Well worth reading today is New York Time publisher A.
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Mastodon Migrationwrote last edited by [email protected]
Well worth reading today is New York Times publisher A. G. Sulberger's long opinion piece in the Washington Post ostensibly in defense of press freedom from Trump.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/09/05/sulzberger-free-press-new-york-times/
Would also recommend reading the comments. The majority of which call out Sulzberger for normalization of Trump and both-siderism practiced by his newspaper.
We have seen before how Sulzberger uses the rhetorical shield of "press freedom" to deflect criticism, but this is taking it to a new level.
1/2
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
A quick summary... The press is under siege by authoritarian governments all over the world. If Trump is elected we will see the same thing here. That's not going to deter us from staying neutral in this election.
Seems like staying neutral in Sulzberger's view means treating both as equally viable candidates, independent of the reality.
He also strangely singles out Brazil's shut down of Twitter/X as an example of government censorship.
Lots to unpack here. Curious about your thoughts?
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
we may entertain arguments of fascists, but it is always a waste of time. their intent is to waste our time
there is reality and nonsense, and if someone stands before a judge and delivers nonsense, the judge shuts it down
unfortunately we are not in a court of law
so we have an endless litany of nonsense, and the press *makes money* from controversy, so it is happy to entertain the stupidity and *extend it* (and make more money), well beyond credibility
this is our world
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Jon on Steroidsreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration The comments are definitely worth a read!!!
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
the intent and purpose of fascism is to oppose all systems of law, sanity, and reality itself. it is war on to impose their atavistic will to oppose any civilized of order, and descend us into madness
and it works
it works because we who operate on reason require an argument to find rightness or wrongness
so all they have to do is utter any manner of insanity and stupidity as their "argument," making an utter mockery of what we are trying to achieve
amazingly...
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
the fascist is aided by two processes in their contempt:
1. they elicit an emotional reaction. any valid outrage is instantly cast as "evil" in the eyes of the fascist, and the "righteousness" of the fascist- merely the act of defying any sanity or reality, fills them with pride and courage. the argument itself, nonsense words, has no meaning
2. the press must sell eyeballs and clicks to survive. it doesn't matter how, and so they amplify the nonsense. a feedback loop
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
my fear is that civilization is underequipped to deal with social media and *plutocrat captured traditional media*
malicious malcontent and contempt prospers on it
our normal socialization is to learn we are in society and are obligated to act with respect for other's rights
many, due to poor socialization, mental health condition, or, worst of all, plutocrat shielded impunity, never learn consequences for defiling rights
media currently *rewards and amplifies* contempt
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Colin Oatleyreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration Itโs weird. In this opinion piece, Sulzberger seems clear-eyed about the threat that Trump represents to journalists and journalism. But he remains remarkably delusional about how his own paperโs political reporting โsanitizes Trumpโs insanityโ to use the phrase coined yesterday by Parker Molloy here: https://newrepublic.com/article/185530/media-criticism-trump-sanewashing-problem
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Mister Prickles ๐ฆreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
"... broadsheet headlines unskeptically parrot his claims, often unmoored from the truth, flattering his accomplishments while demonizing and discrediting his critics."
Isn't this essentially a description of his own newspaper?
The US media failed its duty during the 2016 campaign, saying: "how about this guy? Isn't he wild?" and then complained about losing the title of fourth estate and winning the title of fifth column.
The whole article reeks of an apologetic.
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
my solution to plutocrat compromised traditional media and social media, such as it is (it's a wish more than a prescription):
all traditional media is financially independent, so that venture capital may not corrupt it with the agendas of plutocrats who want to defile the law and assemble clueless malcontents to their cause with a lying agenda
and that social media be like mastodon: utterly free and decentralized, not part of the plutocrat agenda
somehow
we can dream
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Brian Tatoskyreplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
@mastodonmigration Major journalism outlets are entirely unable to be self-critical, as nearly every editorial statement, or, opinion by an editor shows.
At one level, they don't get that their version of neutrality will not protect them and they seem confused by that.
They also don't seem to be able to understand bad actors over "free speech"
At another level, they are *owned* by figures who are A-OK with fascism because it wont effect *their* company (ha) so they see no need to counter it.
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Jack Yan (็็ตๆฉ)replied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
@benroyce Incredibly well thought out response, Ben. I appreciate your analysis!
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Mister Prickles ๐ฆreplied to Mister Prickles ๐ฆ last edited by
In the UK the concerted efforts of the media kept Corbyn out of power (for good or ill). They also boosted Boris Johnson to chief executive because he was amusing. Then, when they tired of him, they switched the machine from suck to blow and brought him down.
Not even the BBC affects the dispassion of the Gray Lady. If a real imbecile approaches (or even wins) power, no punches are pulled. It's high time the NYT understood the merits of this approach.
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Jack Yan (็็ตๆฉ) last edited by
thank you jack
i sorely feel #mastodon is our solution to these problems with traditional #media and #socialmedia
some on mastodon say they are content with it being an oddball fringe thing. and i appreciate them: it is a freedom, and it is special, and if it grows it will groan under the weight of society's ills
but mastodon *must* grow and confront these ills
we can not sit by and enjoy our gem while the world descends into madness, fascism, and plutocrat abuse
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
Guess this is what seems particularly devious about the op-ed. Sulzberger sets the stage with all sorts of high minded appeals to something we can all agree on, press freedom, but then inverts the arguement and uses this sympathetic frame to deflect criticism for basically, as fascism expert Timothy Snyder says, 'obeying in advance.'
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Freedom2Breplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
Just dropping some etymology. Tooth pain = mental block.
not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
neuter: From ne (โnotโ) +โ uter (โeitherโ). In the grammatical sense, a semantic loan from Koine Greek ฮฟแฝฮดฮญฯฮตฯฮฟฯ (oudรฉteros), from ฮฟแฝฮดฮญ (oudรฉ, โnotโ) +โ แผฯฮตฯฮฟฯ (hรฉteros, โone or the other (of two)โ).
-Alis: Used to form an adjective, usually from a noun, indicating a relationship or a pertaining to.
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
it's a simple counterargument to Sulzberger:
there is no such thing as freedom of expression that has as its argument antifreedom fascism
i mean, there is: we are living in a world currently defined by bigoted argument amplified
bolstered by plutocrats, the sadistic, and the clueless
sometimes i feel like Karl Popper's "Paradox of Tolerance" needs to go into the US Constitution
maybe someday it will
after we have spent many decades suffering before learning the paradox
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Mastodon Migrationreplied to Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Vote last edited by
Well said...
"there is no such thing as freedom of expression that has as its argument antifreedom fascism"
A defense of 'press freedom' that includes normalization of fascist anti-freedom is an intrinsic contradiction.
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Ben Royce ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ฆ Don't Boo: Votereplied to Mastodon Migration last edited by
unfortunately the realization escapes enough people that we are mired in a horrible struggle
this notion of freedom: "i can do whatever i want, be damned the consequences"
vs
true freedom (a responsibility intrinsic to it): "i can do whatever i want *as long as i do not trample the freedom of others*"
civilization requires a constraint on those who trample other people's freedoms
but *that* is fundamentally confusing
and in the confusion mischief dwells and prospers
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Someone slapped the following into Wikipedia.
"Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased position in regard to political matters. The Collins English Dictionary defines apolitical as 'politically neutral; without political attitudes, content, or bias.'"
https://en.wikipedia.org โบ wiki โบ Apolitici...
Apoliticism - Wikipedia