60% of the US say “the media are the Enemy”

Media is the Enemy

By Jo Nova

Ponder how far we have come when more than half of the US sees the media, not just as self-serving, biased hacks, but as The Enemy itself. 

“Fake News” is annoying, but active lies and suppression are a campaign to steal something from you — or everything: your money, your health, your vote and your children. There is no “town square” anymore, no common forum where ideas are batted back and forth until both sides agree. There is only entrenched polarization. A house divided, and no shared meals. Fomenting civil war.

Rasmussen Reports asked 1,114 likely US voters whether the media are “truly the enemy of the people”, and an amazing 60% agreed.

By Nicole Wells, NewsMax

According to the survey, of the 60% majority who agree with Trump’s 2019 assessment that the media are “the enemy of the people,” 30% strongly agree with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee; 36% disagree with the statement, including 21% who strongly disagree.

It’s much more widespread across the political spectrum than you might think:

On whether the media are “truly the enemy of the people,” 79% of Republicans, 60% of independents, and 41% of Democrats at least somewhat agree.

Even half of Democrat voters agree the media runs on Democrat talking points:

Broken down by political party, 78% of Republicans, 61% of independents, and half of Democrats say it is at least somewhat likely that the news media’s political coverage is driven by Biden campaign talking points.

Donald Trump not only talked about the Fake News Media, but called the media “the enemy of the people” from as far back as 2017.

Recently, he talked of a “bloodbath” in the auto industry, which was twisted into false claims he was calling for a political bloodbath if he loses. The Rasmussen poll showed that media bias still has power  — 40% of US voters still believe the lie that he was talking about widespread political violence by his supporters. 49% knew the truth, and 11% were unsure. Voters younger than 40 were less likely to have figured out the truth.

But only 3% of Twitter users still believe the “Bloodbath hoax”.

Rather surprisingly, Rasmussen ran a similar poll in 2021 with similar results. The 60% are entrenched.

The Democrats, the Financial House media owners, and Deep State would have to be sweating. Control of the media has been a powerful weapon but that ship is breaking up on the rocks of reality. Another round of “Factcheckers” can’t save it now. All they have left is the USS Censor Ship.

Thought for the day: How do we reach more of the believer 40%?


UPDATE: At least one commenter still believes the media care about subscriptions

The profits from subscribers and advertising are trivial compared to the power that comes from controlling the narrative. Shareholder owners invest a small part of their portfolio in their media-empire so they can then hide their subsidies, pointless industries and crony deals from public outrage and scrutiny.

The uber billionaires can lose money on the media so the rest of their investment portfolio reaps in the dough from their power to control the narrative, influence elections, and suppress public dissent.

See: What if the media was just the lobbying agency for bigger profit making ventures?

 

 

9.9 out of 10 based on 97 ratings

103 comments to 60% of the US say “the media are the Enemy”

  • #
    David Maddison

    There is almost no such thing as “journalism” anymore. Most people who identify as such are nothing more than professional far Left activists and propagandists. There are a some genuine journalists left, but very few. Don’t forget the vitally important role of citizen journalists such as Jo Nova either. Without them much of the truth would never get out.

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    • #
      John Galt III

      “There are some genuine journalists left”

      Yes, and they don’t work for the MSM except maybe Greg Gutfeld at Fox.
      They didn’t get useless “journalism” degrees.
      They are not Progressives, Democrats, Fascists, Muslims or Communists
      They are open minded, curious and will change their mind when they get new facts
      They are not ideologues

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      • #
        cohenite

        Gutfeld is the best media commentator today. No contest. Following are Watters, Judge Janine and a few others at Fox. There are none in Australia. The MSM is the enemy of democracy. When Trump was running in 2016 he was asked who among his GOP candidates was his main competitor. He replied none, he was running against the media. And when he won the media lied about him every day. Not one claim about him, nor any of the 92 charges against him now are true. During his presidency a survey found 91% of the media coverage of him was negative.

        What to do about it. Here in Australia the abc should be closed immediately; unfortunately the LNP are gutless.

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        • #
          el+gordo

          At the last Senate Estimates the ABC management said they were less concerned with ratings and are now focused on interaction with Australians. Surely this leaves the door open for corrupt practice.

          40

    • #
      Simon

      News has become fully commoditised. You get what you pay for and in-depth journalism costs money. There is a strong case for public service journalism so that everyone can be informed, but it has to completely independent from the Government paying for it. My preferred source is The Economist, and I do not consider them to be left wing.

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      • #
        John Galt III

        “My preferred source is The Economist, and I do not consider them to be left wing.”

        What are you talking about? I subscribed for years before you were born. They called themselves “arch moderates” but drifted further and further Left.

        Their American Section political cartoons were by “Herblock” who was on the Left
        Their American Section was edited by a man who worked for The Guardian, Bill Gates and so forth.

        I gave them up 30 years ago and they are still bien pensant and totally Left Wing conventional.

        They had one good, honest open minded writer – Norman Macrae – when he left in 1988 so did I.

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        • #
          MP

          Port wing he meant.

          20

          • #

            Dear Simon, our news is not commoditized (only in your dreams).

            The profits from subscribers and advertising are trivial compared to the power that comes from controlling the narrative.

            Shareholder owners invest a small part of their portfolio in the media so they can then hide their subsidies, pointless industries and crony deals from public outrage and scrutiny.

            They can lose money on the media so the rest of their investment portfolio reaps in the dough from their power to control the narrative, influence elections, and suppress public dissent.

