"The argument for billionaire ownership of newspapers was that the owners were so rich that they were immune from political threat or intimidation."

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Big Tech CEOs are calling up Trump, seeking to rekindle their relationship with the former president ahead of Election Day."

~ Steve Contorno and Alayna Treene

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #LosAngelesTimes #PatrickSoonShiong #EconomicElites #TechBros #BusinessLeaders
/2

Big Tech CEOs are calling up Trump, seeking to rekindle their relationship with former president ahead of Election Day | CNN Politics

Top executives at some of the country’s largest tech companies have sought out Donald Trump ahead of Election Day, looking to get an audience with the former president as the likelihood he returns to the Oval Office sits at a coin flip.

CNN (www.cnn.com)

[luv_wins@mstdn.social]

@wdlindsy Not proving true!!!

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"The apparent capitulation [of Patrick Soon-Shiong and Jeff Bezos] to Trump illustrates the danger of billionaires scooping up major media organizations as a side hustle."

~ Judd Legum

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #LosAngelesTimes #PatrickSoonShiong #EconomicElites
/3

The billionaire-media complex

Jeff Bezos is the second-richest person in the world, with a net worth of approximately $211 billion. Most of Bezos' wealth is derived from his 9% stake in Amazon, the company he founded. Bezos also founded and owns Blue Origin, a private space exploration company worth billions.

(popular.info)

[i_gvf@mastodon.world]

@wdlindsy Or, perhaps, the reason they do it?

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"The failure of two of the nation’s leading news organizations is instructive. It illustrates the way in which the press’s 'both sides' approach to election coverage has always been an in kind contribution to the Trump campaign. It shows how the wealthy are often eager to make common cause with authoritarians."

~ Noah Berlatsky

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #LosAngelesTimes #PatrickSoonShiong #EconomicElites
/4

Billionaire media bootlickers obey in advance

The owners of the LA Times and Washington Post give the finger to their readers and democracy.

(www.publicnotice.co)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"And it shows how fear of public pushback and public opinion has little sway in an authoritarian state, where public figures aim their actions and their words at an audience of one. …

Bezos and Soon-Shiong have decided to lick Trump’s boots. If Trump’s happy with the shine, why should they worry about what anyone else thinks?"

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #LosAngelesTimes #PatrickSoonShiong #EconomicElites
/5

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@i_gvf Yes, that sounds correct to me.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@luv_wins No, it's not. And I wonder why anyone was ever foolish enough to believe that, anyway.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"More than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions by midday Monday, according to two people at the paper with knowledge of internal matters. Not all cancellations take effect immediately. Still, the figure represents about 8% of the paper’s paid circulation of 2.5 million subscribers, which includes print as well. The number of cancellations continued to grow Monday afternoon."

~ David Folkenflik

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/6

Over 200,000 subscribers flee 'Washington Post' after Bezos blocks Harris endorsement

Over 200,000 people canceled their subscriptions in the first few days following news that The Washington Post would not endorse any presidential candidate.

NPR (www.npr.org)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"Many who unsubscribed stopped in before they left to say goodbye, posting reader comments on the Post’s own website.

Those comments number an astonishing 140,000 at last count if you add up responses to the publisher’s note, two news stories about the decision, a whole lot of opinion pieces, including one co-signed by 20 columnists, published letters to the editor, and one devastating political cartoon."

~ Dan Froomkin

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/7

'Thanks, Bezos, for caving in to fascism -- in advance'

Betrayed Washington Post readers leave their parting thoughts in 140,000 comments

(criticalread.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

Froomkin publishes a long thread of statements readers of Washington Post have left at the site as they cancelled subscriptions. Samples:

"I have revered the Post since the watergate days.

Today you disgust me."

"Bezos has cast his vote --- for the thirty pieces of silver he thinks Donald Trump may yet give him if he wins (God forbid)."

"Remove your motto."

#Trump #fascism #WashingtonPost #JeffBezos
/8

[sibersong@toad.social]

@wdlindsy OOO, ouch!
I think this was the first thought that came to mind for a lot of us when we learned WaPo was caving in the the dark side.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Cartoon By Ann Telnaes

[donwatkins@fosstodon.org]

@wdlindsy Good for them. Being an apologist for billionaires should have consequences.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@donwatkins Well-stated. I very much agree.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@sibersong Ouch, for sure. The bloodletting is so intense that it has now provoked Bezos to issue an oleaginous entirely insincere response.