214 Comments
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dancingtime's avatar

Actually, there are three sides to every story: Yours, mine, and what really happened.

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Lawsy0's avatar

Did you know my mother??

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Don Reed's avatar

10/06/25: I've been trying to get ahold of her, it's about our joint poker winnings (!). Great column! CBS-Pravda is too far gone to "fix." Shoot it between the eyes and sell off the parts.

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Lawsy0's avatar

The morning paper here was called the Tennessean; the evening paper was the Banner. Even as a child I knew the morning paper was liberal and the evening paper was conservative. But that was just an on-going argument between my dad and my aunt. Oy! (No kid should have to know stuff like that! :(

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Don Reed's avatar

10/07/25: For some odd reason, when I was a lad, it never occurred to me that the NY Post was a liberal (whatever that means) newspaper.

You might find this interesting: https://www.abebooks.com/Paper-Wreckage-Rogues-R-Mulcahy-Susan/32268917659/bd

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Greg's avatar

Yes but your perception is not reality

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Don Reed's avatar

10/07/25: Your perception that my perception is not reality is, in turn, not reality. See how this will get us nowhere?

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dancingtime's avatar

I don't know who you're talking to but obviously you have never engaged in conflict resolution.

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Greg's avatar

I know exactly what I mean. That "my perception is my reality" stuff is bullstuff. That is an excuse for no resolution. Truth is truth. Reality is real. Perceptions allow for different realities. We need to agree on facts.

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Gail W's avatar

"The straight lead is the most powerful tool in the journalist’s box. It is Sergeant Joe Friday giving just the facts, ma’am. Why so many people abandoned it, I do not know."

________________

Now YOU're fibbing Don!!

YOU know darn well WHY the "journalists" of today abandoned reporting 'straight' news!!! BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL CROOKED and/or WARPED!!

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Damn the torpedoes's avatar

I went to BU’s school of Communication, in their “journalism” department while running the police department’s media operation. Back in 2000, when every “professor“ was a practicing or retired lefty journalist, that’s what the school was churning out. One viewpoint, one style. When the dean gave me permission to teach a course I told him was a glaring omission in their offerings—basic crime and court reporting — I got a bunch of students that had absolutely no familiarity with the US Constitution, no idea how courts dispense justice in the daily grind of district courts, and precious little knowledge of the Bill of Rights. (They knew only one part of the Fifth, no doubt from personal experience pleading it) They could barely write a declarative sentence. In fact, most of them wanted to be travel writers! After I told them both those jobs were filled, It was then I knew that reporting as we once knew it was gone forever.

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Gail W's avatar

My hope is that with DJT’s ‘reformation’ of higher ed, this discipline too will be reformed.

We The People must be patient BUT STAY VIGILANT. It ain’t gonna do a 180 overnight but we must keep pushing to keep it turning that direction! 👍👍

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steph_gray's avatar

Luckily we have an absolutely thriving alternative media on our side.

Benny Johnson is always doing stats. His podcast does rings around the likes of MSNBC.

And hey, we have Don S in addition to the Don In Chief!

Not tired of winning. ☺️

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Gail W's avatar

I know who he is but TBH I’ve never listened to his podcast. I’ll have to check him out!

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steph_gray's avatar

He's a barnburner!

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Gail W's avatar

I used to listen to Bongino who we got to know in MD when he nearly won a seat in congress. Now I listen live on wmal.com to his replacement Vince Cologsne.

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

The youth are listening to Bennie and Rogan and Megan so they are aware of the bias in msm.

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Valoree Dowell's avatar

Higher Ed is too late. Straighten out elementary school and work up.

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TeaPartyGal's avatar

Interesting background. That must have been quite an experience, doing police department media in a city like Boston.

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Damn the torpedoes's avatar

It seriously was the toughest duty I had in a nearly 30 year career, most of it assigned to night patrol including five years as a street supervisor in Roxbury during the crack epidemic. Anything that came after fighting with Globe reporters seemed easy by comparison, even getting shot at.

