Matt BlazeJul 3, 2024

Part of the reason we see so much negative news about Biden is that it's more newsworthy. Compared with Trump, discovering something bad about Biden is a real scoop.

Trump is one negative thing after another. There's nothing new to learn about his badness, and no new development, however awful, would make him significantly worse.

Biden, on the other hand, has had a long and mostly distinguished career. Bad news about him - his debate performance, his son's troubles, etc - stands out.

Show threadMatt Blaze
This is no excuse for the way the press treats these two manifestly different people as "equal". But it does suggest they are responding to media incentives that are basically broken in the face such a lopsided contest.
Jul 3, 2024 at 1:34amWeb
Show threadDave Wilburn Jul 3, 2024
@mattblaze I still struggle with where those incentives come from. Is it from the owners/investors that want a particular framing for ideological reasons? Or from owners/investors under the belief that it will bring in more viewers and revenue? Or from the executives the owners/investors appoint? Or from advertisers? Or perhaps from individual reporters and editors that are turned on by drama?
Show threadGarrett WollmanJul 3, 2024
@DaveMWilburn @mattblaze In every big newsroom, there are dashboards and memos going around telling people exactly what the audience wants to see, as demonstrated by time-on-site, time-to-page-close, shares, complaints, subscription conversions, etc. It's deeply integrated into how they operate and how their management is compensated.
Show threadaardvarkJul 3, 2024
@wollman @DaveMWilburn @mattblaze an actual doom loop
Show threadcwicseolfor (has moved!)Jul 3, 2024
@DaveMWilburn @mattblaze Not "or," but "and."
Show threadRich Stein (he/him)Jul 3, 2024
@mattblaze
👆Attn: @dangillmor
Smart thread.
Show thread🌻 Welcome Back 🌻Jul 3, 2024

@mattblaze
I disagree. The publishers are propping up the oligarchs. They print headlines and articles to defend them and their actions. This is not new and goes back to the beginning of newspapers. See global mining/industrial union busting, global land occupation/US manifest destiny, US slavery and segregation, and global war.

There are other reasons the journalists write reports. There are other reasons their reports get slanted. They are posturing, not the primary goal.

Show thread🌻 Welcome Back 🌻Jul 3, 2024

@mattblaze
I also heard a TV newscaster say that "people are talking about Biden age". Well, duh. Because it is covered every day in the news.

People are also talking about how tfg is crazy, stupid, has dementia, and in really poor health. Mostly, they talk about where they are going to move if he gets elected