15 Comments

The emergence of ratings-driven tv news (1980s???) has been so destructive my god, is anyone really surprised about the Zucker-Cohen-Trump revelations? Surprised that it has come out undeniably, yes, but surprised? This stuff really puts the conspiracy back in conspiracy theory.

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not shocked...and yet shocked and saddened. mostly bc we are all paying such a stunning price today

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Cable news purveys outrage, Fox/CNN/MSNBC. Public media need to be refunded when the Dems get in. MacNeil-Lehrer was a magnificent feat, responsible, informative. You could watch it every night and not feel nauseated.

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Sometimes outrage is justified. No matter how outrageous the accusations against Bill Clinton or how many times no real evidence could be found PBS covered it like it was just normal partisan fighting and were big on the faux balance. When a President and his wife get accused by the opposition of murdering one of their closest friends and that opposition spends millions of our tax dollars on multiple futile investigations of that vicious, cruel slander outrage is more than justified, it is necessary. By not expressing shock and outrage the media was complicit even the outlets like PBS that didn’t help spread the lies the way The NY Times’s Jeff Gerth did.

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The FEC needs to fine CNN for unreported in-kind donations. This is unforgivable.

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the Zucker quotes are shocking, right?

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Shocking? No. I knew something wasn’t right with the media in 2016, with the excessive Trump campaign coverage. But despicable? Yes.

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Remember Moonves: "It may not be good for the country, but it's damn good for CBS."

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indeed. also remember: none of them thought Trump would win. so they viewed the campaign as sort of a free pass — a way to spike ratings in the short term.

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Yeah. But those free spikes turned out to be a gateway drug.

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And we need to always remember that he *didn't* really win... except with subterfuge.

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Mr. Boehlert,

Not really on topic but Trump is back to his old game of demanding more time in office. Last night’s prediction of landslide victory is only to be expected. His statement that he’d then “negotiate” a third term is neither Constitutional nor expected from anyone not named Trump.

Can there be a stronger signal of how Trump views the Constitution and “rule of law”?

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Trump is ringing all kinds of alarm bells, that’s for sure

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It’s all about the ratings and $$$. That’s all that matters

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I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Zucker meant every word he said to Trump or that he has no problem Trump’s racism and misogyny. A lot of rich powerful men do.

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