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steph_gray's avatar

The Glob is the worst!

They used to send me mailers on subscribing. Come to think of it, haven't seen one in a long while.

Maybe it was all those little confetti pieces that fell out of the postage paid return envelope when they got it back... I can hope!

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Don Reed's avatar

10/05/25: Nepotizmo Sulzburger (now retired) of the NYT was offered a HUGE amount of money for the Globe, which at the time the Times owned. He refused. Later on, he had to sell it for about 15% of the original offer.

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steph_gray's avatar

👏🏻

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Lawsy0's avatar

I'm guessing we are near the same age. When we weren't sending confetti, we sent those horrid ubiquitous coupons that came in the mail once or twice a week from customer-hungry businesses. Rarely if ever will there be a cents-off coupon for good food. Bah Humbug.

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steph_gray's avatar

I am approaching curmudgeonhood at light speed, yes.

Whenever I speak to people under 30 and find myself saying “When I was a kid,” I always follow that up with “You know - when dinosaurs roamed the earth.”

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John Swindall's avatar

Donuts and rotary’s, a circular view of Boston.

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BJ54's avatar

I prefer reporters to journalists.

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Gail W's avatar

Yes, maybe changing what we call them will encourage them to actually REPORT instead of "journaling" which has been to write stuff they make up. 👍👍

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steph_gray's avatar

Dunno. Are they capable of learning?

Many have called them "urinalists" for years and they haven't taken that hint...

Let's just replace them all with kids from TPUSA.

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Gail W's avatar

Oh TPUSA kids would be great!!

But yes, I think *some* of them can learn. Must keep trying by pushing back on the lies regardless.

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steph_gray's avatar

I agree with the keep trying and pushing back part for sure!

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Wim de Vriend's avatar

There's no chance of that; it would go way over their heads. I was going to explain why, but Damn the Torpedoes, below, does a pretty good job of it.

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Reporters know the 5 Ws and an H when needed .

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Robert Brusca's avatar

Bloomberg could not write an objective story about invermectin. Each mention of the drug ID'd it as a horse heart worm medication. The CDC conflated what ivermectin was with how it could be used. In fact after blocking human grade ivermectin, the public could only get the drug in a form that was intended to treat dog- and horse- heart worm. The CDC made that happen. But ivermectin is and was a Nobel Prize winning drug that protected many PEOPLE in Africa from the scourge of permanent river blindness. Its effectiveness on covid was not farly tested since it seemed to function more as a prophylactic than as an after infection cure, the way they mostly tested it. A long story... but Bloomberg coukd not write a lede about simply...ivermectin. it needed all their opinionated baggage as well.

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steph_gray's avatar

The entire Pravda media crew sang along with that sour song...

Wasn't ivermectin an important treatment for lupus before they destroyed availability? I think I remember one lupus specialist coming out saying that zero percent of his hundreds of patients on ivermectin had gotten the Wuhan Flu.

I may be remembering which drug treated which disease, but I know it was a connection like that... may have been the other one, hydro... that I can never spell off the top of my head...

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Irunthis1's avatar

Hydroxychloroquine

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steph_gray's avatar

Winnah winnah chicken dinnah!

Thx!

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Marc Swerdloff's avatar

Hydro chloroquine

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donald b welch's avatar

the news has been fake bull shite for so long virtually no one now reporting it has abandoned anything. they're doing exactly what they were taught to do in k-12 and then their university of choice.

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

That happened when the would be reporters decided to become wannabe stars.

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donald b welch's avatar

just today look at president trumps presser in the white house. katlin collins of cnn stands there and doesn't hear a word the president is saying. she doesn't care. she knows she is the smartest person in the room and trump is a dumb ars. you can see it on her face. all she cares about is making a good salary and making sure men die before she does. it's amazing. plain as the nose on my face.

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Lawsy0's avatar

AND, they are seeking stardom.

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Gail W's avatar

Oy, the quiz choices today MUST have "NONE OF THE ABOVE". As to who *I* would suggest, that is a far more difficult task. How about that guy on CNN who keeps bringing the truth to the leftists?? Used to be in the W administration I think, so he's almost conservative. 🙄 But I think I heard he might be running for McConnell's seat in KY.

