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The radical right has called for active violence against members of the media — but the left has much to reconcile re: information and treatment of folks reporting the news.
Journalists are patriots and we need them and we have failed them so many times.
Journalists are patriots and we need them and we have failed them so many times.
A few years ago, I attended a panel about media diversity and the state of journalism and, again and again, the people on the stage and in the audience continued to peddle the old adage that low wages are fine because if you really love it, you'll just deal.
This is fucked.
This is fucked.
We have got to stop accepting that journalists — people who do vital work for our democracy, who often literally put their lives in danger — get paid beans, get pushed around, and even get threatened.
We saw yesterday how much we need folks to document and see and communicate.
We saw yesterday how much we need folks to document and see and communicate.
The only reason that anyone was ~ surprised ~ yesterday is bc they have not been paying attention to the real, hard work of journalists. We have allowed the rhetoric of distrust to fester. Even well-meaning lefties are more likely to get their news from Facebook and Twitter.
Lawmakers on the left have failed to protect newsrooms and policy/labor activists have done little to support unionization efforts & calls for higher pay & better protections.
Instead of reducing barriers to journalism jobs (MONEYYYYYY) we've shrugged off the industry entirely.
Instead of reducing barriers to journalism jobs (MONEYYYYYY) we've shrugged off the industry entirely.
I support citizen journalism — you may recall a website I ran for several years! — but the training & accountability of career journalists are necessary, too.
Many citizen journos do not have training and are activists first. They mislead the public with no accountability.
Many citizen journos do not have training and are activists first. They mislead the public with no accountability.
Now! There is a lot wrong with traditional media!
Having worked in a newsroom when Sinclair bought our station, I have seen it! But I think we as like, people who value information as a part of our democracy, need to work to fix it & to support the actual people doing the work.
Having worked in a newsroom when Sinclair bought our station, I have seen it! But I think we as like, people who value information as a part of our democracy, need to work to fix it & to support the actual people doing the work.
It is fine to think that the NYT is covert conservative fuckshit as an entity. It's fine to think Maggie Haberman is a hack. Whatever.
But I worry about this lefty instinct to just burn the institution — and the need that it fills — and salt the ground.
But I worry about this lefty instinct to just burn the institution — and the need that it fills — and salt the ground.
We can't be sucked into this weird reality where literally all members of "the media" are equally evil and out to get us and spread misinformation.
We can't let "the media" become eaten alive by the likes of Sinclair or Murdoch. I refuse to cede that ground.
We can't let "the media" become eaten alive by the likes of Sinclair or Murdoch. I refuse to cede that ground.
