Covid-19 Speculation Goes From Margin to Center
Speculations, rumors and outright lies have a way of starting in partisan media and bubbling up to a level where they affect our political discourse and public health.
Ari Paul
Facebook’s Soleimani Ban Flies in Face of First Amendment
If Facebook is removing content because it believes it is required to do so by law, that is government censorship—and forbidden by the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of the press.
Bloomberg’s Scandals Ignored or Underplayed by Press Cheerleaders
Election Focus 2020: If media are going to celebrate Bloomberg’s achievements as an executive, they need to address his baggage in those roles as well. The media crowing for Bloomberg’s sensible executive skills leave out several notable scandals during his mayoralty.
Can Deadspin Live Again as a Worker-Owned Website?
The question about the former Deadspin workers isn’t just what’s next for them; it’s also about what’s next for us, the media consumers who need their voices so badly.
Russia Accusations a Distraction From Gabbard’s Actual Troubling Ties
Election Focus 2020: Lost in the noise about Russia is the reality that Gabbard’s most troubling attribute is her documented connection to the far-right Hindu nationalist movement.
Britain’s Pro-Brexit Press: When in Doubt, Blame the Irish
Who’s to blame for the humiliating failure to reach a Brexit deal, according to the pro-Brexit faction of the British press? The Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Leo Varadkar, of course.
Actually, Giuliani Has Always Been Like This
For New York City reporters who covered Giuliani’s operatic mayoralty, the Giuliani who famously claimed in defense of Trump that “truth isn’t truth” hasn’t changed so much.
At Vox Media, Workers Win a Voice Beyond Wages
The collective bargaining agreement between Vox Media and the Writers Guild of America East puts an end to one of the more contentious unionization battles that have gone on in US digital media. Vox management took longer to voluntarily recognize the union than other outlets, and workers recently staged a walk-out to protest Vox’s […]
‘Cultural Marxism’: The Mainstreaming of a Nazi Trope
When Norwegian right-winger Anders Breivik invoked “cultural Marxism” as the reason for his 77-person killing spree in 2011, many observers placed the notion in the same category as the killer—the fringe. But since the election of Donald Trump, Brexit and the rise and re-election of other far-right governments around the globe, “cultural Marxism” has […]
The Return of Reefer Madness
Alex Berenson is good at cherry-picking a few crazy examples of where pot use has been linked to violence, with questionable evidence.
Slate’s Readers May Be Liberal, but Its Labor Politics Are Kochian
The Slate Group refuses to back down from its demand that a contract make union fees optional, creating a so-called “right-to-work” environment that unions regard as union-busting.
Pittsburgh in the Jewish Press: Solidarity or Bothsidesism
Tablet engages in the dubious art of “bothsidesism,” the notion that in order to condemn right-wing anti-Jewish violence, one most come up with a reason to bash the left as well.
Synagogue Shooter Shares His HIAS Obsession With Far-Right Media
The killer may have acted alone on his fear that HIAS was helping an “invasion” of non-white newcomers to the United States, but the rhetoric about the group that motivated his butchery comes straight from the pages of Breitbart.
Tronc to Daily News: Drop Dead
On July 23, it was announced Tronc was laying off half of the editorial workforce, including its two top editors. The enormity of this carnage isn’t just industry news. For New York City, it feels like an offense to the entire city.
NYT’s ‘Economic Logic’ Ignores Italy’s Economic Reality
The New York Times says it would defy “economic logic” for Italy to leave the euro–under which Italy has yet to recover from the crisis of 2008.
Another Election Day Loser: Corporate Media
How should the media be covering these races, and how should public opinion be measured and absorbed? What kind of debates between candidates would actually matter? These are the valuable questions that media organizations should be asking themselves.
Another Election Loser: Corporate Media
For those who have bemoaned the mediocrity of corporate media, their embarrassment might appear as a well-deserved comeuppance, but it also brings the uncomfortable upending of decades of common wisdom about media and elections.
Requiem for a News Channel
If Al Jazeera America gave us one thing in its brief life in the United States, it was a dedication to covering economic inequality and the growing opposition to it in the wake of Occupy Wall Street.