(I just realized the fact that the state abbreviation for Kentucky is "KY" so pols from that state CAN'T HELP but be SLIPPERY!) 😱

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Joe LaGreca's avatar

Yes - Scott Jennings would be a good choice.

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Gail W's avatar

Yep, that’s the fella whose name I couldn’t think of. 🙂

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Suzie's avatar

Scott Jennings is a WARRIOR!!

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

A take no prisoners warrior !

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Michael Davis's avatar

I vote for the Hodge twins. They can make step change transition to 'straight facts' with a little humor. PS....Bari Weiss please get a very competent security detail and be careful, especially is you live in NYC crazy land.

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Gail W's avatar

I know of them but IDK them. Anything intelligent, with critical objective thinking skills is what I vote for. Frankly like Bill Mahr until be goes off on the wacko tangents!

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Suzie's avatar

Bill Maher is the perfect example of a broken clock. He may sometimes be right, but only twice a day. And he likes it that way, throwing crumbs to the peasants every now and then. He’s an arrogant pervert.

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Gail W's avatar

All that could be true but imo every time lefty loons hear anything that conflicts w their existing views, it’s a good thing.

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Suzie's avatar

I agree wholeheartedly. The light keeps trying to shine through cracks in his skull but he continually manages to snuff it out.

“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

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Brian LeMay's avatar

Here in SOWEGA we call that a rotating SOB .

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Brian LeMay's avatar

😂👍

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Wim de Vriend's avatar

I know that explaining a joke ruins its entertainment value, but this KY business goes above my head.

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Suzie's avatar

KY Jelly is used a lubricant.

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Jim Nelson's avatar

Suzie, thanks for the full explanation because it's possible that there are Democrats who read Surber who might put it on their breakfast toast.

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steph_gray's avatar

Well then.

Stupidity has consequences.

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Suzie's avatar

Eeeew! 🤢

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Lawsy0's avatar

Eeeew! Times 2

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Marc Swerdloff's avatar

How, what, and why?

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Shoveltusker's avatar

You could tell that MSM journalism was falling off a cliff when Trump was elected the first time. Or maybe even during his first campaign. Remember when all the media big shots in 2016 were proclaiming that journalistic "both sides-ism" was now inoperative, because Trump always lied?

So, you see, journalism was no longer reporting; it was now a project of explaining to the readers and viewers how they needed to interpret news events. Because the poor dears were too dim to figure that out based on mere reporting.

Some takeaways:

>>>MSM journalists considered Trump dishonest, but not Hillary Clinton nor Joe Biden—the two most lyingest liars in American political history?

>>>MSM journalists are ideologues, exactly the sort Cronkite described as people who cannot do journalism. They abandoned both sides-ism because they are lazy, venal, and thoroughly unprofessional.

>>>MSM journalists have zero respect for the American public. And now the American public has zero respect for them, haha.

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TeaPartyGal's avatar

As to the claim that "Trump always lied", at one point the MSM was repeatedly touting the claim that "Trump lied 18,000 times". It intrigued me that they used a specific figure, so dug deeper. There actually was a list of the 18,000 supposed incidents of Trump lying--and 12,000 of the 18,000--TWO-THIRDS-- was a single assertion of Trump's, that the 2020 election was rigged, an assertion he did make repeatedly (though I doubt he made it 12,000 times). Of course, we now know, that was Truth, not a lie.

But it all gets back to the fact that what the MSM calls "a lie", is anything that contradicts the Marxist Left narrative.

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steph_gray's avatar

More people know it now, but not enough.

Those of us who knew in less than a week - most people here I suspect - need to keep getting that news out. Critical for the midterms.

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Brian LeMay's avatar

Yep , and them accusing you of something means they are guilty of said accusation . Makes em feel better for some reason or another .

