Analysis: Arkansas Democrats relying on political newcomers News & Observer He's never held elected office or appeared on the ballot, but he's now hoping to retake a central Arkansas congressional seat in what had been a reliably Democratic district. Spencer faces a steep challenge in trying to win the 2nd Congressional ... |
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Analysis: Arkansas Democrats relying on political newcomers - News & Observer
When documentary filmmaker Brian Knappenberger set out to make a film about Hulk Hogans lawsuit against Gawker Media, he didnt fully realize the impact of the trial on the future of journalism. It wasnt until the revelation that Peter Thiel was behind thisaka bankrolling Hogans lawsuitthat he realized suddenly this was a very different story, this was about how very wealthy individuals could silence their critics.
Knappenbergers past films, Robert Scheer notes, talk about the possibilities for good and evil in the internet, and his latest, Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Trial of a Free Press, is no exception. In this weeks episode of KCRWs Scheer Intelligence, Knappenberger sits down with Scheer for a discussion of freedom of the press in the age of Donald Trump, and the future of online journalism.
I found the Hulk Hogan/Gawker case to be really compelling just by itself. It was the first time a sex tape case like this had ever gone to trial, and there was this kind of veneer of tabloid sensationalism to it. You could tell that there were some bigger-picture things going on, Knappenberger says. There were some, I think, really important First Amendment versus privacy issues happening here, and so I thought that was just really, really interesting.
The movie has resonance beyond whether you like Gawker or not, Scheer says. Its really a question of whats going to happening now with the free press, when you have all this money sloshing around that can punish people, and you have a president who seems to be quite hostile to the press.
Knappenberger goes on to explain how Trump has drastically impacted freedom of the press, and notes that Thiel also financially supported Trumps presidential campaign. I think theyre kindred spirits, certainly, in their hatred of the media, he says.
So how does Knappenberger feel about the future of the free press, especially considering the media consolidation happening under companies like Sinclair Broadcast Group?
Theres a lot of examples, and troubling examples, of big money in news and in media. Theres no question about that, he says. I think what were seeing here in the last year, and what Im responding to in the film, is the beginning of this stuff really ratcheting up, and the stakes getting higher and higher.
Listen to the full interview in the player above. Find past editions of Scheer Intelligence here.
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'Nobody Speak': How Billionaires Are Silencing the First Amendment - HuffPost
Gene Policinski
Attention you so-called enemies of the people and alleged purveyors of biased reporting: Theres reason to think fewer people than last year might see you that way, despite the ongoing, politicized attacks from multiple quarters on the news medias credibility.
President Donald Trump hurled that enemies epithet at journalists some time ago, and continues to complain about biased news coverage nearly every time there are news accounts regarding contacts with Russian officials by his administration.
But such criticism comes with varying levels of vitriol from a variety of quarters, and started long before Trump took office. Often, the harshest criticism of the media comes just as much from those who consume news as from those who make it.
This year, however, there are signs that the publics disdain for the media has somewhat abated. The 2017 State of the First Amendment survey, released over the July 4 holiday by the First Amendment Center of the Newseum Institute in partnership with the Fors Marsh Group, found that:
A solid majority of the public about 68 percent still believes in the importance of news media as a watchdog on democracy. Less than half (43.2 percent) said they believe the news media tries to report the news without bias; but this figure is a marked improvement from 2015 (23 percent) and 2016 (24 percent). There are some likely reasons for this shift: A significant amount of TV, online and print journalism has shifted from the softer horse race focus of the 2016 election to this years focus on hard news and complex issues. And with more than a bit of irony as more Americans are inclined only to consume news from sources that line up with their individual perspectives, theres a likely parallel increase in the trust factor in those sources, even if they resemble echo chambers more than truth-tellers. Among those who believe that media tries to report unbiased information, most expressed a preference for news information that aligns with their own views (60.7 percent). Those more critical of media efforts to report news without bias were also less prone to report a preference for news aligned with their own views (49.1 percent).
So, no celebratory back flips in the nations newsrooms, please, especially since the uptick only puts the bias figure roughly back to levels seen in 2013 and 2014 (46 percent and 41 percent, respectively).
