Shawn Musgrave, Orion Danjuma on Vote Fraud Hoax as Voter Suppression
Trump’s “Big Lie” attorneys are not so much returning to the field, but actually never left.
Ocasio-Cortez Rattles Pundits Across the Corporate Media Spectrum
While the right’s opposition to her was predictable, the response of centrist and nominally liberal media, who might have been expected to celebrate the arrival of a strong voice on the left, has been decidedly muted.
USA Today Warns Dems: Don’t Try to Stop Climate Change
The real point of the 925-word story, by Gannett Washington reporter Ledyard King, was conveyed in the print edition’s subhead: “Policies Could Carry Risk for Leaders of New House.”
‘We Should Expect Them to Keep Developing New Ways to Subvert Public Will’
“Basically based on gerrymandered districts, these permanent majorities that do not have majority support are taking power away from the people and from their elected representatives.”
Paul Rosenberg on GOP Power Grabs, Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
GOP maneuvers reacting to electoral results they don’t like, with overt power grabs that override the express will of voters, define “anti-democratic”—and they rely on a lack of public awareness, abetted by a lack of media sunlight.
Media: When ‘Moderates’ Lose or Progressives Win—Just Ignore Them
“Move to the right” is always corporate media’s advice for Democrats—win or lose. But did the 2018 midterms really demonstrate the virtues of moderation?
Not So Black & White: NYT Touts Rural Voters, Buries Racism in Mississippi Election Analysis
To emphasize the power of rural white voters in Mississippi—and elsewhere—without explicating that state’s long, sordid past as the lynching capital of the country does a disservice to the facts.
‘Republicans Just Don’t Want All the Votes to Count’
“I think we have to be very clear here with what’s happening, which is that Republicans deliberately implemented a strategy to make it harder to vote in states like Georgia.”
Minimal Media Attention Helped Sink Crucial Climate Initiatives
Climate change took a backseat to other issues in this year’s midterm elections, and humanity may end up paying the price. The majority of climate change-related ballot measures failed, many climate deniers in the Republican party won or kept their seats, and even Democratic winners were not pressed on their commitment to climate change legislation […]
‘Ballot Initiatives Show What You Can Do to Bring Working People to the Polls’
“When you ask people about the issues, they’re really clear: They want policies that are going to help working people, and they’ll come out for those.”
Shielding Hogan From the Democratic Wave
To win reelection in deep blue Maryland, Larry Hogan had to appear “bipartisan,” “moderate” and “pretty much the opposite of Trump”–which is how the Washington Post portrayed him.
Ari Berman on the State of Voting 2018, Jackie Prange on Keystone XL Re-Review
There’s hardly a time more important than elections for media to stop splitting the difference and frankly describe the impact of elections—not just the outcomes, but the processes—on people and their ability to have a say in their circumstances.
Who, Us? Corporate Media Ignore Their Role in Trump’s Refugee ‘Invasion’ Panic
The political press dutifully chased Trump’s rhetorical tail as Election Day neared, and repeatedly ceded its editorial judgment and newshole to the nativist fearmongering he used to stoke the Republican Party’s base.
When Media Say ‘Working Class,’ They Don’t Necessarily Mean Workers—but They Do Mean White
If you’ve seen a piece on the impact of the working class on the midterm elections, it has most likely dealt specifically with working whites. But the media focus distorts the composition of this class, racial and otherwise.
‘Moderation’ and the Midterms
“Move to the right” is always corporate media’s advice for Democrats—win or lose. But did the 2018 midterms really demonstrate the virtues of moderation?
Negin Owliaei on Ballot Initiatives, Liz OuYang on 2020 Census
There’s a lot to think about in terms of who “won” in the 2018 midterms, but there’s also a lot to think about in terms of how we locate electoral politics in our efforts to change the world.
The Needle and the Damage Done
It doesn’t take much to turn supposedly “objective” data journalism into flawed, rank speculation, as anyone closely following the whipsawing Election Night media narrative on Tuesday can attest.
Restricting Election Reporting to Issues That Don’t Matter
The campaign the voters see depends very much on which aspects news media choose to cover.
‘The American People Overwhelmingly Oppose Cuts to Social Security’
“The question of whether to expand or cut Social Security is a matter of values. We are the wealthiest nation in the world. We’re at the wealthiest moment of our history…. If we want to expand benefits, we can do so responsibly.”
Nancy Altman on Social Security Myths
Reporting on Mitch McConnell’s threat to Social Security didn’t include any questioning of media’s own role in laying the groundwork for claims that Social Security is a “controversial” or “troubled” program in need of “addressing.”