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Old Goat's avatar

If it were not for alternative media sources and authors like Don, the truth would be censored out completely. Decades ago I use to flip between network news channels and they would literally complete each others sentences from the same script.

I believe the sheep that are entranced by the MSM, and politically ambivalent, perhaps are waking from their stupor? Many have finally become weary of the tedious TDS rants. At least I'm hopeful. They might go news shopping outside the MSM and get infected by a different point of view?

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Thanks to Elon for buying X and free speech returning.

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BJ54's avatar

Turnabout is fair play.

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MLR's avatar

Bari Weiss’s Free Press has gathered an absolutely splendid herd of journalists, writers, intellectuals, historians, and reporters representing diverse political beliefs without the invocation of radical anti-American or antisemitic propaganda. If she can bring CBS news back to something resembling reportage akin to Edward R. Morrow then Ellison’s $150m investment is money well spent.

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Suzie's avatar

Perhaps, but a news show is never supposed to be an Opinion show.

I don’t know if anyone today, right or left, is even capable of accomplishing it, every little thing has become so acutely polarized.

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Tmitsss's avatar

So Weiss needs to go “Pete Hegseth” on CBS?

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John Swindall's avatar

Discipline and exercise? The only grinder these people have ever been on is an App.

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revmaddog1948's avatar

Evidently it's my job to comment before I read this Delicious blog. As a shepherd of the world I am assigned the task of commenting on the world's politics. Hopefully it will go better for me than it did John the Baptist who also had the same responsibility. And like modern politics, one of the most dangerous things a preacher can do is piss off an ungodly woman. I think that's enough for today boys and girls. Keep up the good work and soldier on.

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Shrugged's avatar

"As 19th century newspaper mogul E.W. Scripps said, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

That statement is so true - undeniable proof - that the motive of legacy media has been to deceive and intentionally distort facts into myth for anti-American objectives. They have hidden the truth. American viewers have been able to glance behind the curtain and know it is all fake. Why would they go back?

It is difficult to restore a failed brand once its consumers have been screwed. I hope that rule applies to all legacy media as they try to dig themselves out of the sh*tholes they find themselves in today. Bari Weiss may be a good soldier, but I don't think I want any legacy site to resurrect itself.

There are better alternatives and news seekers want a new solution.

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Playswithneedles's avatar

Your next to last sentence is exactly why I voted “I really don’t care, Margaret” in the poll. I haven’t watched CBS news since at least the 70s and I really don’t care who takes over because it makes not a whit of difference in my life.

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Shrugged's avatar

We voted to same. Vance spoke for tens of millions with those five words. Hearing it stated in a national broadcast was cathartic.

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Cookie McCall's avatar

I agree that personally I'd not watch CBS regardless of what becomes of their newsroom however there many devotees who will continue watching and if they're provided with news not filled with propaganda it might be an eye opening educational awakening for them

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Ms. Bert's avatar

You said it better than I could, cookie. Thank you.

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Wim de Vriend's avatar

I fully agree; and I voted the same way. There was one time long ago when, while visiting my wife's relatives, we watched one of those pompous TV-News pontificators end his nightly sermon with "And that's the way it is ..." My comment that it was NO such thing fell on totally deaf ears; and in the end, I had to accept that the main and real purpose of TV evening news was to numb the viewers' brains, in preparation for a good night's sleep. And that is not such a bad thing -- if nothing else.

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

I quit when Dan Bloviate Blather lied and stood by it when proven a liar .

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BJ54's avatar

He's still sticking to his side of the story. At least Rather and his producer got fired over that.

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John Swindall's avatar

It’s like they shit their pants and they’re changing their shirt.

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Suzie's avatar

Graphic, but dead on.

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MartyB's avatar

Nice column. The best line was “shoot them while they’re happy.” It’s never too late of course. I love that the thought of Bari Weiss running the show is making the newsies freak out. I signed up for The Free Press when it first came to Substack. Ms. Weiss was okay - barely - but as it became more of a team effort it became clear this was a liberal effort masquerading as straight forward journalism. The Leftism shone through, and I cancelled that one fairly quickly. I can still remember when journalists were portrayed as tough minded, cynical seekers of truth. HA.

