Mastodawn

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

Shamefully silly to publish such utter nonsense even at the best of times - a complete disaster doing it in the current situation in which a paper that has adopted “Democracy dies in darkness” as its official slogan should have other things to alert and inform the public about.

Some thoughts: 1/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

The mainstream media is not coming to the rescue of American democracy. The struggle against the authoritarian threat resulting from the anti-democratic radicalization of the Right will have to be won in spite of a media environment that continuously incentivizes such nonsense. 2/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

A serious person wouldn’t even think about writing such a piece. A serious editor would send it back to the columnist. A paper seriously concerned about informing the public and confronting the audience with substantive perspectives wouldn’t platform it. Yet here we are. 3/

eebee Sep 25, 2023

What are the incentives to write / publish this? Clicks, obviously - outrage sells. And there is more: “Civility” scolding always appeals to elites as a way to discipline “the mob” and discredit those, like Fetterman, who are dangerously aligned with those dirty masses. 4/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

Finally, this is also part of the overall quest for “balanced” coverage the mainstream media’s “neutrality” dogma produces: “We’ve been plenty critical of those Republicans – better demonstrate how neutral we are by really going hard after this Fetterman thing!” 5/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

The accelerating anti-democratic radicalization of the Right in general and the Republican Party in particular presents a tricky problem for political journalists / media outlets who are following an ethos of “neutrality” – understood as equidistance from either side – over all else. 6/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

Empirically speaking, there is no equivalent on the Left to the Right’s increasingly open embrace of authoritarianism, nothing the Democratic Party is doing equals the Court’s and the GOP’s commitment to impose the will of a radicalizing reactionary minority on the country. 7/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

But if mainstream outlets were to cover, assess, and interpret this situation as objectively, accurately, and adequately as possible (which they should!), they would be criticized as “partisan” – there it is, that typical liberal media bias! – and risk losing credibility and access. 8/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

The “solution” is to create “balance” by, on the reporting side, dedicating a lot of resources to covering left-wing threats – the supposed spread of “trans ideology,” perhaps; and on the opinion side, by platforming utterly disingenuous nonsense like this column. 9/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

“Neutrality” is achieved by “balancing” the criticism of the Right with a completely disproportionate focus on whatever “issue” might be plaguing the Democrats (Biden so old! Hillary’s emails!) – and so we get this distorted discourse around the way Fetterman dresses. 10/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

The WaPo gets more than just clicks out of this: It has successfully played by the rules of neutrality-theater journalism, which prizes being “above the fray” and performing “civil” discourse from a position of nonpartisanship above all else - including accuracy and honesty. 11/

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

We’ve been having this exact debate for many years. At this point, we are looking at a complete inability and/or unwillingness to “learn” - because financial incentives, ideological preferences, and the dogmas of neutrality-theater journalism all point in the same direction. /end

Edge Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history

We hope you are sending this to the WaPo as a letter.

Thomas Zimmer Sep 24, 2023

@czarbucks Like they would ever care…

Miles Offit... 🇨🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history @czarbucks I think it is worth sending if at least one person with some kind of influence or authority has to take a few minutes to reflect.

Raven Onthill Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history @czarbucks every paper I know reads letters. Doesn't mean they do what you want with what's written, but they read them.

@tzimmer_history @czarbucks Absolutely wouldn’t. But you’re doin great work getting good analysis out there to people.
When is the podcast coming back??

Thomas Zimmer Sep 25, 2023

@AGreenCup @czarbucks Will record a new episode next week!

Rich Stein (he/him)Sep 26, 2023

@tzimmer_history @czarbucks
You should write it up and send it to the WaPo's editorial staff / ombudsman (Ana Marie Cox still doing this? https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/06/11/the-washington-post-wont-hire-an-ombudsman-so-cjr-just-hired-one-for-it/).

WaPo probably does care -- but Bezos **is** letting democracy die in darkness with articles like this. He could give paywalll-free e-access if he was interested in saving democracy. Wouldn't affect his bottom line at all. A name brand newspaper is a folly -- vanity -- in his portfolio.

