I was watching MSNBC (unfortunately a special edition of Morning Joe) and saw Dave Wasserman, who I assume works with the Decision Desk at NBC News, get all pissy when pressed for answers. Certainly, Scarborough likes to be overly snarky and I can understand that someone might be annoyed at his one-liners. However, people want information. The audience wants to know what the hell is going on. There is literally nothing transparent about process.
Part of this is that the networks are enjoying “captivating” their audience. The longer they don’t make a call the more anxiety ridden viewers watch. It’s sloppy and a dis-service to viewers, but it keeps them watching... it weird that they don’t get that the longer they drag this out, the more likely some deranged psycho is going to escalate things.
Excellent piece Eric (as usual). It does appear the media has failed us yet again or they have huge investments in anxiety medication companies. All of the numbers show that Biden has won this election, likely over 300 electoral votes. But each media outlet appears to be waiting for someone else to make the call. And to your point, they still feel the wrath of Trump. You would think after all the trashing Trump has done to the media in the last four years, that each one would be fighting to be the first to announce Biden the winner. The sad thing is it really illustrates how the media is so in the tank for the Republicans.
I for one am ok with the press waiting another day to let the counting process play out a bit more. It is important that, after months of predictions of disorder and chaos from the president, the electorate see that the process is in fact orderly, methodical and fair. And it gave time for the expected Trumpist pushback to fizzle and the promised lawsuits to be shown up as frivolous. Imagine if the country had gone to bed with Trump leading, only to wake up in the morning to find that, thanks to some fake news manipulation, his lead had evaporated. Now of course, having first said that the count should end on election day, he wants to wait until the states all certify their counts.
Regardless the "motive" I'm glad the press's cooler heads prevailed.
Responsible journalism may seem like a thing of the past, but perhaps lessons can be learned from '16 and '20 by up-and-coming writers of fast-paced current events. Social media, and its ability to spread whatever passes for news, is what gets viewed first, so olde tyme outlets scurry to keep up.....to the deriment of truth.
This wasn't an election to mess with (nothing learned from '16, tragically) yet it ended up like a dirty diaper you have no replacement for until the store opens in the morning. Luckily, in time, the process ran its course and the win was clean.
In some ways the irresponsible newz folks, in enabling Drumpf, allowed him to plunge, spectacularly, further and further into his personal mania for all to witness and judge. A dangerous move, but in the end it whipped voters into action.
If anything is to come of this I hope it might be that politically based headlines will be more about things like the infiltration of useless groups such as QAnon, fanatics of every religious stripe, and single issue Republicons, into every and any level of government ...and how to recognize them and suppress their bogus rhetoric. There are just too many naive people in the US (*and* the world) who are falling for it. And those people breed for the sake of upping their own numbers.
Granting access has been the (lower case) trump card for way too long. A free press and the profit motive sure make strange bedfellows, he said wielding the bludgeon of the obvious
I've said many times before I have lost respect for the reporting of the news on network TV. They have spent the last 4 years just going along with the liar in chief bully and the evil hateful Republican party. So not surprised they haven't called the election.
I was watching MSNBC (unfortunately a special edition of Morning Joe) and saw Dave Wasserman, who I assume works with the Decision Desk at NBC News, get all pissy when pressed for answers. Certainly, Scarborough likes to be overly snarky and I can understand that someone might be annoyed at his one-liners. However, people want information. The audience wants to know what the hell is going on. There is literally nothing transparent about process.
Yeah, it made zero sense.
Donald Trump is so pathetic, and it boggles my mind that people are frightened by him.
Part of this is that the networks are enjoying “captivating” their audience. The longer they don’t make a call the more anxiety ridden viewers watch. It’s sloppy and a dis-service to viewers, but it keeps them watching... it weird that they don’t get that the longer they drag this out, the more likely some deranged psycho is going to escalate things.
Excellent piece Eric (as usual). It does appear the media has failed us yet again or they have huge investments in anxiety medication companies. All of the numbers show that Biden has won this election, likely over 300 electoral votes. But each media outlet appears to be waiting for someone else to make the call. And to your point, they still feel the wrath of Trump. You would think after all the trashing Trump has done to the media in the last four years, that each one would be fighting to be the first to announce Biden the winner. The sad thing is it really illustrates how the media is so in the tank for the Republicans.
Nobody wants the scoop, but they all peddle Breaking News. That's funny. Or maybe I'm just in a good mood.
You saw this, Eric, yes?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/07/rupert-murdoch-owned-us-outlets-turn-on-trump-urging-him-to-concede-with-grace
I for one am ok with the press waiting another day to let the counting process play out a bit more. It is important that, after months of predictions of disorder and chaos from the president, the electorate see that the process is in fact orderly, methodical and fair. And it gave time for the expected Trumpist pushback to fizzle and the promised lawsuits to be shown up as frivolous. Imagine if the country had gone to bed with Trump leading, only to wake up in the morning to find that, thanks to some fake news manipulation, his lead had evaporated. Now of course, having first said that the count should end on election day, he wants to wait until the states all certify their counts.
I live in Nevada. I've looked at the numbers. There's no way. They could project it. But they were all afraid. Working the refs works.
Regardless the "motive" I'm glad the press's cooler heads prevailed.
Responsible journalism may seem like a thing of the past, but perhaps lessons can be learned from '16 and '20 by up-and-coming writers of fast-paced current events. Social media, and its ability to spread whatever passes for news, is what gets viewed first, so olde tyme outlets scurry to keep up.....to the deriment of truth.
This wasn't an election to mess with (nothing learned from '16, tragically) yet it ended up like a dirty diaper you have no replacement for until the store opens in the morning. Luckily, in time, the process ran its course and the win was clean.
In some ways the irresponsible newz folks, in enabling Drumpf, allowed him to plunge, spectacularly, further and further into his personal mania for all to witness and judge. A dangerous move, but in the end it whipped voters into action.
If anything is to come of this I hope it might be that politically based headlines will be more about things like the infiltration of useless groups such as QAnon, fanatics of every religious stripe, and single issue Republicons, into every and any level of government ...and how to recognize them and suppress their bogus rhetoric. There are just too many naive people in the US (*and* the world) who are falling for it. And those people breed for the sake of upping their own numbers.
Granting access has been the (lower case) trump card for way too long. A free press and the profit motive sure make strange bedfellows, he said wielding the bludgeon of the obvious
I've said many times before I have lost respect for the reporting of the news on network TV. They have spent the last 4 years just going along with the liar in chief bully and the evil hateful Republican party. So not surprised they haven't called the election.