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marmar

(78,089 posts)
Thu Dec 19, 2024, 09:40 AM Thursday

The week American journalism died

The week American journalism died
It was a slow death — and it took down democracy with it

By Brian Karem
White House columnist
Published December 19, 2024 9:00AM (EST)


(Salon) Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay our respects to the dearly departed: journalism.

....(snip)....

I’d invite a few important and critically thinking people to eulogize both, but it remains questionable whether any such people exist in today’s government or media — and what few do are struggling desperately to keep above the rising tide of, autocracy, oligarchy, AI, social media, stupidity, intolerance, ignorance and all of those stupid stories about drones.

....(snip)....

Donald Trump delivered the final death blow to journalism and democracy, but he only put both out of their misery. Some may even view it as a mercy killing. For the last 50 years, beginning with the cancer-stain of Richard Nixon, government has faltered. It began when we threatened to impeach a president over serious crimes — like bugging the DNC and lying about it, during a re-election. Our democracy held then and Nixon resigned rather than face the wrath of Democrats and even Republicans who vowed to do the right thing. But beginning with Ronald Reagan and his successful appeal to the vulgar, the ignorant and the vain, it quickly became apparent Nixon was not an anomaly among our leaders. His prosecution was.

Since then, our government has tolerated a variety of low-browed, ridiculous and seditious men ranging from Colonel Oliver North to Michael Flynn. And while Reagan successfully convinced us he alone had ended the Cold War, the rats like Mitch McConnell snuck into the ship of state and began eating at its foundation like so many rabid termites with a head full of bad hallucinogens and a stomach full of tapeworms.

....(snip)....

Trump has shown how dead democracy is by nominating nearly a dozen billionaires to high posts in his incoming government who are worth more than an overwhelming majority of Americans will ever earn in a lifetime. His other nominees are former Fox News employees, friends and family members – icing on the cake for the grifter-in-chief. He’s showing us in real time the death of American journalism, because as reported in Politico, “No modern president — including Trump in his first term — has made a habit of personally suing the media while in the Oval Office.” ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/12/19/the-week-american-journalism/




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The week American journalism died (Original Post) marmar Thursday OP
Journalism died when it became, like everything else in this country, subject to a profit margin. lees1975 Thursday #1
Not really. What you have nowadays are editors without news judgment. ificandream Thursday #2
You make some great points. greatauntoftriplets Thursday #4
I don't think so. Elessar Zappa Thursday #3

lees1975

(6,100 posts)
1. Journalism died when it became, like everything else in this country, subject to a profit margin.
Thu Dec 19, 2024, 09:52 AM
Thursday

It was sold, and someone bought and paid for it.

ificandream

(10,730 posts)
2. Not really. What you have nowadays are editors without news judgment.
Thu Dec 19, 2024, 11:47 AM
Thursday

These days, editors are beholden to printing anything rather than using news judgment and not publishing them. I think Fox and the RW media has scared everyone with their frequent accusations of bias. News judgment is not bias.

As for profit, it's always been a factor. But it really has no more influence now as it did decades ago. The problem is with the editors who have no judgment and who feel that EVERY insignificant factor deserves a story. It doesn't. But important issues have also been ignored. There just isn't the depth with journalism that there used to be.

greatauntoftriplets

(176,993 posts)
4. You make some great points.
Thu Dec 19, 2024, 05:30 PM
Thursday

I was fresh out of journalism school and working for the Chicago Tribune when they decided to fold their afternoon paper, Chicago Today. The Sun-Times followed suit a few years later by ending the Chicago Daily News.

As the Tribune absorbed some of the Chicago Today staff, there were layoffs and three guesses who was among the last hired. After that while hanging with reporter friends, I'd hear a lot more talk about the advertisers and profit. I guess they also were afraid of falling victim to increasing staff cuts.

It's just not the same. I'm happy to have had a brief role in what real journalism was all about. Now a lot of schools call journalism communications. It's just not the same.

I really miss those days, and the product we produced. To this day, I dream of working in that environment again.

Elessar Zappa

(16,076 posts)
3. I don't think so.
Thu Dec 19, 2024, 05:22 PM
Thursday

They have a narrow definition of “American journalism”. There’s plenty of real journalism to be found on social media, websites, and podcasts. Traditional media is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

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