            If only you read my site, you’d know this:

            What if the media was just the lobbying agency for bigger profit making ventures?

            Update added to the post. Thanks.

            251

        • #
          Yarpos

          That was more a comment Simon was making about himself, rather then the Economist.

          30

      • #
        CO2 Lover

        Simple Simon is irrepressible.

        There is a strong case for public service journalism

        The ABC is living proof of how that works out!

        [Check your emails please! – Jo]

        361

      • #
        David Maddison

        News has become fully commoditised. 

        It’s always been a “commodity”.

        But back in the day real journalists had ethics.

        The Left infiltrated journalism, just like all other professions and institutions and turned it into a powerful propaganda weapon to implement socialism and all its evils worldwide.

        This is quite clear from the events at the School of Media Studies at UTS in Sydney (then known as NSWIT) in the later 70’s and early 80’s where it was made clear to journalism students that the course was heavily based on Marxist-Leninist principles and if students didn’t like it they should leave.

        E.g. SEE letters in The Bulletin, 10 Jun 1980, as follows, and also the original article by Greg Sheridan.

        The Bulletin.Vol. 101 No. 5215 (10 Jun 1980)

        https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1193225897/view?sectionId=nla.obj-1563600047&partId=nla.obj-1193300727#page/n13/mode/1up

        Brainwashing
        I was sickened to read “Education —
        Some Tales Out of School” (B, May 13).
        I have the best memories of the stimula
        tion I received studying the political
        economy course at Sydney University
        under Professor Wheelwright in 1971.
        We were taught different viewpoints, not
        indoctrinated. I would lay the blame for
        the present disgusting state of affairs
        squarely on the academics who are
        teaching the particular humanities
        courses. They well know how impres
        sionable the bulk of their young students
        are. How intellectually insecure these
        “academics” must be.
        ALEXANDER HAEGE
        Elizabeth Bay NSW

        Marxist plot
        The events described by Greg Sheridan
        (B, May 13) at the New South Wales
        Institute of Technology will be fairly
        familiar to those who were students of
        Sydney University during the 70s.
        Due to the pressure of Marxist groups
        on campus at the time, departments of
        general philosophy and political econo
        my were set up as radical alternatives to
        conventional courses in philosophy and
        economics. Once established, the former
        became bases for attacks on the latter
        and the university administration.
        The traditional liberal views on the
        role of tertiary education, ie, it exists to
        promote free and rational inquiry, is
        rejected by Marxists who believe that
        tertiary institutions function to preserve
        the status quo. Accordingly, they attempt
        to undermine its role and, if possible,
        transform it into an instrument of social
        (ie revolutionary) change by establishing
        courses based on Marxism. Some gradu
        ates of tertiary institutions will eventu
        ally move into key positions in the
        bureaucracy, education, media and other
        fields and if they have been sufficiently
        indoctrinated in Marxism taught during
        their studies, they will be quite effective
        agents of social change.
        The BA (Communications) course at
        NSWIT seems to be modelled on similar
        lines. Hopefully, publicity of the type
        given by Mr Sheridan will make people
        think about the way education is being
        misused by radical minorities.
        STEPHEN K. JONES
        Moorebank NS W

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        • #
          Ronin

          “But back in the day real journalists had ethics.”

          Back in the day journalists also had editors, they decided what went to print.

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      • #
        el+gordo

        ‘There is a strong case for public service journalism so that everyone can be informed …’

        Or ill informed, like our ABC, they leave out unpalatable truths. Its the sin of omission.

        210

      • #

        LOL,

        are you seriously saying that News reporting used to free for everyone really are you being that daft about it since anyone knows you have to BUY a newspaper or PAY for the TV broadcasting to see and hear the news, it was NEVER free.

        Come one Simon!

        130

      • #
        el+gordo

        ‘I do not consider them to be left wing.’

        The Economist prides itself on being centre, but according to one survey the majority of its readers are centre left.

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        • #

          And, understandably, the magazine tries to please its readership.
          Hence I no longer take it – I gave up about 1989-92 IIRC.

          Auto

          20

      • #
        Peter C

        My preferred source is The Economist, and I do not consider them to be left wing.

        Delingpole calls the “Economist”, the Ecofascist!
        In terms of their views on Covid vaccine mandates and environmentalism and Climate Change, I am inclined to agree.

        200

        • #
          TdeF

          There is a view from the left wing that they are not the violent, racist, extremists of the far, far right. Like the NAZIS.

          Except the NAZIS were left wing Socialists! The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter partei, the National Socialist Workers’ Party. That’s the origin of NAZI, a slur and a joke name never used by Hitler and friends. It was a play the name with the ignorant peasant Catholic worker, Ignatius. I think you would be shot for calling them NAZIS.

          Mussolini started it off in Italy and Hitler adopted it in Germany. The ONLY difference with Communism is that in fascism the big companies are partners. In Communism, the workers control the means of production. But they are broke. Hitler and Mussolini enlisted the financial support of the big companies, the banks, the money men. KG Farben/BASF, Krupp Steel, Porsche and many more. Enemies just vanished.

          Neither are Democratic. Rival parties are outlawed. And enemies are executed. And both Socialists and Communists hate the Jews and execute their enemies, as if that was not obvious today. Hitler even copied Stalin’s concentration camps. And goodbye to racial minorities, the gays, the disabled, any political rivals. All executed, worked to death, frozen or starved. In their millions.

