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Media and Populism
Article in The Nation by Malaika Jabali, 1/20/24
Headline: “In 2025, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Economic Populism Is More Relevant Than Ever”
Subhead: “The political media calls Trump a “populist.” But as Dr. King made clear in a 1965 speech, American populism was a movement against everything Trump stands for.”
“The name ‘Donald Trump’ and the word ‘populism’ have become so intertwined you would think the latter was invented by Trump’s MAGA movement itself. In one 24-hour period, just days before the reelected president’s inauguration, the political media published nearly a dozen articles linking Trump to populism. Even a Japanese outlet made the connection in an op-ed last week: ‘Tune in to American populists,’ the headline reads, referring to the group of mostly white ‘working and middle classes’ who sent Trump to office.
“But the Trump-spawned political rage that the mainstream media likens to ‘populism’ erases the real origins of the idea. This year, on the birthday of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., it’s more important than ever to remember that populism is a political philosophy that’s closer to King’s vision than to MAGA’s.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/mlk-economic-populism/
Social Media In/Out of Dumpster?
Article in Vox by Adam Clark Extes, 1/17/25Headline: “The bright side of TikTok’s downfall”
Subhead: “The end of one wildly popular platform is a chance to overhaul the broken social media industry.”
“The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that would spell the end of TikTok as we know it in the United States, and now all parties involved are freaking out. Influencers are fleeing to rival platforms, including Xiaohongshu, a China-based app also known as RedNote. Politicians, even the ones who initially supported the ban, are trying to delay it. TikTok employees are surely wondering what they’ll do at work next week.
“Others, however, are wondering if a future without TikTok could actually be a great thing for America. The complete demise of TikTok would mean one of the largest social media-slash-entertainment platforms is effectively out of the picture. . .”
https://www.vox.com/technology/395541/tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court-instagram-rednote
Reporter Climate Change
Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Jon Alsop, 1/20/25
Headline: “The Big Chill”
Subhead: “The press anticipates Trump’s imminent return to office.”
“. . .Trump announced, in a social media post on Friday, that his inauguration will be moved indoors. It will now take place in the Capitol Rotunda instead. ‘This will be a very beautiful experience for all,’ Trump pledged, “especially for the large TV audience!” Nonetheless, Politico’s DC Playbook newsletter declared ‘the media’ a ‘loser’ of the switch. ‘No formal plans have yet been announced, but it’s hard to see anything more than a small portion of the credentialed media being allowed in the room to personally witness the oath of office,’ the outlet wrote on Saturday; plus, ‘freezing your butt off at a presidential inauguration is a rite of passage for many junior Washington reporters.’ (We will, at least, be spared the tedious litigation of how many people showed up. Not that we’re necessarily being spared Sean Spicer.)
https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/trump_inauguration_journalism_media_chilling_effect.php
Stomping Out the News
Article in The Guardian by Richard Luscombe, 1/20/25
Headline: “CNN defamation case foreshadows Trump media crackdown, experts say”
Subhead: “Contractor Zachary Young wins damages over Afghanistan story in trial notable for prosecution’s aggressive stance”
“A combative defamation trial in Florida, involving CNN and a former US security contractor in Afghanistan, is providing a roadmap for a crackdown on media independence during the second Trump administration, experts believe.
The case was already unusual because CNN chose to defend itself and risk millions in damages, while other media giants such as ABC News and the Washington Post have opted to back down in the face of threats of persecution from the incoming president. Ultimately, after 18 hours of deliberation, the jury found that CNN defamed the contractor and awarded Zachary Young $4m in lost business and $1m in personal damages.”
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/20/cnn-defamation-trial
Upcoming Event This Saturday
Event at Simpson House, 4509 Walnut, KC MO and on-line over Zoom
Stop the Non-Profit Killer Bill & Protect Non-Commercial Community Media!
January 25, 2025, 4-6 PM Pacific / 6-8 Central / 7-9 Eastern
Co-sponsored by Friends of Community Media, Pacifica Fightback, PeaceWorks Kansas City, and the African People’s Socialist Party/Uhuru.
Register now:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VE-Hxs0kRw6qZrmBMs3TuA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
ACCESSIBILITY: A-I captioning in English or A-I translation of your choice is available.
In-person attendance at Simpson House, 4509 Walnut, KC MO.
Keeping Media Uncensored
UNLEASH THE FREE PRESS!
Defend Free Speech Video from Spencer, Teresa, and Kirby. Those wealthy people who own the media are a threat to democracy.
Media and Burnout
Article in FAIR by Rainl Lipsitz, 1/17/25
Headline: “Diagnosing Activist Burnout, Elite Media Fuel It”
“Ten months before the 2024 election, high-profile news outlets were already sounding the alarm: If Trump were to win another term, widespread fatigue, despair and activist burnout would probably minimize resistance.
“Exhaustion and burnout are real phenomena that pose a significant challenge to political movements (Psychology Today, 6/24/20). But articles that focus on feelings of burnout, and exclude or downplay questions of changes in strategy amid shifting conditions, often have the effect—and occasionally the goal—of making everyday people seem and feel less powerful than they are.”
https://fair.org/home/diagnosing-activist-burnout-elite-media-fuel-it/
Duck, But Cover
Article in Reporters Without Borders by Partager, 1/17/25
Headline: “USA: Trump inauguration set to trigger period of unprecedented uncertainty for press freedom”
“On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration into his second term as US president on January 20, American journalism is set to enter a period of unprecedented uncertainty. US journalists — who already face worsening economic conditions, a growing chasm in trust between the public and the media, and a digital information ecosystem that is rigged against journalism — may now need to contend with direct threats from the White House. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is more convinced than ever of journalism’s vital role in maintaining democracy and will continue to defend the safety, independence, and plurality of journalism in the United States.”
https://rsf.org/en/usa-trump-inauguration-set-trigger-period-unprecedented-uncertainty-press-freedom
Article in Mother Jones by Julianne Mcshane, 1/16/25
Headline: “How Trump’s Return Is Pushing the Media to Self-Censor”
Subhead: “ ‘A lot of the guardrails are down,’ says veteran journalist Margaret Sullivan.”
“Two days before Donald Trump was re-elected president, he told rallygoers that he wouldn’t mind if somebody shot through a crowd of journalists. Some of his supporters laughed a bit, some cheered. It was typical fare.
“The same weekend, Trump called journalists ‘monsters’ and ‘horrible, horrible, dishonest people.’ In the past, he has cheered a journalist shot with a rubber bullet as a ‘beautiful sight;’ he heaped adoration on a candidate who body-slammed a reporter. In 2018, he declared the ‘fake news’ media to be the ‘enemy of the people.’ ”
Tigers or Toothless Bulldogs?
Article in Columbia Journalism Review by James C. Goodale, 1/17/25
Headline: “Will the Press Fight Like Tigers Against Trump?”
Subhead: “From criminal subpoenas to the Espionage Act, the next administration is likely to crack down on journalists. How we respond depends on the courage of media owners.”
“The last time an administration declared war against the press was when Richard M. Nixon was president. The press won that war because it fought like tigers. Will it do it again this time against President-elect Donald J. Trump?
The phrase “fighting like tigers” comes from a speech that Judge Harold R. Medina of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit gave in 1975 at a meeting in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria that I organized. That was some time ago, but history has a way of repeating itself.
It was an easy sell to those lawyers then. In a short period of time, the New York Times had won landmark cases on libel and prior restraint and carved out a reporter’s privilege of sorts. Now Trump has indicated a desire to overturn some or all of these cases. Does the will to resist exist?”