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[–] BAAC 1 point -1 points (+0|-1) ago  (edited ago)

Hmmm... I don't know. It's been that long. Did the press adequately cover the fact that as many as half a million Iraqi children under five died as a result of Clinton's economic embargoes and no-fly zones? (Remember: they hate us for our freedom...) Well, why would they when he got himself a blowjob in the Oval...?

I think there used to be more professionals in the job, so you had more bright spots. There were men and women who were actually prepared to tell truth to power. Those days are done.

The standard up until about 2000 used to be 3 reputable sources for any story. I had tons of stuff killed because I only had 1 source. And I can remember co-workers chasing stories for weeks until we were 100% sure - sitting in a room with 4 or 5 people debating whether we could run something. In retrospect, it was fantastic.

But, at least in our lifetimes, the media has always been the cheerleader for power. Think yellow cake uranium, Gulf of Tonkin... We've been the tools of government for so long I don't think you can point to a line.

If I had to say what finally killed journalism, it wouldn't be an administration or anyone on the left/right. It was social media, plain and simple. It's now about getting it up first and fast, and fuck your sources. Soon after that happened, PR and spin companies figured they could get their messaging out easily and cheaply because the filters were gone. No one had time for the meeting with 4 editors to see if a story was legit. It would take too long to get it up. Journalism died without so much as a whimper.

I remember picking up the phone once when I first started working and the guy said (not bothering to say 'Hello' first...): "I'm suing you. I'm suing your paper. I'm suing your publisher." Great way to start a conversation. But I had taken a shortcut and relied on one source. Never did it again. I think it's so common now, no one would even make that call anymore.

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[–] WhiteRonin [S] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Awesome!

I just used Clinton's presidency as a time reference.

I do believe that you nailed it spot on. The whole standard and fact checking accountability has gone out the window since lawsuits are easy payouts and it's more important to grab the eyes of the Kardashian news cycle. it's also interesting to see how news pundents fight tough and nail to support sloppy journalism.

Ugh, I miss the old standards.