          But the Post Modern Socialists paint Conservatives as Hitler’s Fascists, Alt Right. The complete reverse of the truth, as usual. And if sworn communists in Australia had power, they would jail, starve and execute their Alt Right enemies. As usual.

          The conservatives are the only ones who believe in Democracy, fairness, justice for all and free elections. Which is their weakness as Conservatives allow dissent. And in Germany Hitler was elected because the Catholics and the Conservatives thought they could control him. They were the first to go.

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      • #
        TdeF

        That in principle was the idea behind the BBC, CBC, ABC. And the joke is that they are extreme left public servants who do what they like and are not even accountable to the public who pay their wages, let alone their own management.

        220

      • #
        John Connor II

        One for Simon, who still lives in the la-la land bubble.

        https://twitter.com/i/status/979921377091350528

        Or a longer version.
        https://twitter.com/i/status/980289760873910272

        70

    • #
      Penguinite

      Most people who read and appreciate JoNova et al realise that MSM is nothing more than an echo chamber for the NWO/WEF/WHO gnomes and oligarchs. They consistently spew forth mindless drivel about the death of Democracy when they are the perpetrators. If civil or WW3 eventuates they will be among the first to succumb to the ensuing ravages. Even Our ABC is feeling the heat telling its staff to remain unbiased or leave!

      250

    • #
      Geoff

      The Constitution of the United States First Amendment “Free Speech” is in peril. A victim of the NSA. The security need for monitoring all speech by the US Government should not prevent ANY speech. Divide and conquer is politics 101. Created fear is manipulated by politicians to divide us and by doing so it lines the pockets of rent seekers. Rent seeking is now a legitimate profession with University PhD status. GDP is now measured by asset debt. Electricity use by “renewability”. Job numbers by “gender and race equity”.

      Government has run out of credibility.

      230

    • #
      Well-Informed

      David Maddison. Sure the media is worse than it was, but there has always been fakery in the Press….

      The 1962 movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty valance” is all about an aged US Senator / Presidential Candidate etc (James Stewart) returning to the town where he started out. He is famous as the man who shot Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin: very naughty!) a cruel and vicious killer….. to attend the funeral of the fella (John Wayne) who really killed Liberty Valance. The Senator has made a whole career from getting rid of the bad guy.

      Anyhow, when the Senator tells the news-hound reporter following his visit that it was John Wayne wot dun it, the journo replies “Yes Senator, but we newspaper men have a saying: When the Legend becomes Fact, always print the legend

      And everybody watching that flick 60 years ago already knew the truth of that line. Fake news sells!

      150

  • #
    David Maddison

    One of the ways “journalists” have engineered the domination of the Left and all their regressive beliefs in Western countries is by either not reporting the views of conservatives and fellow rational thinkers or, if they do, to demonise such views or deliberately misreport them.

    As we all know, Leftists both in Government and organisations are intolerant of free speech which is why they always seek to censor it or use vicious ad hominem attacks against anyone with whom they disagree.

    Also recall that the Australian Government is desperately trying to introduce censorship legislation, a legacy of the fake conservative Liberal Party who also tried to introduce the same legislation. ( See my response at: https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/acma2023-31735-david-s-maddison.pdf )

    There is a recently released video from Australia’s Institute of Public Affairs containing an interview with Prof. David McGrogan where he says:

    Conservatives have become really scared about being called bad names.

    This is one way they silence people.

    Video is at:

    https://youtu.be/N9kqbZ3_iO8

    291

  • #
    Kalm Keith

    Yes

    “the media are the Enemy”

    But I believe that the media machine is full of people who are unaware that they have a skewed view of reality.

    Journalists, accountants and executive staff are just employees getting by in a crazy world; they are so grateful to have a job and regular income.

    Lurking above all this are the real manipulators who own and direct the daily thrust of their business and may have friends who “guide” them as well.

    It’s a big world and nobody seems to have their feet on the ground anymore.

    290

    • #
      Bruce

      I suspect you are being excessively charitable.

      Clark Kent and Lois lane?

      Hardly. Your basic churnalist REVELS in their power to manipulate. “Opinion-shapers” is their preferred “self-description”.

      More like “the mangy tail wagging the rabid dog of politics”.

      Then, there is the “creative ” invocation of “the public’s right to know”.

      A “Right” Administered by “churnalists”

      By people whose greatest psycho-sexual jolly is to hear or read the punters repeating their toxic views back to them?

      The dangerous “adult” form of the larval schoolyard tattle-tale.

      Harsh? Nope: Fair and accurate. In the spirit of the Napoleonic legal code, so beloved of churnalists and most pollie-muppets and pubic serpents, prove me wrong.

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      • #
        Kalm Keith

        That’s a good outline Bruce.

        I guess I was looking at the basic structure, then, when people feel secure in their job they want the next thrill: to dominate and influence better than the next guy.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    One of the ways the media implements censorship of itself and independent thinkers is suppression of so-called “misinformation” which in nearly all cases turns out to be true. (See examples I provided at: https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/acma2023-31735-david-s-maddison.pdf

    “Misinformation” is a Leftist code word for censorship and essentially anything the Left disagrees with that is not in accord with the Official Narrative such as any disagreement with the doctrine of anthropogenic global warming; criticism of covid mismanagement and mistreatment; that men can become women or men can have babies etc., etc..

    There was a recent paper surveying the views of so-called “misinformation experts”:

    A survey of expert views on misinformation: Definitions, determinants, solutions, and future of the field

    It will come as no surprise that all these “experts”, i.e. proponents of censorship, were of a Leftist persuasion.

