MoJo asking for $ to hire senior reporter/data scientist by 6- 30 to counter Trump's info warfare.
The Real Russia Scandal Is Hiding in Plain Sight. Yet Trump May Get Away With It.
A letter to Mother Jones readers from David Corn.
Jun. 8, 2018 3:33 PM
Earlier this week, I wrote a piece, “Donald Trump Is Getting Away With the Biggest Scandal in American History,” that struck a chord with a lot of people. And I’ve been thinking a lot about where we go from here, because demonstrating that Trump is “getting away” with this is important but still frustrating.
Here’s the gist of what I wrote. The Trump-Russia scandal has become something of a mud-wrestling match, with the president’s partisans refusing to acknowledge the fundamental facts of this episode and distracting public attention from the key facts about which there truly isn’t any doubt: Trump and his associates engaged in serious wrongdoing during the 2016 campaign. On this, there is no confusion, no he-said-she-said, no speculation. The evidence is rock-solid.
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In previous scandals, it was not necessary to remind the public repeatedly of the essential elements of the story. No one disputed the Watergate burglary had transpired—the issue was White House involvement and the cover-up.
But this time, Trump and his amen chorus have been claiming there is no Russia scandal—that the real shocker is a secret FBI plot against him. And by forcing politicians and the media to debate whether the Russia scandal actually exists, Trump wins. He has succeeded in diverting attention from how his campaign actions benefited Putin.
Much of the media framing of the Russia scandal has—sometimes unwittingly—let Trump define the terms of debate. The driving question has become whether Trump directly collaborated with Moscow’s covert operation—and whether Trump, as president, tried to thwart the investigation and obstruct justice. Instead of helping the American public understand the gravity of the attack—and the continuing threat—the media often present the Russia scandal mostly as a political problem for Trump.
So what can we do about it? The problem is there is no organized force with as loud a bullhorn countering Trump’s disinformation in fundamental terms.
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At Mother Jones, we see our job as providing the day-in, day-out reporting that is critical to holding the powerful accountable and to do this while presenting the broader context. In the chaotic media environment of this moment, it is crucial to provide both information and understanding. Journalism that only focuses on the latest leak or revelation and fails to depict the wider and deeper story is simply not powerful enough to counter the firehose of lies, propaganda, and disinformation.
Trump’s tweets and phony narratives deserve attention—and debunking. But not at the expense of reporting and explaining the big picture.
And this is where I ask you to support Mother Jones during our pledge drive—because if we can raise another $155,000 by June 30 we’ll have enough resources to bring on a senior reporter and a data scientist to tackle the sort of information warfare Trump wages every day.
We may not have Trump’s bully pulpit, but we can produce a steady drumbeat of stories that break news on the scandals and that expand our understanding of what they mean. Mother Jones’ independence and the fact that we’re supported primarily by readers like you allow us to punch well above our weight. One example: I was the only reporter in Washington (or anywhere else) who reported on the existence of the Steele memos and the FBI’s interest in them before the election. And I am confident that our readers—and I mean you—want us to keep digging into this scandal, so much of which is hiding in plain sight.
We are here to counter the disinformation and b.s. To do it with facts and kick-ass reporting. To not get lost in the aggravating chaos and helter-skelter that is engineered to keep the American public from grasping the full truth. Every day we are battling the lies and misdirection.
But this is no lie: We can only do this with the support and help of folks like you. I’ll tell you, it’s not fun to ask for money. I know how hard it is to squeeze a buck out of me! But if you want to be part of our team and this mission, please give what you can. I promise you this: We will do the type of journalism that exposes the deceit and deceptions that are threatening our nation—and make you proud.
More:
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2018/06/the-true-russia-scandal-is-fully-known/?utm_source=mj-newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=in-the-mix-2018-06-09
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