The Washington Post Won’t Hire an Ombudsman, So CJR Just Hired One for It - Washingtonian

The Washington Post finally has an ombudsman again, which is great news for anyone who cares about journalism. But the Post didn't know about the hire. That's because CJR, a publication that covers the news media, has hired someone for the position. Ana Marie Cox, the founding editor of Wonkette who has written about Washington

Washingtonian - The website that Washington lives by.

Allen B. Skye Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history Aside from the absolute nonsense that wearing a suit makes fascism more palatable, Donald Trump does not dress well. His suits are unremarkable and they look like he wears them straight off the rack. His ties are way too long and they are super boring.

I hate dressing up, but even I know that a suit should be tailored and that a tie down to your peepee is a faux pas.

Katylou Sep 24, 2023

@raddude12 @tzimmer_history so true - wearing a suit and dressing well are not synonymous

tikistitch⁷ has moved Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history

"neutrality-theater journalism"

Thank you. Totally stealing this phrase.

SpinozasHeresy Sep 24, 2023

@tikistitch @tzimmer_history

Yep

#stealthisphrase

Joshua A.C. Newman Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history All true. And yet, Donald Trump dresses like a total slob who thinks he’s dressing fancy. He acts like a poor person who wants to act rich and a stupid person who wants to act smart.

Chris Real Sep 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history From a NY Post article in July:
"The Amazon founder [that would be Jeff Bezos] who purchased The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, has taken a more active role in the paper’s operations this year."

There's a difference between being out of touch with reality, and being on the wrong side of it.

But I don't know which it is here, cuz I stopped reading the Wash Post awhile ago. I don't think young voters do either.

EllenMarch2 Sep 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history and #nytimes is even worse

Lee 🌏Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history
#polarization

Fan of Shared Truth & Empathy Sep 25, 2023

@MrLee @tzimmer_history @Yogiomm Sooo, Positive vs Negative? Media can sell ANYTHING for profits.

joel hanes Sep 25, 2023

@MrLee @tzimmer_history Not just CNN & Fox, tragically

Hawkmoon Sep 25, 2023

@MrLee @tzimmer_history

Thank you.

EXACTLY.

Oh we're so divided.

Both sides this. Both sides that.

Wanting a non-exploitative healthcare like the rest of the developed world and a lot of the developing world have is Marxism because I don't read books and have no idea what I'm talking about.

The only threat the left poses to this country is the rich being slightly less rich.

While the right are actively planning to dispense with democracy because they can't win elections.

Joshua Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history Triangulation lives!

Edge Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history

When we were 3/4 through the horror that was the Trump admin, I remember saying that at least we would never again hear anything about Democrats and civility, after the torch the right put to everything.

I can’t believe I was that naive. It’s as if none of that time happened. Civility (like the rule of law) only applies to Democrats.

Zhi Zhu 🕸️Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history

Too many news orgs feel the need to present “both sides” equally, even when “both sides” are not at all equal.

Using the concept of “balanced coverage” as an excuse to create FALSE equivalence is not good journalism.

Scales are meant to measure the weight of facts, not to be kept in an artificial state of perfect balance.

Neutral is NOT the same as factual.

Journalism should NOT strive to be neutral, it should strive to be factual.

#Journalism #USPol #USA #News #Media

True Slicky Sep 24, 2023

@ZhiZhu @tzimmer_history The only accurate way to present "both sides" is, after one side's fact-based & reality-grounded presentation, journalists would then say "In response, the other side spouted verbal diarrhea."

EllenMarch2 Sep 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history #whatGaveUsTrump in the first place 😡😡😡 #media fail

Ton Chrysoprase Sep 24, 2023

@tzimmer_history The part I find fascinating about this is that Republicans in general and Trump in specific dress like shit. Their suits never fit. Pants are too short, pleats too bountiful, sleeves too long, and ties all over the place. They really only check the boxes for decorum, but as far as dressing goes they look worse than most people in well fitting casual clothes.

John Gordon Sep 25, 2023

@tzimmer_history Thank you for sharing a screenshot rather than a link. It’s one of the small ways we can reduce the incentive to publish clickbait.