    Experts leaned strongly toward the left of the political spectrum: very right-wing (0), fairly right-wing (0), slightly right-of-center (7), center (15), slightly left-of-center (43), fairly left-wing (62), very left-wing (21).

    Reference:
    Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review1
    July 2023, Volume 4, Issue 4
    Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-119
    Website: misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu

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    • #
      TdeF

      Yes, rigged surveys were always a favorite in Yes Minister. Like the fake 97% of scientists story. And they work.

      A friend, a cardiologist, says he only has time to read headlines. And like all doctors, he believes everything he is told after a lifetime of being continuously trained to do so. Which is why so many doctors struggle in business.

      110

  • #
    Philc

    Enemy of the People, I think not.

    Enemy of the Truth definitely.

    Half truths, lies by omission and emotionalising news and information to try and sway the general population to the narrative their paymasters want everyone to swallow.

    The media in this country are all controlled propaganda and needs diversification.

    Its not good when one company controls Major TV, Radio and Newspapers.

    170

    • #
      Earl

      lies by omission

      Bob Hawke suffered this msm practice so took action. Assembled all the press gallery journalists on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin and with no fanfare walked across the Lake to the other side and then walked back where he said to those assembled “Now go and accurately report that”. The next day the lead headline in all the national papers was “Bob Hawke Cant Swim”.

      220

  • #
    Lawrie

    WE just have to keep speaking out, telling people about blogs such as yours, encourage them to read Epoch News , WUWT and American Thinker. Many people I know, and not all of them are conservatives, do not watch TV news or read newspapers anymore. Their news either is ignored or comes from social media. X will be vital in the coming US elections. Sometimes good things happen at the right time. Facebook for example seems to be coming under scrutiny and users I know only use it for family communications and photos.

    A great reset is coming and it won’t be the one the WEF and fellow travelers hoped for. Keep the faith.

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    • #
      Tides of Mudgee

      “A great reset is coming and it won’t be the one the WEF and fellow travelers hoped for. Keep the faith.”

      Oh Lawrie, I so hope you’re right. Expressions like “be careful what you wish for” and “pride comes before a fall” come to mind. It seems that the globalists are gaining such power and control and hubris that they have their heads in the clouds and don’t see the cliff. Their arrogance will be their undoing. They seem to forget that they too will die and everything they have gained through their malevolence will disappear. ToM

      220

      • #
        Ted1.

        Hubris is a funny thing with the ALP. Is this universal?

        The ALP is still rebounding from pillar to post on the hubris of the 2019 election. It wrought destruction on their whole fabric.

        They are very slow learners. I see a big chance that they have learned nothing from the last seventeen years.

        30

  • #
    David Maddison

    With the exception of a very few traditional journalists and citizen journalists like Jo, I regard typical journalists as among the lowest of people, in the same category as criminals, those involved in subsidy harvesting scams or a vast majority of politicians.

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    • #
      melbourne+resident

      Steady on David – my son is a very good journalist and definately no criminal – yes he has left wing views – yes he doesnt agree with me – yes he can be a typical journalist writing to be read – not necessarily for accuracy. He started out a sports journalist and made a good career of it and works for News Ltd, but fortunately has stayed out of economics and politics – neither of which he understands. he is a very good son and father of my grandsons. Cheers

      30

  • #
    czechlist

    I became a cynic of western news reporting upon my return from my US all expenses paid SE Asian tour. My military experiences were not reflected in most of the reporting. Upon entering university I was confounded by the biases of many of the faculty – academics with minimal real life experiences.
    In the ensuing over 50 years I have learned that
    stupidity is an affliction, ignorance is a choice and lying is aggrandizement.
    co je bude

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  • #
    Neville

    The best verifiable example we know about is the wonderful Aussie “Voice” result and that was a real pay back by both Coalition and Labor workers who had a gutful of the MSM , pollies and big business telling us what to think.
    Yet some of our idiot Labor states are still trying to promote their so called truth telling and treaty lunacy. But I think Qld has ditched some of their worst BS and nonsense and clueless giggles is desperately trying to control himself until the next election.
    Of course WA Labor had to ditch their takeover of some back yard privacy because of the backlash from Labor and Liberal voters.

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    • #
      Ronin

      “Clueless giggles is desperately trying to control himself until the next election.”

      And failing miserably. LOL

      30

    • #
      Len

      In my area in WA the town of Mukinbudin returned a No vote of 91%. The town of Koorda had a 88% No vote. My home town Bencubbin had a 81.25% No Vote. The higher Yes vote was contributed to School teachers, woke members and Centrelink clients with mental health issues 🙂

      22

  • #
    Honk R Smith

    Should we clarify that the media are just the hired mercenaries of the ‘enemy’?
    Except for the the fact that generally mercenaries have more honor and and redeeming qualities.

    170

  • #
    Kevin T Kilty

    Thought of the day: “How do we reach more of the believer 40%?

    Answer: You won’t. I am firmly convinced there is a hard subset of every population that inclines toward authority, just as another subset is inclined toward liberty. It’s difficult to get any significant portion of each population to change their fundamental characteristics in the short term. Authoritarians can oppress those who incline toward liberty but that is about all. The subsets cut across political party to some degree, but in the U.S. the Democrats are now firmly on the authority loving side. They were firmly on this side at many times over their 200 year history, and possibly have merely pretended to be liberty inclined a few periods since the Wilson Administration.

