves. So many otherwise respectable articles get pushed out to the world with misleading, click-bait titles.
Show threadOnno Hansen-StaszyńskiNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu See also Lee McIntyre: Post-truth (2018)
Show threadWilliam de VogelaereNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I stopped reading MSM (either side) because of this, I much rather crowdsource data/eye witness and form my own opinions.
Show threadJohn KilbyNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu The journalist’s job is not to be a soothsayer but a reporter. Predictions should be limited to the weather.
Show threadK. O'SteenNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu GOP and Dems Find Little Agreement on Whether Sun Rises in East or West
Show threadLars JohannesNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu That's why I find it so weird that journos feel insulted if they don't get the same deferential treatment on Mastodon that they got on Twitter. Their crappy takes are often what feeds the enragement machine over there and that's why many got blue checks, not the quality of their work.
Show threadJay RosenNov 23, 2022
@larsjohannes I'm not familiar with what you call their deferential treatment on Twitter. What are you referencing there? Quite a lot of criticism comes their way on Twitter.
Show threadLars JohannesNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I mean deferential treatment by Twitter itself. Granting of blue checks and amplifying of voices through the algorithm, relatively high burden (compared to normal people) for account suspensions, etc.
Show threadJay RosenNov 23, 2022
@larsjohannes This is very similar to the views Musk holds.
Show threadLars JohannesNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu Musk thinks that Twitter is bad because it constantly pushes lazy hot takes and both siding narratives in everybody’s face to drive emotional engagement? Well, I guess the man can’t always be wrong.
Show threadGertrude the SquidNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu Sorry but Parker’s post went beyond performative evenhandedness. There was a mean spiritedness behind it that really surprised me.
Show threadJay RosenNov 23, 2022
@gertrudethesquid It was bad — and wrong-headed — in many ways.
Show threadThomas PermuttNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu "comparing Biden's mendacity to Trump's" is dangerous framing unless you are agreeing that Biden is comparably mendacious.
Show threadNathan SalwenNov 23, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu "supposed mendacity". I still am not convinced there were any lies about the wedding. Having a photo-shoot the day before does not contradict the wedding being private.
Show threadMike J👹🐀 🤘🏻Nov 24, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu When I was a producer in talk radio I heard sooo many hosts say the equivalent of, "Republicans say I'm an idiot. Democrats say I'm an idiot. That's PROOF I'm a super-genius! "
Show threadMFTechNov 24, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu Conservatives have been bullying the media for decades. And, instead of holding the line, the media folded and failed to oppose fascism.
Show threadMichael MarkmanNov 27, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I think Parker's take was also powered by her pique at being excluded from an event she assumed her status and byline entitled her to attend.
Show threadJay RosenNov 27, 2022
@mickeleh More "we're entitled" than "I'm entitled," I'd say. But the main thing is seizing the opportunity to advertise how even handed you are.