Extremism is threatening to tank the world economy unless we cut Social Security. This is way, way beyond that. It is abhorrent conduct that shouldn't be considered acceptable in American society.
RECENTLY
Here’s what political reporters care about, and it’s not you
Going against the conventional wisdom is a great way for political reporters to lose face with the people who matter to them.
I win an argument with Blake Hounshell
The author of the New York Times's marquee political newsletter seemed perplexed: Did I really think the Times hadn't done enough to warn the public of the threats to democracy?
It’s not a fluke, it’s a rot: Why the political media blew the 2022 election
Ever since they started handicapping the 2022 election, political journalists have refused to even consider that voters might reject extremism.
The “democracy teams” let democracy down
Passive construction and ambiguity instead of active verbs and finger-pointing has undermined what should have been pro-democracy coverage in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Why aren’t mainstream journalists sounding the alarm about the threat to democracy?
Could it be that the country's comfortable, elite journalists take democracy so much for granted that they think the threats are overblown?
The New York Times is making a mockery of democracy fears
A front-page article by Jonathan Weisman asserted that "just what is threatening democracy depends on who you talk to."
MISSION STATEMENT
Press Watch mission statement: Political journalism needs a reset
No one can possibly argue that modern political journalism has fulfilled its essential mission of creating an informed electorate. Here's how it needs to change.
FOX IS NOT NEWS
By firing Brian Stelter, CNN is capitulating to disinformation rather than fighting it
CNN’s latest big move is a huge victory for Fox. By firing Brian Stelter, CNN’s new management has rid Fox – temporarily, I hope – of one of its chief scourges.
Replacement rhetoric is the litmus test the media has been waiting for
The concept of the intentional replacement of white people by nonwhite people, in any form, is a racist conspiracy theory that should be abhorrent to everyone.
THE BIDEN PRESIDENCY
EXPLAINERS
Anonymity for sources shouldn’t come cheap
The granting of anonymity in political journalism has always been a source of confusion and concern. But the dynamics are even more fraught when the White House is awash in chaos, misdirection, and lies.
Are reporters getting valuable information in return for the anonymity they grant? And what should they do when the people to whom they have granted anonymity lie to them?
Fact-checking needs to make way for reality-testing and gaslighting-fighting
Fact-checking has had huge practical and symbolic value. But as it’s currently practiced at the national level, it feels a bit quaint. Political journalism needs to find a better solution to calling out misinformation and disinformation – and soon.
REWRITE DESK
Not clear on who’s threatening democracy? Let me rewrite that for you.
Journalists should be making absolutely clear that Republican candidates for key state and federal offices are fully prepared to steal any future election that doesn’t go their way – making the conspiracy theory they spread about 2020 actually come true in 2024.
A “challenge” to Biden’s battle against racism? Let me rewrite that for you.
I would have written that the Buffalo massacre was a gruesome reminder of the importance of Biden’s desire to “restore the soul of America”.
‘Conservatives’ say teachers are ‘grooming’ kids? Let me rewrite that for you.
Instead of clearly debunking and critiquing this insane, divisive filth, the Washington Post does stenography and withholds judgment.