    The long term is another matter. Max Planck once observed that physics advances one funeral at a time. The same might be said of changing authoritarians. If one can prevent them obtaining replacements, i.e. prevent recruiting the young and impressionable to their way of thinking, then they could be reduced to some minimal number by just waiting for those too rigid for change to simply pass away — could do the same with the liberty minded too. What is the minimal number? Even in the beginning of Nazi Germany only about one-third of the population were enthusiastic Nazis. Unfortunately many of the others were communists.

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    • #
      Old Goat

      Kevin,
      You are on the money here . Look at how many people still vote for the current knuckleheads – rusted on idealogues. History has had plenty of “leaders” who have killed millions and they had lots of help from useful idiots . Apart from that , how do you work out who will screw you less when you know they are all the same and lying ? We don’t need the great reset , we need the great awakening….

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Younger people might not realise this, but back in the day, there was a time when organisations such as Their ABC (Australia) actually provided verifiable, believable, impartial news stories.

    They even had a “pronunciation department” to ensure that they did not mispronounce or misuse any words.

    Even certain newspapers were regarded as believable and were known as so-called “newspapers of record”.

    In Australia the Sydney Morning Herald was one such example, in the US, the New York Times. Both now are thoroughly unworthy examples of journalism, discredited, infiltrated by the Left and no more than purveyors of Leftist propaganda.

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    • #
      Penguinite

      The ABC has always been a clone of The BBC and while we (the public) accepted as of necessity the maxim that “in war truth is the first casualty” since 1945 and The US march to world supremacy and global domination we have dutifully tugged the forelock and kowtowed. We’ll probably do the same to communism or Islam when it assumes ascendency.

      30

    • #
      another ian

      As in the Garrick Tremain cartoon with the caption –

      He – “This bloody paper’s half the size it used to be”

      She – “Of course dear – they used to publish both sides of the story”

      (I can’ find a link ATM)

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    • #
      Tel

      The New York Times was thoroughly discredited when they concealed the crimes of Stalin, via Walter Duranty. There was mass famine in the 1930’s … Duranty wrote that everything was fine. Even stranger when you consider that in the 1920’s Duranty was greatly opposed to Communism but somehow the Bolsheviks “convinced” him to see it their way.

      https://spartacus-educational.com/USAdurantyW.htm

      This might be merely an accident, except that the NYT was also rather favourable to Castro in Cuba, which looks a lot like a bit of a pattern forming.

      There was no golden age of honest journalism … during the US Civil War, the Lincoln government shut down newspapers and arrested journalists for supporting the wrong side.

      30

  • #
    Brett

    Trump’s statements about the media caused sensible people to look again, and more critically, and hyperbole aside, there is substance to the complaint, hence the poll results. The enjoyable part is watching the media’ furious denials while they double down on the conduct that is the problem.

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    • #
      Lionel Rawson

      Don’t stop them Brett. By doing so they are just boosting Trump’s electoral chances.

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    • #
      Ross

      You just knew Trump had dropped a truth bomb when he made that comment. It was that comment as well as the “junk news” description of the likes of CNN that produced such an over the top response from the media and commentators. Even, down here in Australia people picked it up. So, this will likely be the pattern for 2024, Trump will make a statement and the media will twist it way out of context. Then it will become a meme and probably Trump will play along by saying something ridiculous just to see what reaction he gets.

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  • #
    Doonhamer

    Just as a total aside. This really is a mystery.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/23/doctors-warn-abdominal-cancer-epidemic-princess-diagnosis/
    Little by little, in slo-mo, the excrement is approaching the air-conditioning.
    !

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    • #
      Ross

      Not really an “aside”, Doonhamer, because it was mainstream media who weren’t reporting on this story. No doubt, because they have a lovely symbiotic relationship with the Royal Family. Hence, a lot of the agitation regarding the health of HRH Princess of Wales came from social media. The “people” love Kate and they wanted to know, something had to fill that vacuum. Now, on X, there are discussions using the phrase ” turbo cancers’ a lot.

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  • #
    John Galt III

    “Voters younger than 40 were less likely to have figured out the truth.”

    Voters under 30 these days don’t even know what sex they are and if they do discover what sex they are they want to change it.

    In the 1960’s it was, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.”
    Today it is clear to say, “Don’t trust anyone under 30.”

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  • #
    John Hultquist

    The Democrats I know read the anti-DJT news and believe it all to be true. Trump is getting what he deserves, or less than. So, to them, the media is not biased.
    They do not read the criticisms of the Bidens, or Harris, or all the appointees, and supporters. 97% (+ or -) believe in human caused existential climate change. Some Democrats disagree with Biden’s support of Israel, and because, so far, the media has been supportive or neutral there is that minority of 40% or so.
    likely US voters” doesn’t mean they interviewed people knowledgeable about the goings on in the Nation, nor that they get more than sound-bites for their news.

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    David Maddison

    As an example of “journalists” failing to do their job, how many Australians know that the Australian Government just killed off the barramundi fishing industry, a favourite native Australian eating fish?

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/spending-millions-on-making-a-0-1-percent-different-to-the-great-barrier-reef-5587687

    By Peter Ridd
    2/15/2024

    Commentary

    Australia’s federal government has thrown the barramundi fishing industry to the sharks as part of the blackmail payout to UNESCO to stop the organisation listing the Great Barrier Reef as “endangered.” However, UNESCO will be back in a few years for another payout—that’s what blackmailers do.

    Hard-working Aussie fishermen, and all the people who depend on them, are about to suffer severe restrictions on their production. And all based on dubious science.