Those inclined to support the work of todays journalists hope that the drop in those who perceive media bias generally stems from that combination of dramatically increased visibility of news operations and their reporting on serious news, such as health care reform and investigations of Russian influence in the 2016 election. For my own part, I believe more people saw reporting of real news, not fluffy click-bait features and dramatic but mostly meaningless polling reports, and it earned back some of their lost approval and trust.
Heres an idea for journalists nationwide: Keep trying hard news, accountability reporting on issues that while not necessarily sexy matter the most to people and their communities, such as jobs, health care, education, and local and state government.
For years, news industry moguls and newsroom leaders have sought ways to reverse their dwindling income, which has led to fewer newsrooms resources and less real journalism, and which in turn has prompted additional loss of consumers. Clearly, mushy stories about the travails of celebrities, feel-good stories, and valuing tweets over investigative reporting are not working out that well.
Acting on this realization will mean putting an emphasis on innovation and finding new ways to report on subjects that, in themselves, dont necessarily draw in a new generation of readers. But therein is the opportunity for those who will be the news media success stories of the 21st century. This years survey results show that the opportunity is there, that news consumers are hungry for imaginative reporting on issues that directly impact their lives.
But we can still take comfort in the 20 percent drop in those who presume journalists are incapable of reporting without bias: Attitudes can change, and trust can be regained. Read the full report.
Editors Note: A version of this column appeared earlier on the Newseum Institute website as part of the 2017 State of the First Amendment report.
Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute. He can be reached at gpolicinski@newseum.org, or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.
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First Amendment: More Americans see less media bias but why? - hays Post
Hillary Clinton's election loss can still be seen and felt across the country, just as if it were that same night in early November when millions were glued to their screens, witnessing a stunning moment of history in real time. Now, six months into a presidency that isn't hers, the former Democratic candidate continues battling criticisms from all sides of the nation, as if she were still on the ballot.
The right covers her flaws with tunnel vision, even as a failed candidatewith no tangible influence in policymaking or domestic affairs, focusing on Clinton while explosive new reports undermine the ethics of Donald Trumps White House. To this day, she is used as a scapegoat to avoid any real criticism of the president by conservative media: the same hour it was announced Donald Trump failed in rallying his party behind a landmark health care bill (unlike his predecessorin 2010), Fox News was pushing a conspiracy theory that she was instead the one guilty of collusion during the 2016 presidential election with the Ukrainiansnot the Russians, nor the Trump campaign.
Related:Hillary Clinton Is President in an Alternate Universe, Where America Is Great Again
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The most popular cable news network has steadily pushed fake news about Clinton in Trumps America. When she delivered a commencement speech at her alma matter, one of the first times she spoke in public since the election, the pundits were back to promoting false claims the 69-year-old grandmother was secretly terribly ill. Newscasters mocked her for sharing the pain she felt after losing the election, claiming she should "go back to the woods"where she belongs, and adding that she clearly never possessed the stamina to be president.
Hillary Clinton speaking during a event on climate change at Miami Dade College-Kendall Campus in Miami, Florida October 11, 2016. Timothy A. Clary, Getty
"She started the speech actually with a coughing fit that required them to bring her water and a lozenge,"Fox News contributor and former MTV Real World cast member Rachel Campos-Duffy said at the time. "So, quite the juxtaposition to how strong our president looked this week traveling, you know, all the way to the Middle East and Europe. After resting and drinking chardonnay, and cleaning her closets like she talked about in her speech you would presume shed be in better shape."
When John McCain shared that same pain with his supporters after losing to former President Barack Obama, telling an audience "after I lost, my friends, I slept like a babysleep two hours, wake up and cry,"he didnt experience the same pointed critiques by the left for appearing emotional or weak.
The rightwing medias unregulated progression into spreading fake news and misinformation is nothing new, especially when the target is a successful and highly-distinguished woman.But even Democrats and the leftwing media have railed on Clinton for having the audacity to remain apublic figure after losing to Trump, the same way McCain did, and Al Gore, and Mitt Romney, andvirtually every other candidate wholost a presidential election.
But Clinton's case is entirely unique, as no other woman in American politics has ever risen so far. She hasnt expressed a desire to serve in elected office since conceding to Trump, not even for a mayoral bid in her hometown of New York City. Whereas typical losing presidential candidates would often be invited back into politics by their own parties soon after their losses, the way McCain and others have like John Kerry, much of the far left wants nothing to do with Clinton. Even some of her own aides think her speaking out is bad for the country.
