A list of films on Media From The Media Education Foundation 11/4/24
Headline: “Films That Inspire Critical Reflection on the Social, Political, & Cultural Impact of American Mass Media”
Media – Too Fair on Gun Threat Coverage?
Article in Huffington Post By Marco Margaritoff, 11/2/24
Headline: “James Carville Slams Media For ‘Fair’ Takes Of Trump’s Gun-Filled Fantasy About Liz Cheney”
Subhead: “The Democratic strategist said “these people are so f**king stupid” for comparing Donald Trump’s violent rhetoric to Vice President Kamala Harris’ minor gaffes.”
“Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville is slamming mainstream media outlets for being unnecessarily “fair” to Donald Trump, whose recent comments about how former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) would handle being shot at caused outrage from high-ranking Democrats.
“The people that I find most loathsome, and the wormiest, slimiest people in this, is what I call the truth-teller caucus,” Carville said Friday in a video for Politicon. “They’re the people … burdened with the obligation to ‘the truth’ — and you see these asswipes everywhere.”
Trump Media and Mexico
Article in ProPublica by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, 11/2/24
Headline: “Trump Media Outsourced Jobs to Mexico Even as Trump Pushes “America First””
Subhead: “On the campaign trail, Donald Trump threatened businesses that send jobs south of the border, while his own company that runs the Truth Social platform outsourced coding jobs to workers in Mexico, outraging some staff members. “
“ormer President Donald Trump’s social media company outsourced jobs to workers in Mexico even as Trump publicly railed against outsourcing on the campaign trail and threatened heavy tariffs on companies that send jobs south of the border.
The firm’s use of workers in Mexico was confirmed by a spokesperson for Trump Media, which operates the Truth Social platform. The workers were hired through another entity to code and perform other technical duties, according to a person with knowledge of Trump Media. The reliance on foreign labor was met with outrage among the company’s own staff, who accused its leadership of betraying their “America First” ideals, the person said.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-media-outsourced-jobs-mexico-truth-social
Article In MediIte by Jennifer Bowers Bahney. 11/3/24
Headline: “Trump’s Media Company Reportedly Outsourced Jobs to Mexico — Amid Trump Pledge to Impose Tariffs on Companies That Outsource Jobs”
Article in Raw Story by Robert Faturechi ,11/2/24
Headline: “Trump Media outsourced jobs to Mexico as Trump pushed ‘America First'”
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-media-outsourced-jobs-to-mexico-zas-trump-pushed-america-first/
FCC vs. Kamala?
Article in The Guardian by Edwad Heimore, 11/3/24
Headline: “FCC regulator claims Harris appearance on SNL violates ‘equal time’ rule”
Subhead: “Commissioner says appearance on show ‘is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule’ “
“A US government communications regulator has claimed that Vice-President Kamala Harris’s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live violates “equal time” rules that govern political programming.
“Brendan Carr, a commissioner with the federal communications commission (FCC), claimed on the social platform X that Harris’s appearance on the show “is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule”.
“Carr made the claim in response to an Associated Press alert to Harris being on the show that night.
“The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election. Unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns,” Carr, a Trump appointee, added.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/03/harris-appearance-snl-equal-time-rule
Article in The Hill by Tara Suter – 11/03/24
Headline: “FCC commissioner claims Harris on ‘SNL’ violates ‘equal time’ rule.”
“This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule,” Commissioner Brendan Carr posted on the social platform X Saturday in response to a post from The Associated Press about Harris being on the show that night. ”
https://thehill.com/homenews/4968217-fcc-commissioner-claims-harris-on-snl-violates-equal-time-rule/
Media Interested in Men Only?
LA Times Photo
Article in L.A. Times by Lorrain Ali, 11/2/24
Headline: “Ali: The election is supposedly about women’s issues. Why are the media so obsessed with men?”
Subhead: “There’s been no shortage of wide-lens examinations into the political leanings of the Y chromosome set.”
“You could fill Madison Square Garden and the Ellipse with the number of stories focused on where male energy is amassing in this election. How will young men vote? What about men’s economic concerns? Trump is gaining support among men of color, say some polls. On the other hand, Harris may be gaining ground with Black men … while she’s losing with Latino men.”
“. . . Fixating on the male voter does make sense in other quarters, like a controversial ad created by the Progress Action Fund now airing in swing states. It uses the intrinsically female issue of abortion and turns it into an issue for men.”
Social Media Good or Bad for Democracy?