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Suzie's avatar

That’s why they are destined to fail. The Left is not now, nor ever has been, interested in The Truth, or even the facts - just whatever advances their agenda.

It is in their DNA. Those still watching or reading them, seek only confirmation bias and the media as currently constructed, is happy to comply. The truth be damned, after they’re done twisting and torturing it into a barely recognizable form.

That’s why it is doomed as it operates today.

The light’s been turned on and can’t be turned off. They are being left behind shouting into the darkness.

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Old Goat's avatar

Once you have been exposed to good reporting, the MSM is like itching powder. Their slant is entrenched in every sentence. It's like when they switched to non-smoking environments in public venues. I am 10x more sensitive to tobacco smoke today.

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Ms. Bert's avatar

DITTO

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Robert's avatar

One other thing, very important in my opinion, is all articles submitted with anonymous sources should be rejected outright.

This tactic of using straw people who, amazingly, are always “familiar with the situation” is an immediate tell that the opinion is likely a lie.

It’s like when you are having a disagreement with your spouse and they say, “All of my friends agree with me that you are wrong here.”

You never are able to talk with them to find that out, right?

Honesty requires names that will go on record. Otherwise it’s just the same cowardice and arrogant assumption that the reader will automatically believe the writer has these “sources.”

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Alan's avatar

We the people should have learned this lesson during Watergate. Woodward and Bernstein built a mountain out of a mole hill with a single, anonymous source: a scurvy little mole with an axe to grind.

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Marlan Hoerer's avatar

AMEN and AMEN !!

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Suzie's avatar

“ Trump said the attempt to show the idiot Harris as a person who can answer a simple question was election interference.”

🤣 you crack me up!!

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Jeremy R's avatar

Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be Journ-lists.

Don't let them write stories brimming with lies

We only use papers for swatting damn flies.

Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be Journ-lists

They'll spread hate and lies

And there the truth dies

And thus dies this land that we love.

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Suzie's avatar

When she reviews reporters interviews should be sure to use JD Vance’s other most damning comeback: “DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF?!!”

It has a most clarifying effect.

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TeaPartyGal's avatar

Yes, but I'm afraid many of them are hearing-impaired.

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BlueRidge4Ever's avatar

"I don't really care, Don", should be the correct answer, because I have not watched CBS News since the Chicago riots of 1968. Fun times!

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Doug's avatar

BTW, today it looks like the Grandkids of that '68 crowd.

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BlueRidge4Ever's avatar

No doubt, proving the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree - worms and all.

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Steve Boggs's avatar

Who should anchor CBS News?

6) Fathers Guido Sarducci

He comes to mind because Don’s piece today would suffice as a Bachelor in Journalism degree from Fathers Guido’s 5-Minute University (go to YouTube for this if you haven’t heard the skit)

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Suzie's avatar

What has gone unnoticed - or shall we say here in light of the subject at hand, unreported - is the fact that even before Trump threw his hat in the ring in 2016, he denounced the media in those two forever famous words as “fake news”. It was a startling comment when he first pronounced it, and it was truly like getting cold water splashed in people’s faces, to wake up! Just those two words created an earthquake in the holy land of News Media. People who had been virtually lobotomized by “the news” being poured down their gullets day in and day out, suddenly awoke and stopped drinking it in as gospel.

The jig was up, the mask was pulled off, the curtain finally pulled back on one of the biggest most successful psychological mind ops ever in existence.

The great and powerful Wizard of Oz was a fraud all along and In almost one instant lost all its power.

The words, “FAKE NEWS” are now inscribed on a tombstone just waiting for the final death rattle of the entire mass media industrial complex, now on life support.

There is barely a single person today between the ages of 16 - 50 who even watch network or cable TV, much less the “news.”

That famous stop watch on 60 Minutes is now just being used to countdown how long they have left to survive. They will soon be extinct as a species. Tick-tock.

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BlueRidge4Ever's avatar

Can't come soon enough.

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