‘No News’ News Channels and Surrogate MAGA Partisans Gone Wild!

First of all, I want to kick off part one of this two part post by providing mega Kudos to MSNBC for telling it like it is and often calling out how other TV media outlets are giving wind to all the crazy Maga Trump Republican attacks, misinformation and ultimately the rewriting of history and propagation of thousands of lies, false promises and profusion of on-air surrogates. Unfortunately the CNN that I always appreciated and existed prior to the merger of Warner Bros with Discovery simply no longer exists. Overall pure TV ‘news’ channels no longer exist and audiences? are saturated with redundant political commentary, analysis and as of late, political strategy and freely provided talking points that are majority provided to Trump and a Maga, far right cult audience.

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This is completely and dangerously counter to a journalistic responsibility and commitment to report on and yes, provide news and even investigative behind the scenes insight. Ultimately, news reporting and coverage for decades has about informed, explained, educated and provided unbiased analysis that enlightens with fact based, objective perceptions and understandings.

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As Katy Tur and her panel affirmed recently, and will hopefully continue to do so on her afternoon slotted show, the enablement of Trump surrogate-biased deflections and revisionist history needs consistently addressed. ?

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Other than the coverage of critical true ‘breaking news’ events, the TV and social media-originated news media rinses, repeats, and redundantly pound audiences every day with falsehoods, assumptions, and sensationalism that often feeds and fuels controversy and division without regard for cause and effect and often with deliberate intention. They are not reporting news and facts, but deliberately ‘projecting’ and manufacturing unsubstantiated and pure poisonous fantasy.

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News media’s mission and commitment should now and forever be to report the news… accurately, and truthfully tied to the impact on people’s lives…here and around the world.? Unfortunately, that commitment has dramatically diminished with core journalism principles and values abandoned. The ability to question, interview, and inform? Yes. The availability of media platforms to those that perpetuate lies, disinformation, and inaccuracies, not only betrays and undermines journalistic integrity but feeds the ignorant and insults the intelligent. No, and with no FCC requirement to provide any kind of airtime to do so.

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It should not be the news media’s job to provide response opportunities to anyone, at any time who reiterate Trump/ MAGA lies and false narratives. ?A prime example, we now see throughout every day is CNN providing a frequent voice to MAGA and Trump embracing so-called republican strategist surrogates Scott Jennings and David Urban. They are simply programmed to be Trump and Maga mouthpieces that are told to undermine and offer nothing that is objective. ?Amazingly, even former Obama advisor, David Friedman is freely providing on-air advice to the Trump Campaign on what they should in do in response to any Harris/Waltz positive development or news. It would seem that CNN’s attempt to be fair and balanced seemingly takes a page out of Fox News’ early misrepresentations many presidential campaigns ago. Nothing could be farther from the reality. Dana Bash’s interview questions fell way short of enabling VP Harris and Waltz to address a number of major falsehoods and a wider range of critical issues that can be definitively addressed in a credible manner.

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Finally, it is not the job nor should it be the practice of journalists, commentators, and analysts to provide strategic advice, attack or debate all sides of any issue. That is not news. Reporting on issues and providing facts is.

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The reality is that the republican party of Lincoln, let alone right up to the Bush’s no longer exists. It may very well now be called the Russian Trump Party and nothing less. It is the party that for the past year obstructs every single piece of legislation that addresses immigration, benefits families, addresses inflation, and preserves women’s abortion and health-related rights. Trump/Vance and the Maga movement have no platform, plan or specific solutions or plans that address immigration reform, inflation, women’s abortion rights, and supporting Ukraine and keeping NATO alliances strong. A hate and lie-filled platform that focused on retribution, eliminating the constitution, rigging elections, taking away the right to have quality health care, and ultimately embracing Project 2025 should not be enabled by any news outlet. Continuing to do so will take the country and most certainly the world to a dark and dangerous place that no media outlet or journalist should enable.

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And it is time for all media needs to document and remind people that the economy, inflation, immigration, energy, global and so many other major challenges and crisis can be laid squarely at the feet of ?Trump and an obstructionist MAGA influenced congress and all left for the Biden/Harris administration to address under almost impossible circumstances. And they did so and more successfully than anyone every could have imagined.

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As someone who has worked with hundreds of journalists and almost every media company and news organization here and around the world for over 30 years, I along with most of my peers who span the political spectrum fear that true journalism is at a diminished low and ultimately like democracy is endangered as never before. Trust in the same is hard to have and proactive challenging of misinformation equally so.

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I am doubtful that any of these MAGA audience outlets will change. Still, all others should follow the lead and example of the news organizations and people who defined true news reporting and coverage like Don Hewitt, Roone Arledge, Fred Friendly, ?David Brinkley & Chet Huntley, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Rachael Maddow, Dan Rather, David Muir, Lester Holt, and ultimately the iconic gold standard, Walter Cronkite. And as WC would say, “And that’s the way it was”.?