The Onion's editor on Trump and the press

[Mac1958]

True, the 'Media' shot all of it's somewhat sell -able credibility to death. I was even surprised at many of the PBS and NPR people being so blatantly corrupt and openly lying, like Brooks, Gwen Ifill, etc., being so silly over Trump. Some I used to have a little respect for, but no longer, not even a shred. I refuse to support them any more, whereas I used to buy a lot of their fund-raiser stuff several times a year, the music specials actually, not the blathering BoBo new age huckster psycho-babble and medicine show crap. No more.

An interesting point he makes throughout the interview is that the press has fallen into the "click bait" trap, being so aggressive with the juiciest and most explosive stuff without having the substance to back it up.

Obviously an example of the dark side of the hyper-competitive nature of the media now. How do you stand out from a zillion competitors? Go flashy. It has essentially become a business model. It's not good, but it makes sense.
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The 24 hour news cycle.

Yeah, the news cycle and the flood of outlets. It's human nature, I guess, but that will inevitably lead to a lot of crap.
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[Mac1958]

The editor of The Onion (the greatest site in the history of historical histories) sat for an interview and had some interesting things to say. Great stuff.

On Trump:
He talks about how it can be difficult to satirize someone who is so absurd to begin with: "The other challenge about this administration is that so many of their policies and things, like for the EPA, they almost feel like satire. You’re just cutting everything that would protect the environment or making it easier for people to pollute. That’s the kind of thing that you would in the past make jokes about. I think we had an article years ago that said something like: “EPA: Rivers Aren’t Supposed to Smell like Shit.” And you can’t really do that kind of joke now because that’s not really where their focus is. It goes throughout the Department of Interior. We used to do lots of jokes about various things — laying off animals and stuff like that. It’s not quite as relevant now because they’re not functioning at a normal level.

"But I think Trump’s surrogates are a little bit easier. We had an article that they were just going to have ongoing going-away parties. There was another one about how the nation didn’t think it could re-assimilate all the former Trump employees.

On the Media:
"I think sometimes it’s just so self-serious. It has been in different stages. The first few months of the Trump administration, it just felt like people took every single thing he said so seriously. And it’s like, really? Even if they’re not funny, they’re tongue-in-cheek arguments where he’s deliberately trying to troll people. I think the press goes running off in the wrong direction: “Look what he’s doing! Look what he’s doing!” And you make a huge deal out of what he says and it’s missing the point of everything. In a way, they’re doing exactly what he wants: freaking out about nothing. And that’s what’s been happening a lot in this country.

"And it kind of lends credence to saying it’s a witch hunt. I’ve seen people literally do a witch hunt on powerless people and attack them. It’s kind of crazy that people are doing that or that they want to immediately take away someone’s First Amendment rights and say you can’t speak, like conservatives who want to speak on college campuses. It makes no sense to me. Let people speak. Don’t make them into martyrs who aren’t allowed to speak and then their message is amplified. They’re going to draw more people if they become proponents of the First Amendment, versus whatever message you disagreed with. It’s a very dangerous situation.

How Trump changed everything for The Onion
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Too bad you didn’t post more snippets of the article instead of cherry-picking segments that encompassed your agenda.

He took on both silly ends of the spectrum. That suits my agenda just fine, thanks.
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[Picaro]

Most people don't read the news 24/7, so I don't see why the 'cycle' means a thing. 'Click bait' is no different than front page headlines and paper boys yelling them out, same thing different methods. And, far fewer people read political tabloid stuff than they do People or some other mindless pop drivel. Look at the huge decline in pay for views news channels, never exactly huge to begin with relative to the population of this country. If there is a '24/7 cycle' influencing anything the numbers should be huge, not tiny and declining.

 

[gipper]

had one of my nephews friends use "NAZI" the other day on facebook and i called him out on it. i told him when anyone does that crap, they water down the meaning of the word. he then said "well not a REAL nazi i'm just talking figuratively" to which i said "exactly. you water down the meaning of the word so now racist, nazi, and many others simply carry no value anymore because you use them every time someone disagrees with you.

and it's very true.

Um, no..

The word definitely fits what the far right is becoming.... Racist, Nationalist, anti-freedom.

The idea is to stop them before they turn millions of people into lampshades and bars of soap this time.

Keep up the delusional thinking and hate Joe. The ruling class demands it.

 

[Mac1958]

Most people don't read the news 24/7, so I don't see why the 'cycle' means a thing. 'Click bait' is no different than front page headlines and paper boys yelling them out, same thing different methods. And, far fewer people read political tabloid stuff than they do People or some other mindless pop drivel. Look at the huge decline in pay for views news channels, never exactly huge to begin with relative to the population of this country. If there is a '24/7 cycle' influencing anything the numbers should be huge, not tiny and declining.

The problem is people are getting their "news" from everything from Facebook to the Daily Show to Alex Jones to WND to Rachel Maddow to Sean Hannity to a zillion bloggers. When you have a million "news" outlets, the natural impulse of those sites will be to use hyperbole, distortion and outright fabrication to get your attention and keep you coming back.

That's not okay with you, is it?

A society, and especially a democracy, can't function properly when its people are existing in wildly opposing realities.
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[JoeB131]

Sadly...there are way too many partisans like you. Full of hate for your fellow man, based on ignorance. This is exactly what the ruling class expects of you.