    SEE LINK FOR REST

    It’s OK though.

    Aussies can buy imported frozen barramundi grown in the filthy polluted fish farms of Vietnam. I’ve seen it for sale.

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    Tony DIQUE

    40% of respondents need to wake the hell up

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    Jonesy

    Media reporting. If it is anti-covid, farmer freedom, truckers freedom or, like yesterday, A protest on the steps of the Victorian Parliament on behalf of a slain girl who was murdered in her bed…nothing! BUT, if its climate change, pro-palestinian, aborigine or anti west, the media will tell you who, where, and what they had for breakfast.

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    Ross

    These days I get most of my news and current affairs from a subscribed newspaper and from blogs plus X. With X it’s very often a link to sub stack etc, or some other alternate site. Depends on who you follow. I might tune into a radio station around 10 or 11 am to get the junk news. By that time usually most of the stories have sorted themselves out and good summaries are available. Never buy a newspaper, but sometimes a quick read of the coffee shop one for the footy updates and teams. If I’m in the car it’s a local radio station, mostly music with some junk news. If not I listen to podcasts or music playlists. I now especially like the long play podcasts which will very often occupy 2 hours driving. Don’t watch breakfast TV or evening news. NEVER listen to the ABC, unless it’s the cricket or footy. My main TV now spends more time with SBS chill music on in the background, than watching the programmed content. At night we’ll watch our subscribed channels and very often its repeats of shows we’ve previously liked. This has been a long term trend for probably at least 20 years, but COVID really killed mainstream news for me. It was all just lies and misinformation. Even my subscribed newspaper ( The Australian ) is mediocre at times with lots of “narrative” type news stories.

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    CO2 Lover

    If you can buy “science” then buying the media is a piece of cake.

    “Justice” has been bought for millenia – these are just playing catch-up.

    “Why hire a lawyer when you can buy a judge”

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    Maptram

    After a couple of protests in Melbourne over the weekend, which required significant police resources to control and protect non protesters, there was talk of there being a requirement for permits to protest and for such for permits to be issued by the police, similar to such a power in NSW.

    Then there was uproar about such a power taking away the right to protest. So the same people who would probably support the taking away of the right to free speech would demand the right to protest.

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    • #
      MP

      The right to protest was willingly handed over in 2020 by the vast majority of Australians, along with all other rights. The right to freedom of movement, freedom of association, was willingly handed over, and the same mob handed over theirs and yours, cheered when protestors were shot by their own government, sat in the parks or stood in the pubs.

      It is no longer a right to protest, it’s a duty.

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  • #
    Philip

    Sorry to be contrarian, I agree with the blog, whole-heartedly, but I do ask who is “the media”?

    It still has right wing voices, such as Sky after dark. The Australian left still think Rupert Murdoch rules the world with evil right wing intentions – which is pf course complete delusion.

    Paul Murray is always mentioning the evils of “the media”, but isn’t the media himself? I always find myself questioning this. I guess it’s simply proportional.

    But if you don’t want to listen to mainstream left wing media in Australia, you don’t have to, it’s easily avoided. People choose to listen to Overton on 9 at 6pm to be told to get another shot.

    I don’t know, I think people’s poor thinking is as much to blame as the media. But one is always influenced by one’s society and peer, which is why propaganda is so important, and has made even the right bits left – like the Ripping Yarn and Eric Oithwaite’s black pudding where even the white bits were black.

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  • #
    Dave in the States

    Historically the enemies of the state are usually the good guys. The enemies of the people are not only the MSM and others, but are usually the state, or those allied with state.

    We can certainly put academia along side the MSM as enemies of the people, as well.

    Then there’s labour. The unions hardly represent the interests of their members, although they are happy to collect dues, and tell their members how they should vote. Today they usually represent the interests of the state and the agendas of the statists.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Here’s an item of interest.

    On the radio it just said that record numbers of people attended the Melbourne Grand Prix, 450,000, second only to a British Grand Prix with 480,000.

    I have no idea if that’s true, unless verification is provided.

    Now, that GP only exists because of a huge government (taxpayer) subsidy of I believe around $70 million.

    It’s just bread and circuses for the masses.

    An organiser also commented that getting this huge number of people into the event venue would be much easier when the new rail tunnel is built.

    See what’s going on there?

    The venue organiser claims a record number of people and this gives support for:

    1) Huge ongoing taxpayer funding for the bread and circuses event.

    2) Support for one of the hugely expensive and unnecessary former Andrews regime “Big Build” projects, the rail tunnel, the only purpose of which was to siphon huge amounts of money into certain favoured unions and Chinese construction companies via highly inflated wages and inflated construction contract prices.

    A real journalist would have investigated such relationships.

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    • #
      Penguinite

      As a consequence of Our ABC fatuously fact checking Dick Smith over his comment that “no country in the world had managed to survive on wind and solar energy for more than a few hours/day” with the ABC citing Nepal as a wind/solar high achiever among several others. DS reminded them that Nepalese people burn mostly wood for heat supplemented by diesel generators. So he’s starting his own fact check web site named “Dick Tock”.

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      • #
        David Maddison

        Unlike their ABC, I have been to Nepal and travelled around there.

        Cow dung or wood is used for heating and cooking, when heating is even used at all. Gas from cylinders carted up into the mountains on the backs of men or donkeys is also used but only when available. When I was there, Indians were refusing to allow gas cylinders to be taken across the border from India to Nepal for some reason.

        Most Nepali housing is quite primitive and not very airtight so there is not much point in space heating. Heating is only good if you sit near the heat source.

