I cannot get this NYT article out of my mind. It's everything that's wrong with the media today. [View all]

It was posted by DUer hookaleft here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21325477
and hookaleft linked the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/trump-reflecting-pool-green-peeling.html

Here is the "Emperor's New Clothes" headline: Trump Blames Vandals for Reflecting Pool Problems. Internal Records Tell Another Story.

Does the New York Times REALLY need "internal documents" to prove there are no marauding Antifa pool slasher gangs roaming the Capitol? Are they REALLY that stupid?

They know what the lede is. The lede is that a demented madman has created YET ANOTHER stupendous fuck-up which has cost us millions which went into his cronies' pockets, yet again, and for which he is refusing to take responsibility. THEY KNOW THIS.

But they insist on this kabuki dance of "We are looking at both sides, but the internal documents really do seem to suggest, maybe, possibly, that there are no marauding Antifa pool slasher gangs and the pool was just done wrong. But arrests have been made!1!!"

Everything the legacy media does takes this form. Take the lie, normalize it, both-sides it, thus creating a completely INSANE conversation. "Trump Says Iran War is Over." That headline ran 33 times! THIRTY THREE! And instead of making the thirty two previous lies the point of the article, they gave his mouth dribbles their customary wide-eyed acceptance. Thirty three times.

What is the point of this? And what are they afraid of?

Why are they so eager to make themselves useless?