Azadeh Shahshahani on Central America Plan, Jon Lloyd on Facebook Disinformation
We have some questions about the US government’s claim that this time, they’re really bringing stability and security to Central America.
Chile’s Draft Constitution: Undemocratic—or Too Much Democracy?
The idea that a democratic process to upgrade the national framework from one designed under despotism is against “democracy” is Orwellian.
Gerrymandering: Making Elections Safe From Democracy
What if voters have a preference for something other than single-party districts? This problem isn’t even on the radar.
‘Big Lies Are Built From Lots of Little Lies’
“They knew where to look in all these election records to figure out how to debunk these small lies that become the big lies.”
Steven Rosenfeld on Arizona ‘Audit,’ Sohale Mortazavi on Cryptocurrency
The spate of new election-meddling laws proposed in Arizona suggests that looking away from Trumpists’ “audit” is not the answer.
‘Women Have Been at the Forefront of the Resistance’
CounterSpin interview with Suyapa Portillo Villeda on Honduran election
“If news journalists spend time studying and talking to people on the ground…they would get a more contemporary view of Honduras.”
Suyapa Portillo Villeda on Honduran Election
This week on CounterSpin, we talk about the recent Honduran election and signs of hard-won hope in that country.
Chilean Election Is a Feast of False Equivalency
For a lot of the Western corporate press, the Chilean candidates are equally bad for a country lauded for its moderation.
Western Media: Venezuelan Elections Must Be Undemocratic, Because Chavismo Won
The opposition’s electoral defeat prompted some outlets to to publish sobering headlines, and others to double down on propaganda.
To the Right, to the Right: Media’s Special Election Lesson
It wasn’t hard to find media voices quick to draw the usual conclusion: Voters prefer moderate over progressive policy platforms.
Press Sees NYC Primary Win as Yet Another Reason for Dems to Move Right
The press sees Eric Adams’ primary win as yet another indication that the Democratic Party must stick to moderate ideas.
Tabloids Want Crime, Not Rent, on NYC Voters’ Minds
New York City’s two big tabloid dailies gave far more coverage to crime than to the affordable housing crisis in the past year.
‘They’ve Been Looking to Bolster the Claim the Election Was Stolen’
“There’s a bit of a vacuum in government-run election processes that’s opaque, and allows the conspiracy theories to trickle in.”
Media Manage to Both-Sides Georgia GOP’s Suppressing Democracy
Despite Republicans’ obvious—often explicitly stated—goal of rigging future elections more successfully than they have in the past, many of those national media outlets can’t give up their commitment to both-sidesing the story, giving cover to the anti-democratic campaign.
‘It’s the Biggest Assault on Voting Rights Since the End of Reconstruction’
“A lot of people are covering this as a normal debate, and it’s not a normal debate; it’s an effort to try to overturn the election by other means.”
Ari Berman on the Attack on Voting Rights
Do elite media think that whether or not the US, in 2021, under pressure from racists, goes back on the whole “one person one vote” thing is a legitimate topic for debate?
Media Find ‘Heroes’ in Republicans Who Oppose Trump…and Also Democracy
Corporate media’s rejection of Trumpism and the Big Lie goes hand in hand with the elevation of a “reasonable” or “admirable” wing of the GOP, whose own extremism and undermining of democracy are thereby whitewashed.
Ignoring Repression and Dirty Tricks in Coverage of Ecuador’s Election
Ecuador’s Lenin Moreno jailing political opponents, whom he praised to the skies when he needed them to gain power in 2017, is evidence of sound character to the New York Times—not evidence that Moreno is a cynical person who undermined democracy.
US Media Require No Evidence for Claims of Electoral Fraud—in Venezuela
Corporate outlets have summarily denounced Trump’s bogus claims of vote fraud, thought for years they have faithfully echoed similarly spurious accusations made about elections held by official enemies.
‘To Tell Stories of Communities That Are Authentic, You Have to Have a Conversation’
The Best of CounterSpin is a reflection of the sorts of conversations we hope offer some voice or context or information that you might not have heard elsewhere, or that might help you assess the news you are hearing.
