American Media’s Tabloid ‘Journalism’
Most community news outlets report straight local news, but, contrary to their indignant protestations, national media present fake news daily.
National news organizations advertise themselves as truth-tellers – “All the news that’s fit to print,” “Democracy dies in darkness,” “The most trusted name in news” – but fully two-thirds of Americans are convinced that mainstream media publish and broadcast fake news. Good journalism can still be found, but seldom on national pages and broadcasts where left-wing advocacy and outright propaganda seep into political, economic and social “news” coverage, where unfounded tabloid-style accusations and speculations aren’t just excused, they’re encouraged. Typically, after botching major stories – e.g., “Russia collusion,” one of this century’s most embarrassing media blunders – media shrug it off, uncorrected, and move on.
Now skeptical of nearly everything they see or read, more than half of Americans think news outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, television networks, and cable news not only fail to tell the truth, but, on certain topics, are incapable of telling it. Few genuinely believe that any of them are objective, unbiased or impartial, Many have tuned out political media entirely.
National media are destroying their brands by neglecting the ordinary, average majority who could be their primary audience. Media look down on, even insult ordinary people – or their intelligence, at least – and then don’t understand why they’re criticized, tuned out, cancelled, and their markets and revenues shrink.
National media figures, generally, seem far less interested in the welfare of their institutions than they are in pandering to their peers and the roughly one-quarter of American “progressives” who are predisposed to agree with them. Indeed, national media’s relentlessly-biased social, cultural and, especially, political coverage often overshadows, even crowds out important news, the way a highly-partisan presidential impeachment blocked early COVID-19 coverage.
Most Americans, especially those living outside heavily-liberal coastal strips, cities and college towns, would welcome and reward straightforward reporting, but regard contemporary journalism as conspicuously biased, even manipulative.
As one example, media went on-air during the anarchy in Minneapolis and other cities, some with flames in the background, others dodging violence and looters, to assure viewers, witnesses to open insurrection, that the “demonstrations,” the “protests” were peaceful, that no one was breaking the law, while blaming “systemic racism” and the president when, in fact, weak liberal governors and mayors were unable – or unwilling – to maintain order in or prevent the destruction of one-party cities Democrats have controlled for decades.
Dishonest reporting about wide-spread left-wing anarchy is merely the latest in a pattern that includes “Russia collusion,” the Mueller probe, an anodyne Ukraine phone call, and the House Democrats’ impeachment psychodrama.
In fact, national media typically present – or misrepresent – virtually everything President Donald Trump says or does in the worst possible light, a reflexive practice especially visible during COVID-19 pandemic coverage. Viewers clearly see the self-important arrogance of a preening, unprofessional, malevolent, out-of-control White House press corps who refuse to police themselves or each other, then bristle at being marginalized by a combative president they clearly revile.
Public disapproval of media is understandable, especially now. America has always rallied behind its leaders during crises. Media attacks on a Republican president, once seen only as unfair, are now regarded as anti-American by people, including many Democrats and independent voters, who are more interested in seeing the nation restore order, restart the national economy, and deal successfully with the COVID-19 crisis.
National Review’s Armond White called media behavior, “Smart-ass cynicism…based on the sense of superiority felt by many crusading journalists – and attention-grabbers who call themselves journalists. … [W]hen journalists claim…their job is to ‘hold public officials accountable,’ it’s the same humble-brag, shrugging off moral responsibility and hiding partisanship while demonstrating the boastful habit of activist-journalist narcissism…that prevails in today’s media.”
But most Americans have dismissed the condescension and prevarications of self-absorbed, self-appointed national media “elites.” Smug, self-satisfied, but lacking introspection, increasingly-desperate left-wing national media sources are finally grasping that they no longer shape the perceptions of the larger, non-liberal public who don’t trust, believe or buy the snake oil their “journalists” are peddling.
Most national media outlets once enjoyed them all, so, those who have lost customers, respect, trust, prestige, and influence brought it on themselves.