        Hot water is virtually non-existent in Nepali housing.

        In Kathmandu I stayed in a top hotel and even then you had to shower early before the hot water ran out. There was a schedule for electricity. You had to make sure you charged your phones and laptops while electricity was available. In my hotel they kept LED lighting running from batteries.

        Most shops and guest houses had a solar panel or two and batteries to provide lighting and very little else.

        In the mountains there was the occasional micro-hydro installation to supply a few kW to a whole village.

        There is regular load shedding and service disruptions.

        E.g.: https://english.makalukhabar.com/2024/01/168587/

        E.g.:
        https://www.nepalminute.com/detail/1609/power-hungry-nepal-misses-monsoon-fed-rivers-2023-Jan-13-703600

        Power-hungry Nepal misses monsoon-fed rivers
        Hydropower generation drops by half, forcing NEA to look to India for expensive electricity

        Surendra Phuyal
        13/01/2023

        Load-shedding is not history just yet.

        Despite Nepal’s power utility chief’s promise to eliminate power cuts, the country continues to reel from electricity shortage. That’s prompting Nepal Electricity Authority to purchase power from India.

        But even in the Indian market, known as Indian Energy Exchange, there isn’t enough surplus power to meet Nepal’s peak winter demand of 1900MW. Nearly half of that is currently being generated by Nepal’s mostly run-of-river-type hydroelectricity projects.

        The rest is purchased from India.

        But that’s not always available.

        I’m sure it’s fine for non-Elites according to Their ABC, perhaps even “aspirational”.

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        • #
          Penguinite

          Me too David! In the mid-80s I did a trek whereby we flew into Lukla (before it was designated the world’s most dangerous airport) and walked to Everest Base camp. One of the side trips was an overnight stay with a local “farmer” and his wife. Accommodation was not much more than a slab hut overlooking a glacier. We all (me my sherpa) and a Yak for heating and milk. The yak came with a large cowbell that clanged every time it moved its head. It was a truly great levelling experience. In Kathmandu however, things were not as primitive but most modcons were supported by diesel generators and gas

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    • #
      Robert Swan

      …record numbers of people attended the Melbourne Grand Prix, 450,000…

      Sounds unlikely for the Grand Prix itself; they are probably using the words loosely and counting either number of people through the gates over all the events, or maybe just the number of tickets distributed. If you had 450,000 people around Albert Park (5.3km) that’d give you a crowd about 85 people deep for every metre of the circuit. Pretty cosy.

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    • #
      TdeF

      That’s not right. The event is massive. I was there, on Turn 1. Huge, happy crowd. Not an empty seat. And it made real money, a few hundred million. The park itself is fantastic after so much work and the buildings are multi purpose. For the rest of the year it is a wonderful sports park, part of the international picture of Melbourne. But parks generally do not make money and governments and councils neglect them. The Commonwealth Games were in the same park. There is a huge multi purpose swimming centre.

      Plus it really puts Melbourne on the international map. When I traveled only a few years ago, in a few weeks I went past the Grand Prix events in Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Singapore, Dubai and marveled at the huge effort put into these multi national Grand Prix events. Countries bid for them, which forces the price up. Only Monte Carlo does not pay, as it started there. And it saved the city.

      I do not doubt the COP28 in Dubai with 130,000 fly in guests was a huge success too. At say $10,000 per person, $130million for a week especially on Emirates A380s. And Dubai budgeted for 5 million visitors a year to pay the bills when the oil ran out and they are succeeding. A fake city, a power hungry oasis in the hottest, dryest desert and still the punters come.

      So Melbourne contributes. But like the failed Commonwealth games, it is very profitable. What was amazing about the cancelled Commonwealth Games was that all the venues from 2007 are in place, so the games should have cost nothing, but Daniel Andrews singlehanded destroyed the event intentionally. At great real cost to Victoria, like everything else he did for his Chinese masters.

      And living across from the main entrance of the Grand Prix, I have to say it is a lot of fun and there were a lot of very happy people dancing into the night. Plus all the Ferraris lined up in Lygon Street last night.

      My only puzzle is that Daniel Andrews only managed to cancel a few, but the party survived. He would be disappointed. As would communist Greens. Maybe they can do it all again with only Chinese electric cars? We could have Fire Brigade competitions to put out the flames in under three days.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Back in the day, journalism was a profession that was learned “on the job”.

    This didn’t suit the Left because back then, journalism was a fact and evidence-based profession.

    The Left knew how important control of the narrative was so around the beginning of the 1970’s they made journalism a profession that was taught in “universties” which had already been infested by the Left.

    Students not only learned “journalism” but more importantly, impressionable young students were indoctrinated into Marxist-Leninist ideology as in the example I gave in #1.2.3 above.

    No doubt the core philosophy of the modern Left was also taught, post-modernism which doesn’t accept the existence of objective truth, hence Leftists using expressions like “my truth” not “the truth”.

    Thus, this is an explanation as to why so many journalists are socialists and also incapable of objective thinking.

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    • #
      Gary S

      We also had teachers’ colleges, until that once worthy and respected profession was infiltrated and relegated to the cesspit of ‘loonyversity’.
      Teachers were once so highly regarded that they were deemed to be upstanding citizens who were trusted to witness statutory declarations and other legal documents. They are still able to perform that function even though the dumbing down is mission accomplished.