Article in AP, 11/1/24
Headline: “Mauritius suspends access to social media ahead of parliamentary elections”
“JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The government of Mauritius on Friday banned access to social media websites ahead of parliamentary elections on Nov. 10 in which Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is seeking a second term in power.
‘The directive was announced by the national communications regulator, which said social media sites will be banned until Nov. 11, the day after the election.
‘The unprecedented social media ban follows a wiretapping scandal which rocked the country last month when recorded conversations of politicians, business people, and members of civil society were leaked on social media.
‘According to media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were also published on social media.
Article in Reuters
Article in Al Jezerra
Voting by Subscription-Cancel
Article in the Washington Post by Eric Wemple 11/1/24
Headline: “Opinion: What happened to all those subscriptions?”
Subhead: “The Washington Post has suffered a subscriber desertion. What does it mean?”
“Subscription counts hover in the worries of journalists at The Post and across the industry. That’s because advertising revenue has cratered in the internet era, leaving outlets ever more reliant on revenue directly from the pockets of their readers. So when NPR’s David Folkenflik reported this week that The Post had lost 200,000 subscriptions — and then 250,000 — unease set in. Could this possibly be true? How?”
“. . . The astounding backlash to the non-endorsement policy was best explained … by a Reuters study that came out more than a year ago: ‘Many of those in the US who say they want to support good journalism self-identify with the left, where many feel that their political beliefs and values are threatened.’ ”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/01/washington-post-digital-subscribers-endorsement/
Right-Wing Newser Called on Facts, Quits in Snit
Article in The Daily Beast by Grace Harrington, 11/1/24
Headline: “Hugh Hewitt Resigns as Washington Post Columnist After Storming Off Paper’s Livestream”
Subhead: “The conservative had argued with two progressive columnists amid the backlash at the paper over owner Jeff Bezos’ endorsement decision.”
“Conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt resigned from The Washington Post on Friday, shortly after exiting a stormy livestream debate moderated by Jonathan Capehart, the New York Post reports.
“Hewitt walked off of the Post‘s show “First Look,” with liberal columnists Jonathan Capehart and Ruth Marcus, after a heated discussion on Donald Trump’s lawsuit about alleged voting irregularities in Pennsylvania.”
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Article in The Hill by Donald Mastrangelo, 11/1/24
Headline: “Conservative radio host and political pundit Hugh Hewitt stormed off a Washington Post live event Friday after an argument over former President Trump’s rhetoric on election integrity ahead of Tuesday’s election.”
“. . .After a brief pause, Capehart told Hewitt, “I don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when, Hugh, many times you come here saying lots of things that aren’t based in fact.”
“I won’t come back, Jonathan, I’m done,” Hewitt said, ripping his earpiece out and standing up.
“I’m done. This is the most unfair election ad I’ve ever been a part of,” Hewitt continued, his face no longer visible on the screen. “You guys are working, that’s fine, I’m done.”
Parachute Journalism Over Rustbelt
Article in the Chicago Reader by Kerri Cardoza,10/30/24
Headline: “Complicating the Rust Belt”
Subhead: “New Belt anthology is a welcome antidote to the mainstream media’s parachute reporting”
“The Rust Belt, the postindustrial midwest, flyover country. Are these terms—which describe the area roughly from Wisconsin to Buffalo, New York—useful anymore? Were they ever? Every four years, the mainstream media parachutes into Small Town, USA to paint in broad, generic strokes what “real America” is like, imbuing the area with the power to sway presidential elections though not important enough to pay much attention to otherwise.
“Since 2013, Belt Publishing has done the opposite—it has invested in writers and writing that go deep into the heart of middle America. Their titles cover everything from a West Virginia teachers’ strike to a history of Arab Americans in Indianapolis to a deep dive into Chicago’s house music scene.”
https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/complicating-best-of-the-rust-belt/
Podcasts Stomping Out Newspapers?
Article in Al Jezeera by John Power, 10/31/24
Headline: “What Joe Rogan, Washington Post dramas say about the US election and media”
Subhead: “Trump and Harris have both shunned newspapers in favour of podcasts, highlighting media’s struggle for relevance.”
“Two stories about the United States presidential election this week highlight the total transformation of the news business.
“One involves Joe Rogan, the world’s most popular podcaster.”
“. . . Tellingly, while both Trump and Harris have made time for a number of high-profile podcasts, neither has sat down for an interview with The [Washington] Post.”