Vox’s Puff Piece on Goldman Sachs Doesn’t Reveal Goldman Sponsors Vox
Vox’s Matthew Yglesias (4/25/16) gave a generous write-up to Goldman Sachs’ new commercial banking subsidiary, GS Bank, without noting that Goldman Sachs is a sponsor of Vox.
Adam Johnson
Forget Bernie Bros — the Worst Trolls Work in Corporate Media
A recent online dust-up started by Washington Post columnist Philip Bump made something clear: When you factor in actual impact, big media pundits troll just as much as—if not more than—any random egg avatar on Twitter.
When ‘Both Sides’ Are Covered in Verizon Strike, Bosses’ Side Is Heard More
Corporate media coverage of the Verizon strike illustrated the fundamental asymmetry of power that still exists between multi-billion-dollar corporations and comparatively small unions.
10 Laziest Takes of Election Season 2016
The 2016 election season is roughly half over, but already certain tried-and-true trends have emerged in coverage. Generating original content is hard; generating it over and over over the course of an ever-elongated election season is near impossible.
Some of Globe’s ‘Predictions’ for Trump’s America Have Already Come True
On Sunday, the Boston Globe published a mock front page, filled with ominous headlines and half-joking prognostications, to “warn” the GOP against nominating Donald Trump. But what’s strange about this “satire” is how most of the things they’re warning about are already underway, or have long existed.
CIA’s Work With Filmmakers Puts All Media Workers at Risk
The CIA assisting or posing as filmmakers, journalists and other creative roles—a practice the Agency reserves the right to partake in to this day—puts actual filmmakers, journalists and other creators at risk overseas.
Panama Papers’ Publishers Don’t Need to Sell Out WikiLeaks
In this moment of well-earned glory, why would the primary party responsible for the Panama Papers go out of its way to take a swipe at WikiLeaks, and, by extension, a prisoner of conscience?
Omitting the US Role in Honduran Activist’s Death
Almost none of the US coverage of Honduran activist Berta Carceres’ murder mentioned that the brutal regime that likely killed her came to power in a 2009 coup d’etat supported by the US, under President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Vox and the False Consensus of ‘Most Economists Agree’
Much of Vox’s analysis pivots on the toxic cliche, “most economists agree/think/say/believe,” and its equally toxic cousin, “most experts agree/think/say/believe.” This cliche is frequently used without a shred of evidence for said consensus.
As Sanders Surges, Cable News Runs Prison Reality Show, Jesus Documentary
Over the past week, Bernie Sanders racked up six wins out of seven primary contests, winning 92 delegates more than his rival Hillary Clinton. You, however, would hardly have noticed had you been watching cable news the night of the Saturday primaries.
With Obama in Cuba, Pro-Torture Pundits Suddenly Concerned With Human Rights
While American human-rights hypocrisy is nothing new, a string of Bush-era, pro-torture, pro-Guantánamo pundits expressing indignation at Cuba’s human rights failings was still remarkable.
Media Love to Criticize Trump—When It Helps Disparage US Enemies
Clearly, there is much to criticize about Donald Trump, and there are negative things you can say about Castro, Putin, and Maduro. But these stories aren’t really about any of these politicians.
Cable News Covers Everyone’s Speech but Sanders—Who Made the Mistake of Discussing Policy
Bernie Sanders is still a viable candidate and is very much staying in the race. One wouldn’t know this, however, from watching last night’s cable news coverage,
Sanders, Redbaiting and the ‘Denouncing’ Double Standard
Whenever the issue of socialism—or communism, its more fear-inducing cousin—comes up, the press must attempt to compel those who have previously expressed support or sympathy for red politics to “denounce” their prior statements.
Shocker: WaPo Investigates Itself for Anti-Sanders Bias, Finds There Was None
The Washington Post responded to our criticism of a remarkable run of negative articles about Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Washington Post Ran 16 Negative Stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 Hours
In what has to be some kind of record, the Washington Post ran 16 negative stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 hours—a window that includes the crucial Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, and the next morning’s spin.
US Contribution to Death of Honduran Activist Goes Unmentioned in US Coverage
Almost none of the US coverage of Honduran activist Berta Carceres’ murder mentioned that the brutal regime that likely killed her came to power in a 2009 coup d’etat supported by the US, under President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Billionaire-Owned Observer Whines About Democratization of Media in 2016’s Worst Op-ed
New York Observer’s diatribe, “The Cause of This Nightmare Election? Media Greed and Shameless Traffic Worship,” poses as media criticism but is little more than petulant establishment gatekeeping.
Media Attacking Single-Payer Are Getting Paid Under Current Health System
Many of the outlets pushing back on single payer are owned by large media corporations with sizable investments in private healthcare and its current neoliberal iteration, the Affordable Care Act. They have not just a political and ideological incentive to maintain private healthcare, but a tremendous financial one as well.
Washington Post Promotes Dickensian Marketing Experiment on Poor Children
In America, as a rule, we shame the poor, ignore the poor, blame the poor for being poor, mock the poor and do little to nothing to protect the poor. Increasingly, however, a new trend has emerged: using the poor as props in shoddy “inspirational” viral content.