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  • #
    Neville

    So why are the MSM, most pollies and so called Scientists etc so wilfully ignorant about their so called Climate data?
    Willis Eschenbach is still updating his “Where’s the Emergency” article from WUWT and anyone can check and tell us where he’s wrong.
    He agrees with the genuine, credible Co2 Coalition group of Scientists, Friends of Science, GWPF, Jo Nova etc on most important data yet stupid Dr Dessler threatened to ban him for telling us the truth.
    So why do the MSM liars and con merchants refuse to tell the truth about SLR, Polar bears, recent data showing a 98% reduction in deaths from extreme weather events, the amazing UNPRECEDENTED increase in Human population and life expectancy since 1950, no so called HOT SPOT 10 to 12 klms above the equator, no warnings about TOXIC, UNRELIABLE W & S destroying our environments, no warnings of W & S CAPACITY FACTORS of just 30% and 15%, no mention of 8 c higher Eemian temps and SLs 6 to 9 metres higher than today etc?
    BTW Willis’ latest update is March 2024.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/04/25/wheres-the-emergency/

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      O come, all ye gullible,
      Wailing and despondent
      O come ye, O come ye to complain.
      Come and behold them,
      the mess of turbines;
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      and beg for more.

      O Sing, chorus of believers,
      Sing in exultation,
      Sing all that believe the ABC’s holy words.
      Give to wind glory in the highest;
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      and beg for more.

      And sceptics we greet with denial
      for evermore we will their name scorn.
      Word of failures, now appearing,
      will be, like reality, denied.
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      O come, let us adore them,
      and beg for more.

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  • #
    wal1957

    I’m honestly surprised that the figure is not closer to 75%.

    60

  • #
    Gerry

    A lot of comment on here is about bias by journalists. My reading of people in media is that there seems to be just as much laziness and interest in the pay packet and socialising amongst like minded journos as there always was …. Probably more.

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  • #
    CO2 Lover

    Newspapers are a critical part of the American news landscape, but they have been hit hard as more and more Americans consume news digitally. The industry’s financial fortunes and subscriber base have been in decline since the mid-2000s, and their website audience traffic has begun to decline as well.

    Most likely the same in Australia as well.

    https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/

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    • #
      John Hultquist

      I got the local town paper until two years ago. About 4 years ago they stopped printing on Monday, and a year later on Friday. There was less local reporting and more cut & paste of feeds. When they started dropping the best comics and charging $5.50 a week, I cancelled.
      Just this week I cancelled a well-known national paper (WSJ) that had given me a special low rate a couple of years ago. Now, for a renewal they want $50 + tax per month. Bye Bye.
      It is a digital world, so I’ll be going that route.

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  • #
    another ian

    On this theme

    “Here’s a Question for CNN Regarding the Ratings for Joe Rogan’s Podcast”

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/03/24/joe-rogan-podcast-obliterates-cnn-ratings-n2636898

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  • #
    Lance

    Only the lazy, gullible, ignorant, and grifters would listen to the media.

    None of them are qualified in any of the areas upon which they “report”.

    I’ve yet to see a Chartered Electrical Power Systems Engineer “report” on Grid Stability, or be interviewed on same.

    If the “news” hasn’t competent reporters or relevant interviewees, it is most likely simple propaganda.

    Years/decades ago, media reported facts with little or no agenda. Say 1960 or so.

    Today, everything is opinion, agenda, propaganda, and no balanced or impartial representation of actual facts.

    That is why I don’t listen to the media at all, or at least rarely. My dog’s feces have more truth in them than current media.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Feds Ordered Google To Unmask Certain YouTube Users. Critics Say It’s ‘Terrifying.’

    In two court orders, the federal government told Google to turn over information on anyone who viewed multiple YouTube videos and livestreams. Privacy experts say the orders are unconstitutional.

    In now unsealed court documents reviewed by Forbes, Google was ordered to hand over the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and user activity of Youtube accounts and IP addresses that watched select YouTube videos, part of a larger criminal investigation by federal investigators.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/if-you-watched-certain-youtube-videos-investigators-demanded-your-data-from-google/ar-BB1kpIBc

    You are not allowed to vatch ze videos zat counter ze fraudulent narrative. Ve vill decide vat you see.
    Eat ze bugs and believe ze fake news.

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    • #
      el+gordo

      The Beijing role model.

      ‘The Chinese government censors content it considers contrary to Chinese moral and cultural norms, or anything that the state finds to be contrary to the official state beliefs.’ (wiki)

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  • #

    Fake news is a constant concern,
    To those who can quickly discern,
    Truth from bias and slant,
    While all those who can’t,
    Will accept, believe and not learn.

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  • #
    another ian

    More “Safe and Effective tm”

    “FDA Admits COVID Vaccine Leads to ‘Significiantly Elevated’ Risk of Seizure in Toddlers”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/fda-admits-covid-vaccine-leads-significiantly-elevated-risk/

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  • #
    Leo Morgan

    Wow the wording of that report is grammatically awkward and misleading!
    A clearer statement would be:
    The respondents to the question: Do you agree or disagree with this statement: The media are “truly the enemy of the people”?
    Strongly Agree 30%
    Agree 30%
    Disagree 15%
    Strongly Disagree 21%
    No Response 4%

    In summary, those who support it total 60%, those who don’t are 36%, with 4% no opinion.
    The margins of error are 3% with a 95% confidence rating.

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  • #
    Gerry, England

    The evil fascist Gates propping up the far-let Guardian was nothing but largesse as there was no plan to increase income for a publication that was slowly eating through its trust cash towards bankruptcy.

    30