On the importance of not trusting the news media

You may remember this photo of the Wall Street Journal.
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Today there is another example.
Compare and contrast these two headlines about the exact same poll.

Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence

22 million Americans support neo-Nazis, new poll indicates

You literally couldn't get more different headlines.
In what may be a first, while both headlines are technically true, the WashPo headline is actually more truthful than the alarmist Independent headline.
Here was the relevant poll question:
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It looks to me like 5% of those people took it as a 1st Amendment question.

Finally, there is this example from the Economist from June.

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Do you get the feeling the neoliberals were pushing their boy Macron just a bit too hard?
Two months later reality has returned.

French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity among the country's voters is sinking to near-record-low levels a few months after his election win, according to a new Harris Poll.
Only 37% of voters approve of the job Macron is doing, down from a high of 57% after his election in May. Macron, a pro-business centrist — who was elected in a landslide over Marine Le Pen, a far-right nationalist, 66% to 34% — has since come under fire for his domestic agenda.

It's going to go a lot lower.

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lot harder next time unless the socialists and unions wake the fuck up. 1968 all over again but this time no rolling over.

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@LaFeminista

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that we can't trust the media:

David Rockefeller’s 1991 Speech at a Bilderberg Group Meeting

We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march toward a world government. . . . The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries. (source)

(Bolding mine.)

The rest of the article hits the nail on the head.

It would be nice to have the time to develop a compilation of all the evidence that the MSM is untrustworthy and should be completely shunned. The fact WaPo is a CIA propaganda tool, for just one of so many juicy examples. One page with links to sources. I'd print reams and leave a page wherever I go. We need more waking up going on.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@gustogirl

Press. Sklar was a true 'leftist' investigative reporter. I've only seen her interviewed by Bill Moyers.

Jimmy Carter and the Trilateralists: Presidential Roots by Laurence H. Shoup, excerpted from the book Trilateralism, edited Holly Sklar, South End Press, 1980

Here's an excerpt:

Conclusion

... Jimmy Carter, using a combination of charm, hard work, middle-of-the-road policy positions, and a keen sense of where power lies in the U.S., built his political career by gaining support, first from the Establishment of his local area, and then from the dominant sector of the national ruling class.

Traditional democratic constituencies like labor, intellectuals, minorities, ethnics, and big city machines provided support as time went on but the key to Carter's victory was the early support given by upper class groups centered in Atlanta and New York, especially the latter's large financial and media corporations.

The makeup and locus of power in Carter's administration supplies strong additional evidence of the validity of this perspective. The individuals Carter chose to fill the central policy making positions in his administration were overwhelmingly from Eastern Establishment organizations: the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Committee for Economic Development. In addition, at least six assistant secretaries of State and Treasury are also either Commissioners or CFR members, as are numerous ambassadors, advisers, and government negotiators. These men make the most important foreign, economic, and domestic policy decisions of the U.S. government today; they set the goals and direction for the administration.

The Eastern Establishment-through the Trilateral commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, and key media corporations-helped elect Jimmy Carter president.

What does this mean for the future?

It means increased ruling class control over U.S. politics, leaving minorities, the women's movement, the Left and even traditional Democratic Party constituencies like unions and liberals with less and less influence. This increased control is deemed necessary by Eastern Establishment leaders in order to give them freer reign to address the domestic and international crises facing the capitalist system during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.

The shape of their plans to deal with these problems add up to an increased appetite for authority, discipline, and control.

The U.S. ideological climate has shifted to the right over the past few years, providing the basis for a forced decline in the living standards of the working class.

This trend bears close watching and appropriate ~ action by all those who desire a more, rather than less, democratic world.

[Re-paragraphed for my emphasis--also, my bolding and italics.]

Hope folks take a moment to read the entire essay. Of course, much of this was the brainchild of the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's National Security Advisor.

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

@Unabashed Liberal I have just had my admiration for Carter cut to size!

I'm curious whether the income inequality was on its slide during his admin.

Only recently I also heard Carter attended Bohemian Grove, allegedly. Seems out of character.

Will read full article when I finish my fave show for poisoning my mind and dumbing down: Law and Order.

Thanks for info.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@gustogirl

having mixed feelings about Carter. The paternal side of my Mother's family has generations of Atlantans. And, for a time, Mr M and I lived there; Jimmy Carter was our Governor. He was definitely an ultra fiscal hawk (Blue Dog) Southern Dem, but, he seemed to be a humble man of good character.

