Dan Gillmor

Dear journalists: Please please please do not simply quote team Trump's latest lies -- in this case, the fantasy that the latest indictment is a "free speech" issue -- as one side of a dispute.

What will it take for Big Journalism to realize that our democracy is in serious jeopardy? What will it take for the craft to stand up in support of democracy?

At this point it's fair to worry that nothing will get journalists to move very far away from business as usual -- even with so much at stake.

Aug 7, 2023 at 12:10amWeb
Show threadWarner CrockerAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor The only thing that would matter and possibly change any type of coverage would be a clarion call from Trump that he will seek to dismantle the media once reelected. I stress “possibly."
Show threadMxhradAug 7, 2023

@WarnerCrocker @dangillmor

Nope, see CNN not stopping their free publicity for him, after he called them fake news and mocked their anchors.

Show threadMichael GemarAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor It’s not even that they’re not standing up for democracy, it’s that they are just being stenographers and not even questioning/investigating the story.
Show threadNonya BidnissAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor If only they were on Mastodon to hear this
Show threadSifr MojaAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor Because they don't do real journalism. It is PR journalism.
Show threadDave SpectorAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor they really don’t care. Haven’t for years. They just wanna be insiders and hang with the cool kids. That’s all modern corporate “journalists” are. Nerds who wanna hang with the jocks.
Show threadGrant 🇺🇦ArmUkraine🇺🇦Aug 7, 2023
@dangillmor Writing for fascist billionaire algorithms has made the MSM lazy.
Show threadloucoveyAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor I’ve noted that every article and broadcast segment that mentions this is providing context of the actual indictment that specifically says he’s wrong
Show thread72mzAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor
They'll only get upset when they are banned from news making events or shut down because they are questioning or not supporting the party in power. They'll get upset when laws are passed, making it a crime to tell the truth and they are jailed. It'll be too late then.
Show threadMadisonMonkeyAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor I doubt begging will work
Show threadRyan Egesdahl Aug 7, 2023
@dangillmor @mastodonmigration I will say this again and again - as many times as it takes: do not quote these people, and do not legitimize their absolute lunacy by discussing it. Debunk if it’s right in front of you if you must, but otherwise kill it with utter disinterest. It will only go away when nobody cares anymore.
Show threadjz.tuskAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor

Stop begging. Name the offenders and start attacking the reputations of those who have earned it.

You want a journalism that takes these threats seriously? Fight for it.

Show threadZorro Notorious MEB 😡Aug 7, 2023

@dangillmor At this late date we've gone well past believing that anyone will stop feeding the troll. I was a bit shocked that the prosecutor just now got around to requesting a protective order; IMHO that should have been done publicly at the arraignment.

IMHO the journalists and especially the opinion-havers should find something else to talk about and leave this to the court.

Show threadMagitismAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor At what point do we accept the failure is the goal?
Show threadWallOffTrumpAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor What do they teach folks in journalism schools about about how to make a living WHILE telling the truth in the face of the control exerted by MSM. Seriously - there must be some journalism students on this site!
Show threadIrfanAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor Businesses serve their self interests. Billionaires own most media. 🤔
Show threadsub_oAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor Waiting for hot takes from NYT and WaPo, featuring amazing op-ed articles written by Richard Hanania, under a non-white pseudonym

Or you could just block them out entirely, hit those money greedy fucks where they hurt most, the money fucking part. Then watch those 'journalists' come back to mastodon to complain that it's not threads or bluesky or x

e.g. put these into your /etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 facebook.com
127.0.0.1 nytimes.com
127.0.0.1 foxnews.com
127.0.0.1 washingtonpost.com

Show threadCanadian CurmudgeonAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor Problem is that most of today's media companies are owned or controlled by CONservatives, so they've become echo boxes for the right wing. In Canada, they're Rebel-Media-wannabes but some have devolved into Der-Sturmer-wannabes.
Show threadKid ManiaAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor
"What will it take for Big Journalism to realize that our democracy is in serious jeopardy? What will it take for the craft to stand up in support of democracy? "

Your statement presumes that they don't know...but what if they do and they don't care?🤔

Show threadspheruliticAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor I assume the simplest answer — journalists who write articles biased against democracy are in fact personally against democracy
Show threadedgeoforever 🍎Aug 7, 2023
@dangillmor it would take for them to actually be on the side of democracy rather than working for the other guys.🤷‍♀️
Show threadKerri LevineAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor

This should go viral.

#trumpLies

Show threadVoronAug 7, 2023
@dangillmor This is akin to “thoughts and prayers”
#journalism won’t change until actions are taken
Show threadSouthern LeftistAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor
The private sector and conservative leaders got Hitler to the top.

The private sector caused imperialism.

The private sector caused WW1.

Means of production are being used to influence public opinion, ethics, and our democracy cannot take it much longer.

Show threadWm.sonAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor

They just want readers to click or buy a subscription.

Follow the money, always.

Show threadTexan TallyAug 7, 2023

@dangillmor Wonder how quickly Ze Dump would implode if he was spouting all this crap and the media stopped reporting on it. Just quit abruptly. His little ego couldn't handle us not paying attention to him. When something verifiable actually came out, THEN I'd pay attention.

I used to have a rule when it came to the news that if something "breaking" came out, I'd have a 72 hour rule: if it's really THAT important, they'll still be talking about it 3 days later. By then a lot of the rumors and falsities will hopefully be filtered out. 2016 made that rule hard to follow and by 2020 I was too exhausted to do more than a cursory glance at what was going on. I did weekly skims instead and checked back on what looked interesting later.