"She's apparently still really, really angry. I mean, we all are. The election was stolen from her, and that's how she feels,"one aide told The Hill following one of her first speeches after the election, in which Clinton described her battle to the White House. "But to go out there publicly again and again and talk about it? And then blame the DNC? It's not helpful to Democrats. It's not helpful to the country, and I don't think it's helpful to her."
Hillary Clinton leaving after a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, on November 1, 2016. Jewel Samad, Getty
"How can we Move On Together if Hillary Clinton wont go away?"Boston Herald contributor Adriana Cohen wrote. "Hey, Hillary Clinton, shut the f--- up and go away already,"liberal columnist Gersh Kuntzmanwho voted for Clintonwrote in May.
And yet, despite all of the odds and obstacles against her, including a foreign adversary suspected to have influenced the election for her opponent, Clinton garnered the support of65,853,516 Americans; nearly three million more than Trump, and the most out of any losing candidate.She didnt break the glass ceiling on November 8, but herpersistentinfluence, and undeniable ability to remain one of the most important people in the United States, continues to chip away at it every day.
Those factors make Clinton, a former first lady, secretary of state and the first female candidate of a major party, America's biggest and most important loser yet.
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Hillary Clinton is America's BiggestAnd Most ImportantLoser - Newsweek
(WASHINGTON) Hours before he was to help commission a new aircraft carrier at a patriotic ceremony on the Virginia coast, President Donald Trump fired off a volley of early morning tweets that again showed how furious he remains over multiple investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The tweets were unusual in their breadth and scope, even for Trump, given the wide variety of topics he touched on as Saturday dawned. His 10 tweets, all sent within two hours starting before 6:30 a.m., ranged from the Russia investigation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Hillary Clinton, the health care effort and his newly appointed White House communications director.
Trump said in one missive: "While all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS."
The Washington Post recently reported that Trump has inquired about the authority he has as president to pardon aides, relatives or even himself in connection with the widening investigation into Russian interference in the election and whether any Trump associates were involved.
The president has long criticized leaks of information about the investigation and has urged authorities to prosecute leakers.
Trump maintains that no crimes have been committed.
One of Trump's attorneys, Jay Sekulow, said the president has not discussed the issue of pardons with his outside legal team.
Next week, Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.; his son-in-law and White House adviser, Jared Kushner; and Paul Manafort, a former campaign chairman, are scheduled to appear before Senate committees investigating Russian meddling.
Trump defended his son, saying he "openly gave his e-mails to the media & authorities whereas Crooked Hillary Clinton deleted (& acid washed) her 33,000 e-mails!" Trump's namesake has become a focus of the investigation after it was revealed that he, Kushner and Manafort met with Russian representatives at Trump Tower in June 2016. Trump Jr. later released email exchanges concerning the meeting on Twitter, after learning that The New York Times was about to publish them.
The FBI investigated Clinton for using a private email server as secretary of state. She turned thousands of emails over to the government, but deleted thousands of others that she said were personal or unrelated to her work as the nation's top diplomat.
Trump also complained Saturday about a Washington Post report that the Russian ambassador to the U.S. said he discussed election-related issues with Jeff Sessions when the men met during the 2016 presidential race. Sessions, now the attorney general, at the time was a U.S. senator and foreign policy adviser to Trump.
Trump tweeted: "A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post,this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions.These illegal leaks, like Comey's, must stop!"
The Post on Friday cited anonymous U.S. officials who described U.S. intelligence intercepts of Ambassador Sergey Kislyak's descriptions of his meetings with Sessions.
The Justice Department said Sessions stands by his previous assertion that he never had conversations with Russian officials about any type of interference with the election.
Trump also said "Republican Senators must step up to the plate and, after 7 years, vote to Repeal and Replace" the Obama-era health care law. An effort to advance legislation collapsed in the Senate earlier this week after several Republicans said they wouldn't vote for the bill.
Trump ended the tweet with "Tax Reform and Infrastructure. WIN!"
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President Trump Says Son 'Openly' Shared His Emails While Hillary Clinton 'Acid Washed' Hers - TIME