Betsy Reed, editor of The Guardian US, speaks out about the craven refusal of both Los Angeles Times and Washington Post to endorse Kamala Harris in the election — that is, to reject fascism:
"It has never been clearer that media ownership matters to democracy."
That's it in a nutshell. As long as fascism is good for business elites and rich men, bring it on…. That's what these beyond shameful media outlets are saying.
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost
/1
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty."
~ Marty Baron, former executive editor of Washingon Post quoted by D. Earl Stephens
Stephens adds,
"When a newspaper with the logo 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' fails to endorse the candidate that stands up for that Democracy, they are not being accurate or credible.
They in fact are completely worthless.
Dead."
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost
/2
dearlstephens.substack.com/p/b…
BREAKING: The Washington Post Has Died
D. Earl Stephens ✍️ (Enough Already)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"The editor of the editorial page had already drafted the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris when publisher Will Lewis—who is a new hire, hailing from the Rupert Murdoch journalism tree—quashed it and then released a CYA statement about how the paper was 'returning to its roots' of not endorsing candidates. The Post itself reported that the decision was made by the paper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos."
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #Murdoch
/3
thebulwark.com/p/bezos-kills-w…
The Guardrails Are Already Crumpling
Jonathan V. Last (The Bulwark)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"Our corporate media, run by billionaires, are abdicating their duty and fidelity to democracy by proactively bending the knee to Trump and his dictatorial ambitions. The people must resist."
~ Wajahat Ali
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch
/4
thelefthook.substack.com/p/dem…
Democracy Dies For Billionaires
THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali (The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"Will Lewis should be ashamed, if shame is an emotion he is capable of feeling. What an empty shell of a leader. What an embarrassing decline for a once-venerated news organization.
This decision won’t impact the outcome of the election in eleven days. But it will have a lasting impact on how people think of the Washington Post."
~ Dave Karpf
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/5
davekarpf.substack.com/p/a-sug…
A suggestion for the Washington Post's new motto: "Obey in Advance"
Dave Karpf (The Future, Now and Then)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"As the 2024 election looms, media self-censorship in response to Trump’s potential return threatens the democratic role of journalism. …
In times like these, it's crucial for media organizations to remember their responsibility to the public. Anticipatory obedience may offer short-term safety, but it poses long-term risks to the very fabric of democracy."
~ Parker Molloy
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/6
readtpa.com/p/playing-it-safe-…
Playing It Safe Is Risking Democracy: Media’s Silent Endorsement of Authoritarianism
Parker Molloy (The Present Age)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •The aren't obeying in advance.
They want Trump to win.
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis #LosAngelesTimes #media
/7
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"One week before the mortals finish voting and might elect an authoritarian, one whose former chief of staff calls him a fascist, the Washington Post has decided that silence is the best way to guide its readers.
Silence, after all, will not offend the authoritarian should he win."
~ Benjamin Wittes
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/8
thebulwark.com/p/the-washingto…
The Washington Post Bends the Knee to Trump
Benjamin Wittes (The Bulwark)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"Their billionaire owners [of Los Angeles Times and Washington Post] are Trump enablers. ...
The only credible explanation I can think of is that the Post’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, doesn’t want to raise the ire of Donald Trump, should Trump become president — especially now that Trump has declared his intention to punish his opponents."
~ Robert Reich
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/9
robertreich.substack.com/p/cow…
Cowardice and intimidation at The Washington Post and L.A. Times
Robert ReichWilliam Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"Bezos’s other businesses have many federal government contracts, and his largest — Amazon — is the current target of a federal antitrust suit.
Assuming this is the explanation, it stinks. It undermines the credibility of one of our leading newspapers."
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/10
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"We are come to a juncture in America where, as in the first Gilded Age, enormous wealth is lodged in a very few hands — hands that are now either actively supporting Trump (such as Elon Musk) or afraid to come out against him for fear he’ll wreak vengeance on them if they do."
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/11
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"For decades, the business lobby fundamentally moderated the nation’s immigration debate. But in the age of Trump, fearful of advocating publicly on this issue, they’ve largely prioritized other things like corporate tax cuts and deregulation."
~ Eli Hager
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #EconomicElites #SuperRich #immigration #TaxCuts #deregulation
/12
propublica.org/article/busines…
The Business Lobby Once Fought for Immigration Reform. What Happened?
ProPublicaWilliam Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"It is not hard to guess why Bezos and Soon-Shiong made these decisions. Both are billionaires whose other businesses could be hurt by people who conflate their papers’ editorials with the two men’s own opinions. And both are hedging against the chance of Donald Trump winning the election, since he will surely turn his vengeance on those who opposed him."
~ Judd Legum
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #EconomicElites #SuperRich #immigration #TaxCuts
/13
wonkette.com/p/thanks-for-all-…
Thanks For All These New Wonkette Subscribers, Jeff Bezos Of The Washington Post!
Gary Legum (Wonkette)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"This is a dark day in American journalism. Both papers [Los Angeles Times and Washington Post] have made clear their disdain and disrespect for Donald Trump and published numerous columns on their editorial pages calling him unfit to serve. The refusal of the Washington Post and LA Times to publish editorials endorsing Kamala Harris at this point is nothing but chickenshit."
~ Lucian K. Truscott
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #LosAngelesTimes #media
/14
luciantruscott.substack.com/p/…
The Washington Post and LA Times have already told us what they think about Donald Trump.
Lucian K. Truscott IV (Lucian Truscott Newsletter)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"Los Angeles Times editorial page editor Mariel Garza, along with journalists Robert Greene and Karin Klein, resigned from the paper after its decision not to endorse Harris, and nearly 2,000 readers canceled their subscriptions."
~ Heather Cox Richardson
#Trump #fascism #LosAngelesTimes #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/15
heathercoxrichardson.substack.…
October 25, 2024
Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"The Washington Post, too, has seen about 2,000 subscribers bow out, and fourteen of the newspaper’s columnists called the decision not to condemn Trump’s threats to the 'freedom of the press and the values of the Constitution' 'a terrible mistake.' Cartoonist Ann Telnaes published a blacked-out square, playing on the Post’s motto that democracy dies in darkness."
#Trump #fascism #LosAngelesTimes #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/16
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"William Lewis is a liar who apparently believes the American people are stupid. As Santiago Mayor (@SSantiagoMayor) said on Twitter, 'Funny how no newspaper had an issue with their editorial boards calling on Biden to withdraw.'”
~ Robert B. Hubbell
#Trump #fascism #LosAngelesTimes #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #WillLewis
/17
roberthubbell.substack.com/p/n…
Neutrality in the face of fascism is cowardice
Robert B. Hubbell (Today's Edition Newsletter)William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"On the same day that Bezos ordered WaPo not to endorse Kamala Harris (which the Editorial Board was prepared to do), Trump met with representatives of Bezos’ struggling space flight company, Blue Origin."
#Trump #fascism #LosAngelesTimes #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #WillLewis #EconomicElites #CorporateLeaders
/18
William Lindsey :toad:
in reply to William Lindsey :toad: • • •"This is a rather monstrous abdication of responsibility in the face of the very real fascist threat that looms over us all—especially those of us who aren’t billionaires. It is yet another stark and troubling instance of the failures of our corporate media to do its job."
~ Mary Trump
#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/19
marytrump.org/p/democracy-dies…
Democracy Dies in Darkness. Indeed.
Mary L. Trump (The Good in Us by Mary L. Trump)