Regardless, my hat's off to him for founding Habitat For Humanity--one of the most worthy 'people' charities out there, IMO. Also, I have a little bit of a soft spot for him for a very silly reason--his accent. My Mother's Southern accent wasn't as pronounced, but it was similar.

Wink

Anyhoo, I believe that all facets of a public figure's deeds probably deserve some examination. So, glad if any of the information posted was helpful to you.

Have a good one!

Mollie


"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."--Lao Tzu

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

@Unabashed Liberal

It's been suggested that Carter's work in Habitat For Humanity may be in expiation. I kinda feel that he was essentially a basically decent man manipulated and twisted into evil ways by pathologically greedy and destructive powers beyond even those very powers control, due to their inherent insanity and inability to recognize reality and even the concepts of humanity.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

..... like Thomas Jefferson before him, had major life accomplishments far superior to anything their Presidencies produced.

In Carter's case, Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Foundation; the latter actually doing real good in the world (eliminating guinea worm infestation from the human race).

In Jefferson's case, the founding of the University of Virginia.

The Presidency was a footnote in both men's lives, really.

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

snoopydawg's picture

@gustogirl
for over a decade. This plan for a new world order goes back to the days of J. P. Morgan and his other rich banking buddies. This includes the Rothschild family who are the ones who started this idea IIRC.

This is further proof that voting for either party is going to change anything. With each president, the elite's mask has been slipping and it came off for me during Obama's tenure.
The case against the bank CEOs was a slam dunk, but look at how they got away with crashing the global economy.
And how the Bush administration got away with blatant war crimes. Obama was just finishing what Bush started and he was finishing what Clinton started,,,,,,going back how many presidents?

Thanks for the link to the article.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Meteor Man's picture

Because so much news has been fake for quite some time and is on a downhill slide.

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

On the left hand newspaper, who are they saying is the loafer?

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There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.

MarilynW's picture

any more than I trust Fox News. Fortunately not all MSM is as corrupt. There's The New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Harper's, CBC in Canada, McClatchy's, New York Times, & WaPo. They make mistakes too but they do not appear to be complete propaganda.

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To thine own self be true.

@MarilynW

Fortunately not all MSM is as corrupt. There's The New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Harper's, CBC in Canada, McClatchy's, New York Times, & WaPo. They make mistakes too but they do not appear to be complete propaganda.

I can say for certain that WashPo is no better than the NY Post these days.

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@MarilynW have you forgotten the NYT role in justifying the Iraq invasion via Judith Miller's now discredited lies?

And WaPo was purchased by Amazon's Jeff Bezos shortly after the CIA gave him $400 million for cloud services. Since, WaPo has been the primary purveyor of Russia Russia lies.

As far as I'm concerned, WaPo is the propaganda tool of the CIA. I can't believe a single column inch of that formerly glorious rag.

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MarilynW's picture

@gustogirl
I read selectively and I think after all these years, I can judge propaganda.

I will never forget the NYTimes roll out for the invasion of Iraq. I physically demonstrated against that invasion in my home town. March 19, 2003, March 19 is my son's birthday so I will always remember the date. That was 14 years ago, Judith Miller is no longer writing for the NYTimes.

I'm glad I can admit that I read the NYTimes on this site without being flamed as happened to me here once before. We all don't think alike do we?

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To thine own self be true.

dervish's picture

@MarilynW largely fiction.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Unabashed Liberal's picture

N/A

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

The New York Times' coverage of "Russia hacking the election" and of Bernie supporters vs Establishment Dems has largely been propaganda. They've reported anonymous rumors about Russia at length. They've used insulting, misleading language to describe progressives' views. They have pushed for war in the Middle East, apparently feeling no shame that their coverage helped start the war in Iraq. I have friends and relatives who write good non-political articles for them. I wish I could still respect the rest of the paper.

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lotlizard's picture

@bilger  
It’s evident in their choice of columnists and Middle East correspondents. These typically range from people with children actively serving in the Israeli military, to undistinguished figures unable to read or speak Arabic who derive most of their “analysis” from pro-Israel fronts like MEMRI and WINEP, or media sock puppets of the Saudis and other Gulf dynasties.

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