Whatever, guy. Whenever I hear a someone who is being manipulated by Billionaires try to tell me that the "ruling class' is manipulating me, I just have to fucking laugh.

Trump is a Nazi. Deal with it.

ANd much like the Billionaires of Germany didn't know what they were getting into, neither do the Billionaires of America.

 

[JoeB131]

The problem is people are getting their "news" from everything from Facebook to the Daily Show to Alex Jones to WND to Rachel Maddow to Sean Hannity to a zillion bloggers. When you have a million "news" outlets, the natural impulse of those sites will be to use hyperbole, distortion and outright fabrication to get your attention and keep you coming back.

That's not okay with you, is it?

A society, and especially a democracy, can't function properly when its people are existing in wildly opposing realities.

Okay, one more time, Stormy Mac. It really doesn't matter what the packaging on your Mac and Cheese says.... it's still noodles and cheese.

You work on the assumption that it's the content of the news that changes, instead of the presentation.

 

[skookerasbil]

had one of my nephews friends use "NAZI" the other day on facebook and i called him out on it. i told him when anyone does that crap, they water down the meaning of the word. he then said "well not a REAL nazi i'm just talking figuratively" to which i said "exactly. you water down the meaning of the word so now racist, nazi, and many others simply carry no value anymore because you use them every time someone disagrees with you.

and it's very true.

Um, no..

The word definitely fits what the far right is becoming.... Racist, Nationalist, anti-freedom.

The idea is to stop them before they turn millions of people into lampshades and bars of soap this time.

Lol....hey here's to hope that your whole party signs up again for the identity politics strategy heading into the fall. Go....go....go!! All, "Trumps a racist Nazi!" all the time s0n!!

 

[skookerasbil]

"The liberal/progressive/left along with the media has abandoned the working class for Identity Politics."

Identity Politics Vs. White People: Who Will Win? - PaulCraigRoberts.org

 

[sparky]

had one of my nephews friends use "NAZI" the other day on facebook and i called him out on it. i told him when anyone does that crap, they water down the meaning of the word. he then said "well not a REAL nazi i'm just talking figuratively" to which i said "exactly. you water down the meaning of the word so now racist, nazi, and many others simply carry no value anymore because you use them every time someone disagrees with you.

and it's very true.

Um, no..

The word definitely fits what the far right is becoming.... Racist, Nationalist, anti-freedom.

The idea is to stop them before they turn millions of people into lampshades and bars of soap this time.

Lol....hey here's to hope that your whole party signs up again for the identity politics strategy heading into the fall. Go....go....go!! All, "Trumps a racist Nazi!" all the time s0n!!

He really doesn't need help

~S~

 

[JoeB131]

Most people don't read the news 24/7, so I don't see why the 'cycle' means a thing. 'Click bait' is no different than front page headlines and paper boys yelling them out, same thing different methods. And, far fewer people read political tabloid stuff than they do People or some other mindless pop drivel. Look at the huge decline in pay for views news channels, never exactly huge to begin with relative to the population of this country. If there is a '24/7 cycle' influencing anything the numbers should be huge, not tiny and declining.

There are some valid criticism of the news industry you can make.

The first and foremost is that there's very little journalism going on. given a choice between a talking head and reporters in the field, the talking head brings in ratings, so that's where they put their money.

The thing is, there was a time when networks considered their news reporting to be a public service, that they were supposed to lose money on. They had news bureaus all over the world.

If you search a story today, you'll find a dozen news outlets, left right center, all repeating the same information from an original source, and then giving their take on it.

The other part of the problem is prestige. Used to be, running a newspaper or a TV station cost a lot of money, and it still does. But now any fool living in his mother's basement can be a "journalist", and there's no BS filter.

Kind of how the Russians got away with what they got away with last news cycle.

 

[gipper]

Sadly...there are way too many partisans like you. Full of hate for your fellow man, based on ignorance. This is exactly what the ruling class expects of you.

Whatever, guy. Whenever I hear a someone who is being manipulated by Billionaires try to tell me that the "ruling class' is manipulating me, I just have to fucking laugh.

Trump is a Nazi. Deal with it.

ANd much like the Billionaires of Germany didn't know what they were getting into, neither do the Billionaires of America.

I think you have lost your mind Joey. To think Trump a Nazi, is well....just f-ing CRAZY.

You do yourself no favors posting absurdities like that.

Stop buying the lies of the ruling class. It merely makes you a dupe.

 

[iceberg]

had one of my nephews friends use "NAZI" the other day on facebook and i called him out on it. i told him when anyone does that crap, they water down the meaning of the word. he then said "well not a REAL nazi i'm just talking figuratively" to which i said "exactly. you water down the meaning of the word so now racist, nazi, and many others simply carry no value anymore because you use them every time someone disagrees with you.

and it's very true.

Um, no..

The word definitely fits what the far right is becoming.... Racist, Nationalist, anti-freedom.

The idea is to stop them before they turn millions of people into lampshades and bars of soap this time.

Lol....hey here's to hope that your whole party signs up again for the identity politics strategy heading into the fall. Go....go....go!! All, "Trumps a racist Nazi!" all the time s0n!!

He really doesn't need help

~S~

but it helps to cry "wolf" and believe a lie

 

[miketx]

Sad how some people always rely on the thoughts of others.

Even worse ho idiots are fed by the proven liars in the media.