Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Commentary: The unbearable smugness of the press

  1. #1

    Commentary: The unbearable smugness of the press


    Commentary: The unbearable smugness of the press
    By WILL RAHN CBS NEWS November 10, 2016, 6:00 AM
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/commenta...election-2016/

    The mood in the Washington press corps is bleak, and deservedly so.

    It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that, with a few exceptions, we were all tacitly or explicitly #WithHer, which has led to a certain anguish in the face of Donald Trump's victory. More than that and more importantly, we also missed the story, after having spent months mocking the people who had a better sense of what was going on.

    This is all symptomatic of modern journalism's great moral and intellectual failing: its unbearable smugness. Had Hillary Clinton won, there's be a winking "we did it" feeling in the press, a sense that we were brave and called Trump a liar and saved the republic.

    So much for that. The audience for our glib analysis and contempt for much of the electorate, it turned out, was rather limited. This was particularly true when it came to voters, the ones who turned out by the millions to deliver not only a rebuke to the political system but also the people who cover it. Trump knew what he was doing when he invited his crowds to jeer and hiss the reporters covering him. They hate us, and have for some time.

    And can you blame them? Journalists love mocking Trump supporters. We insult their appearances. We dismiss them as racists and sexists. We emote on Twitter about how this or that comment or policy makes us feel one way or the other, and yet we reject their feelings as invalid.

    It's a profound failure of empathy in the service of endless posturing. There's been some sympathy from the press, sure: the dispatches from "heroin country" that read like reports from colonial administrators checking in on the natives. But much of that starts from the assumption that Trump voters are backward, and that it's our duty to catalogue and ultimately reverse that backwardness. What can we do to get these people to stop worshiping their false god and accept our gospel? (italics in original story)

    We diagnose them as racists
    in the way Dark Age clerics confused medical problems with demonic possession. Journalists, at our worst, see ourselves as a priestly caste. We believe we not only have access to the indisputable facts, but also a greater truth, a system of beliefs divined from an advanced understanding of justice.

    You'd think that Trump's victory – the one we all discounted too far in advance – would lead to a certain newfound humility in the political press. But of course that's not how it works. To us, speaking broadly, our diagnosis was still basically correct. The demons were just stronger than we realized.

    This is just all a "whitelash," you see....


    ...That's the fantasy, the idea that if we mock them enough, call them racist enough, they'll eventually shut up and get in line. ...



    ...As a direct result, we get it wrong with greater frequency. Out on the road, we forget to ask the right questions. We can't even imagine the right question. We go into assignments too certain that what we find will serve to justify our biases...
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to GodismyJudge For This Useful Post:

    Ezekiel 33 (11-10-2016), Romans828 (11-10-2016), victoryword (11-10-2016)

  3. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by GodismyJudge View Post
    We diagnose them as racists in the way Dark Age clerics confused medical problems with demonic possession.
    I still diagnose most medical problems as demonic. Just sayin'

    Otherwise, good article - and from CBS of all people. At least some in the mainstream press have a sense of humility about them.
    Christ's Victory Bible Teaching Center
    Web site: http://www.cvbibleteachingcenter.org


    Vindicating God Ministries
    (A Unique New Bible Teaching Ministry)
    Web site: http://www.vindicatinggod.org
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vindicatinggod
    Gab: https://gab.com/victoriousword
    Minds: https://www.minds.com/victoriousword/
    MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/troyedwards15

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to victoryword For This Useful Post:

    Cardinal TT (11-10-2016), Ezekiel 33 (11-10-2016)

  5. #3
    VW, I commented in the tv coverage thread that we watched the election returns on CBS after switching from ABC during a break. The team was very professional and very gracious in the way they handled the evening.

  6. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by victoryword View Post
    I still diagnose most medical problems as demonic. Just sayin'

    Otherwise, good article - and from CBS of all people. At least some in the mainstream press have a sense of humility about them.
    Agreed.
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

  7. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by curly sue View Post
    VW, I commented in the tv coverage thread that we watched the election returns on CBS after switching from ABC during a break. The team was very professional and very gracious in the way they handled the evening.
    The actual coverage on Election night was also a matter of professional pride.

    It was all of the prior months of mindset/attitude/coverage that is more in line with the posted article.
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

  8. #6
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    16,274
    Thanked: 14133
    Blog Entries
    1
    Just like Trump said from his speech I posted the other day:

    The most powerful weapons deployed by the Clintons is the corporate media. The press. Let's be clear on one thing: Corporate media in our country is no longer involved in journalism. They are a political special interest no different than any lobbyist or other financial entity with a total political agenda. And the agenda is not for you it is for themselves. Anyone who challenges their control is deemed a sexist. A racist. A xenophobe. They will lie, lie, lie. And then again they will do worse than that. They will do whatever's necessary.

  9. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to fuego For This Useful Post:

    Ezekiel 33 (11-10-2016), GodismyJudge (11-10-2016), Romans828 (11-10-2016)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Avoid unexpected, expensive repair costs with an extended service plan for your Suzuki. Many vehicle repairs can cost thousands of dollars in unexpected expense, now may be the time to consider an extended service plan for your vehicle.