Waldo Jaquith

This paragraph from the article is a perfect illustration of why Trump’s new “Biden attacks democracy” line will work. Press coverage won’t say that Trump is lying—it will instead repeat the claims with the faint “without evidence” clause. This will establish the public perception that there’s a legitimate debate over which candidate is the anti-democratic authoritarian.

It’s been eight years and most media outlets keep playing into Trump’s hands. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/us/politics/trump-iowa-biden-democracy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DE0.v75w.dkSl02SLiQue&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Trump’s Defense to Charge That He’s Anti-Democratic? Accuse Biden of It

Indicted over a plot to overturn an election and campaigning on promises to shatter democratic norms in a second term, Donald Trump wants voters to see Joe Biden as the bigger threat.

The New York Times
Dec 3, 2023 at 1:24pmIvory for iOS
Show threadIan DeesDec 3, 2023
@waldoj This has been a problem for longer than Trump, too.
Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 3, 2023
@ian For sure, he’s just the first to exploit it methodically enough to become president.
Show threadIan DeesDec 3, 2023
@waldoj Oh yea, and it's wild that media still haven't figured it out.
Show threadNelson MinarDec 3, 2023
@ian @waldoj the alternate read is the media is a willing participant. Trump's outlandish bullshit drives clicks which generates ad revenue.
Show threadconputer dipshitDec 3, 2023
@nelson @ian @waldoj that’s a world without psychology or social structure, in which people have perfect foresight and only do things because they desire the eventual outcome
Show threadconputer dipshitDec 3, 2023
@nelson @ian @waldoj in other words, there a lot of things going on between journalists’ choice of words and ad revenue and trump becoming president. the proximate, more relevant cause of journalists’ word choice is their self-conception as being objective and fair and the practices developed over the past century around that
Show threadNelson MinarDec 3, 2023
@davidcrespo nah the feedback loop is much simpler. They publish articles that make them money. That's all it takes, no foresight required.
Show threadRobert LinkDec 3, 2023
@waldoj Sells more ads this way. What else matters?
Show threadBrian DearDec 3, 2023

@waldoj

The major news media continue to willingly, blissfully, without hesitation offer themselves to Trump and his people as a fiddle which Trump and his people play like virtuosos.

It is simply astounding and eternally baffling.

Show threadjz.tuskDec 3, 2023

@waldoj

@Popehat gave it a simple, clear name: privileging the lie.

And like you said, they keep doing it.

Show threadAntonio Páez 🇲🇽🇨🇦Dec 3, 2023

@waldoj @tdverstynen

"The evidence must be somewhere out there!"

— every low information voter wittingly or u wittingly marching towards America's very own brand of fascism.

The #NYT should know better, but being the premier soft-core Fox News alternative is their paramount goal, really

Show threadBlort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️Dec 3, 2023

@waldoj

He's so fucking reliable. Whatever illegal / immoral thing he's up to... he just accuses his main rival of doing. Then everyone goes "Well, it's up for debate who's actually doing this?" while he goes straight ahead and does it, sometimes multiple times.

Whether it's trying to rig an election, or legally persecute political enemies, or defend being impeached, he uses the same tactic over and over again.

#Trump

Show threadOrca 🌻 | 🎀 | 🪁 | 🏴🏳️‍⚧️Dec 3, 2023
@waldoj Hell, I love (should be obvious enough but still, /s ) it when media tries to "tell both side" and end up boosted manufactroversies EVERYTIME. Such a shitshow. ​​
Show threadOrcDec 3, 2023
@waldoj The FTFNYT has been a reliable fascist mouthpiece for years now; there's never a right wing idiocy that they won't enthusiastically broadcast.
Show thread72mzDec 3, 2023
@waldoj
It's infuriating.