Case Study of How Facts Keep Getting in the Way of a Good Story: Tear-Gassing Protesters or Church Photo-Op

Remember how Trump tear-gassed protestors in order clear them out to take a photo-op in front of a church in Lafayette Park? Virtually every left-leaning media outlet reported this as an absolute certainty. The only problem is that this narrative is false.

Glenn Greenwald takes us, step by step, through the June 1, 2020 false narrative, up to the new story, where old-fashioned tools called facts establish the foundation for discussing what really happened. Here's an excerpt from Greenwald's analysis:

The IG's conclusion could not be clearer: the media narrative was false from start to finish. Namely, he said, “the evidence did not support a finding that the [U.S. Park Police] cleared the park on June 1, 2020, so that then President Trump could enter the park.” Instead — exactly as Hemingway's widely-mocked-by-liberal-outlets article reported — “the evidence we reviewed showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow a contractor to safely install anti-scale fencing in response to destruction of Federal property and injury to officers that occurred on May 30 and May 31.” Crucially, “ the evidence established that relevant USPP officials had made those decisions and had begun implementing the operational plan several hours before they knew of a potential Presidential visit to the park, which occurred later that day."

The detailed IG report elaborated on the timeline even more extensively. It was “on the morning of June 1” when “the Secret Service procured anti-scale fencing to establish a more secure perimeter around Lafayette Park that was to be delivered and installed that same day.” The agencies had “determined that it was necessary to clear protesters from the area in and around the park to enable the contractor’s employees to safely install the fence.” Indeed, “we found that by approximately 10 a.m. on June 1, the USPP had already begun developing a plan to clear protesters from the area to enable the contractor to safely install the anti-scale fence” — many hours before Trump decided to go.

The clearing of the Park, said the IG Report, had nothing to do with Trump or his intended visit to the Church; in fact, those responsible for doing this did not have any knowledge of Trump's intentions

This story is not an outlier. U.S. media is constantly getting things starkly wrong. For example, See Glenn Greenwald's article on the worst ten media failures on the Trump-Russia story.

Continue ReadingCase Study of How Facts Keep Getting in the Way of a Good Story: Tear-Gassing Protesters or Church Photo-Op

Aaron Mate Responds to TYTs Hatchet Job by Citing Basic Principles of Real Journalism.

It's amazing what passes for journalism these days. Aaron Mate's frustration is also my frustration. Why is it that the "bad" guys like Aaron (and Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi) needs to keep giving Journalism 101 lectures to those who refuse to take the bottom-up (facts first) approach to presenting the "news." Here is an excerpt from Aaron's recent article, "McCarthyite meltdown shows how Russiagate, Syria propaganda captured 'left' mediaIn slandering me, The Young Turks demonstrated how Western chauvinism and careerism have been normalized in progressive media spaces."

If Kasparian and Uygur were really to be "quite honest with you" and with themselves, they'd come clean about my real crime, in their eyes: being a journalist who does my job. One of the tasks that entails is questioning official narratives put forth by the intelligence agencies and foreign-policy wonks that keep US empire running, and examining evidence on its merits, regardless of partisan or careerist utility. Apparently, TYT has made it a policy to perform neither of these tasks, and, far worse, to slander someone who does.

Continue ReadingAaron Mate Responds to TYTs Hatchet Job by Citing Basic Principles of Real Journalism.

Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti Are Leaving The Hill, Creating Their Own News Show

The Hill's Rising, featuring Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, has been an impressive change of pace from most legacy media organizations. They are leaving The Hill, to strike out on their own. Why? Start listing to the tales of corporate interference with content that Krystal and Saagar tell to Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper on Useful Idiots, beginning at min 46:

I invite you to join me in supporting Krystal and Saagar at Breaking Point, where you will hear real journalists:

Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti are proud to introduce Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar. A fearless anti-establishment Youtube show and podcast debuting MONDAY JUNE 7TH, 2021

CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are ripping us apart and making millions of dollars doing it. We don't have soulless billionaires or corporations backing our high end TV production, but we do have YOU. We took a big risk going independent and we need your help to fulfill our mission of making everyone hate each other LESS and the corrupt ruling class MORE.

Here's a video from their inaugural show, in which the hosts indicate that their mission is to fight "this empty right that we are constantly fighting over." Krystal comment that most media is aimed at "making us hate each other more and loving the elite":

Continue ReadingKrystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti Are Leaving The Hill, Creating Their Own News Show

The New Partisan ACLU

This change of de facto mission has been obvious for years. The ACLU is now unapologetically partisan, which is in sharp conflict with its stated principles. This NYT new coverage of this change is better late than never.

"It was supposed to be the celebration of a grand career, as the American Civil Liberties Union presented a prestigious award to the longtime lawyer David Goldberger. He had argued one of its most famous cases, defending the free speech rights of Nazis in the 1970s to march in Skokie, Ill., home to many Holocaust survivors.

Mr. Goldberger, now 79, adored the A.C.L.U. But at his celebratory luncheon in 2017, he listened to one speaker after another and felt a growing unease.

"I got the sense it was more important for A.C.L.U. staff to identify with clients and progressive causes than to stand on principle,” he said in a recent interview. “Liberals are leaving the First Amendment behind.”

The A.C.L.U., America’s high temple of free speech and civil liberties, has emerged as a muscular and richly funded progressive powerhouse in recent years, taking on the Trump administration in more than 400 lawsuits. But the organization finds itself riven with internal tensions over whether it has stepped away from a founding principle — unwavering devotion to the First Amendment."

The NYT piece offers this compelling evidence in support:

Since Mr. Trump’s election, the A.C.L.U. budget has nearly tripled to more than $300 million as its corps of lawyers doubled. The same number of lawyers — four — specialize in free speech as a decade ago.

As I've pointed out many times, the legacy media take-over by social justice/woke partisanship mirrors the take-over of the ACLU. Good to see the NYT finally look into the mirror and ask itself some simple questions about its own mission. That had to happen in order for this ACLU article to find the light of day.

Continue ReadingThe New Partisan ACLU