Betsy Reed, editor of The Guardian US, speaks out about the craven refusal of both Los Angeles Times and Washington Post to endorse Kamala Harris in the election — that is, to reject fascism

William Lindsey :toad:

Betsy Reed, editor of The Guardian US, speaks out about the craven refusal of both Los Angeles Times and Washington Post to endorse Kamala Harris in the election — that is, to reject fascism:

"It has never been clearer that media ownership matters to democracy."

That's it in a nutshell. As long as fascism is good for business elites and rich men, bring it on…. That's what these beyond shameful media outlets are saying.

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost
/1

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219607072

William Lindsey :toad:

"This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty."

~ Marty Baron, former executive editor of Washingon Post quoted by D. Earl Stephens

Stephens adds,

"When a newspaper with the logo 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' fails to endorse the candidate that stands up for that Democracy, they are not being accurate or credible.

They in fact are completely worthless.

Dead."

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost
/2

https://dearlstephens.substack.com/p/breaking-the-washington-post-has

William Lindsey :toad:

"The editor of the editorial page had already drafted the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris when publisher Will Lewis—who is a new hire, hailing from the Rupert Murdoch journalism tree—quashed it and then released a CYA statement about how the paper was 'returning to its roots' of not endorsing candidates. The Post itself reported that the decision was made by the paper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos."

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #Murdoch
/3

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bezos-kills-washington-post-endorsement-guardrails-falling

William Lindsey :toad:

"Our corporate media, run by billionaires, are abdicating their duty and fidelity to democracy by proactively bending the knee to Trump and his dictatorial ambitions. The people must resist."

~ Wajahat Ali

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch
/4

https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/democracy-dies-for-billionaires

William Lindsey :toad:

"Will Lewis should be ashamed, if shame is an emotion he is capable of feeling. What an empty shell of a leader. What an embarrassing decline for a once-venerated news organization.

This decision won’t impact the outcome of the election in eleven days. But it will have a lasting impact on how people think of the Washington Post."

~ Dave Karpf

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/5

https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/a-suggestion-for-the-washington-posts

Godfrey642

@wdlindsy
Media ownership matters. It has chipped away at democracy for decades.

But in the light of what Musk is doing with money and political influence in USA and with Putin in Russia, it's opened the door for any corporate boss in any field to have anti democratic sway.

The national security of USA *and any nation it works with*, through Mask's/Putin's phonecalls, is massively compromised. Who's to say the boxes of secrets from Trumps bathroom haven't ended up in Musk's hands and divulged in a phone call to Putin...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/25/elon-musk-has-been-in-regular-contact-with-putin-for-two-years-say-reports

#musk #spacex #eloncultists #tesla #starlink

William Lindsey :toad:

@Godfrey642 I don't see this as either-or. I see Musk front and center to the decisions craven business and media leaders are making.

William Lindsey :toad:

"As the 2024 election looms, media self-censorship in response to Trump’s potential return threatens the democratic role of journalism. …

In times like these, it's crucial for media organizations to remember their responsibility to the public. Anticipatory obedience may offer short-term safety, but it poses long-term risks to the very fabric of democracy."

~ Parker Molloy

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/6

https://www.readtpa.com/p/playing-it-safe-is-risking-democracy

Godfrey642

@wdlindsy
Agreed.
I don't see it as "either/or" either
Its all frankly terrifying.

At least you guys have a vote.
We are just sitting in other nations, powerless, watching helplessly as the nightmare unfolds.

Godfrey642

@wdlindsy
Interestingly we were at a talk last week held by an ex-British politician (from what i would term the moderate "thinking" Centre Right). A very very clever guy who i would say is interestingly at the intersection of old style conservative politics and progressive compassionate social thinking.

He was commenting on the whole area around the gulf btwn the mega rich and the struggling poor; regressive taxation policies and inadequacies in the provision for state sector esp NHS and health care.

He summed it up with the questions: How did we get here?
How were things allowed to get SO out of control without intervention from any part of govt?
Have leaders been too generous in spirit and not recognised the malevolence of the opposition?

Id say Biden is responsible for gross naivete. He 101% underestimated what GOP could do after 6th Jan 2021

William Lindsey :toad:

The aren't obeying in advance.

They want Trump to win.

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis #LosAngelesTimes #media
/7

William Lindsey :toad:

@Godfrey642 I'd say the problem is far less Biden and the Democratic party than it is the collusion of economic elites with the Republican party and tech bros like Thiel and Musk to shatteer democracy.

William Lindsey :toad:

@Godfrey642 I'm glad you're monitoring what's going on in the awareness that the whole world will be very seriously affected by the outcome of the election in the US.

Julie Hughes

@wdlindsy No coincidence that both papers are owned by billionaires who hate unions and don't want to pay higher taxes.

William Lindsey :toad:

@juliehuz No, not the slightest coincidence, is there?

William Lindsey :toad:

"One week before the mortals finish voting and might elect an authoritarian, one whose former chief of staff calls him a fascist, the Washington Post has decided that silence is the best way to guide its readers.

Silence, after all, will not offend the authoritarian should he win."

~ Benjamin Wittes

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #RupertMurdoch #WillLewis
/8

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-washington-post-bends-the-knee

William Lindsey :toad:

"Their billionaire owners [of Los Angeles Times and Washington Post] are Trump enablers. ...

The only credible explanation I can think of is that the Post’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, doesn’t want to raise the ire of Donald Trump, should Trump become president — especially now that Trump has declared his intention to punish his opponents."

~ Robert Reich

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/9

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/cowardice-and-intimidation-at-the

William Lindsey :toad:

"Bezos’s other businesses have many federal government contracts, and his largest — Amazon — is the current target of a federal antitrust suit.

Assuming this is the explanation, it stinks. It undermines the credibility of one of our leading newspapers."

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/10

William Lindsey :toad:

"We are come to a juncture in America where, as in the first Gilded Age, enormous wealth is lodged in a very few hands — hands that are now either actively supporting Trump (such as Elon Musk) or afraid to come out against him for fear he’ll wreak vengeance on them if they do."

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/11

William Lindsey :toad:

"For decades, the business lobby fundamentally moderated the nation’s immigration debate. But in the age of Trump, fearful of advocating publicly on this issue, they’ve largely prioritized other things like corporate tax cuts and deregulation."

~ Eli Hager

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #EconomicElites #SuperRich #immigration #TaxCuts #deregulation
/12

In the Age of Trump, the Business Lobby Has Strayed from Immigration Reform

For decades, the business lobby fundamentally moderated the nation’s immigration debate. But in the age of Trump, fearful of advocating publicly on this issue, they’ve largely prioritized other things like corporate tax cuts and deregulation.

ProPublica (www.propublica.org)