Just a quick rhetorical question to the American media

[DFW]

How could you report that Kim Jong-Un was brain-dead without any corroborating evidence, and yet NOT report that Trump is brain-dead while he provides you with solid evidence of it on a daily basis?

[Cha]

1. KR! yeah, good question that would require them

to actually try their hand at thinking. They still trying to normalize that idiot?

[DFW]

2. So it seems

Republicans advertise on the media, too, after all...............

[duforsure]

3. They'll do the same thing with Biden

When trump promotes his propaganda claiming China is helping Biden while Putin is helping him, again. He'll claim Biden is corrupt while he's corrupting this election. When he accuses others its always focused on claiming they are doing something he's done , or is doing. The media is complicit by helping him spread his propaganda.

[DFW]

8. Their complicity is astounding

Even taking the obvious financial aspect into consideration, one could think they could make it a little less blatant.

[Auggie]

4. A solid question ...

though it's no secret the integrity of news reporting has been compromised for decades. Part of the dumbing-down of the USA coupled with the ratings chase and media corporatism.

[LymphocyteLover]

5. the media continually betrays the American people despite doing a lot of good reporting

the editors don't seem to have any guts.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. It's still all about money

and there is none in bland, solely informative news. There has to be 'Hollywood' in every story... conflict... blood gore guts veins in my teeth. THAT is what sells news. And, since all televised news is controlled by huge money and no longer exists as a public service, this is the outcome. I still find it hard to 'blame' media when I know how it all got corrupted back in the late 70's and early 80's. But, you are correct in that they no longer see themselves as informative, except when the puff piece they are doing has some informative merit.

[LymphocyteLover]

9. also their business model has been in trouble since most people get their news fromthe internet now

but take outlets like CNN and MSNBC-- they continually offer very accurate and harsh coverage of Trump. Yet no one of one of their shows can bother to call on trump to resign? And why don't the Dems make this a routine part of their talking points?

[OldBaldy1701E]

23. Yep and Yep! (n/t)

[panader0]

7. You should email this question to major US papers.

What's the word in Dusseldorf?
Just learned that Dusseldorf is 125 feet in elevation. 4650' at my house.

[DFW]

10. We are right on the Rhein River

There are some serious hills to the south of us, and the Rhein River Valley has some pretty spectacular narrow fjord-like twists and turn between Mainz and Koblenz, with castle ruins (and a few restored not-ruins) on almost every peak. Roman-era vineyards still in use, real post-card stuff.

As for Düsseldorf, it's the capital city of the most populous state in Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen). So, while not the largest city in the state (that would be Köln), it is a really active place. Lots of light industry in the immediate area, with lots of heavy industry in the Ruhr Valley, less than an hour away. Düsseldorf itself is very pleasant, with wide boulevards, decent museums, good cultural offerings, and a really nice old town. It was bombed flat during World War II, but faithfully restored from numerous pre-war photographs. Cafés, riverside paths that go on for miles, nice restaurants, and, for some reason, a Japanese sub-capital with a huge Japanese cultural presence here. The airport in normal times has nonstop flighty to almost everywhere in Europe and North Africa, with plenty of intercontinental service, too (USA, Africa, Middle East, Far East).

If you want REAL mountains, they aren't far, either. A one hour flight puts you in Munich, Innsbruck, Zürich or Graz. Two hours to Croatia, Norway, you get the idea.

[grantcart]

11. Your best "twitter length" quib yet. I do have the answer though

While many critical cognitive brain functions are indeed dead he still remains a highly functioning brain dead person and can still dress and feed himself, as well as produce enormous word salad responses and long self pitying diatribes.

[DFW]

12. Well, the jury is out on part of that

We have no photographic proof that he is still able to dress himself, and if he does that hair on his own, then I'm the Wizard of Oz.

His word salads are impressive, agreed, and his ability to produce hybrid verbal horticulture is as vast as it is incoherent. However, his self-pity is so rote at this point, one could be forgiven for suspecting that someone is pressing a few buttons on some remote with the appropriate stock phrases, and he is in fact a mute with a sophisticated miniaturized speaker apparatus where his larynx should be.

[dlk]

13. Why be logical?

[bubbazero]

14. Dear DFW, you freakin blew it, Now I have to RETHINK EVERYTHING

See; I had just assumed that Trump didn't HAVE a brain. Nor had Trump EVER possessed a brain. Just assumed he was a highly developed protozoan. This theory worked up till now. But then YOU had to go and theorize, (albeit indirectly) that Trump HAD possessed a brain. If he is 'brain-dead' then a 'brain' had to exist at one time in order for said 'brain' to die. This is going to upset my entire philosophy concerning the universe, karma, the space-time continuum, and the existence of MAGAs. (Philosophical theory concerning MAGAs relied upon VERY primitive life forms evolving to a form RESEMBLING HUMAN BEINGS.) Jesus, now I may have to accept presumption that Trump as well as MAGAs may ACTUALLY exist as HUMAN BEINGS. Livestock industry taught me about genetic diversity, but this is tooooo much. (Will need at least 2 cups of coffee b4 taking on this new theoretical assumption based on your information)

[DFW]

15. Don't feel too bad

Concrete evidence exists so far only for the cerebellum and the medulla.

They are still looking for the cerebrum. Even Sonny and Cher knew that way back when:

[bubbazero]

16. Troubling and yet somehow reassuring

[malaise]

17. Great post

Rec

[MLAA]

18. You nailed it, you can take the rest of the week off 🙂

[DFW]

20. Actually, for the second time in 7 weeks, no, I can't

Last week, for the first time since March 15th, I went up to a small city in northern Germany for some work that "couldn't wait." My wife was so apprehensive that instead of letting me take the train, she drove me all the way up there and back. Today, I have to back there again, but this time I'm really taking the train. She has really been doing stuff nonstop since mid-March (once a social worker, always a social worker), and I refuse to let her exhaust herself just on my account.

The number of new cases here in my part of Germany has been pretty steady, so if I'm sensible, I should be OK. I could always be run over by a truck without the virus, after all. Then I'll go back into hibernation for a week.

[Blue Owl]

19. K&R!

[calimary]

21. GOOD one!

I get frustrated as all-get-out watching the news, and the by-now thoroughly outmoded attitude about trying to be objective in reporting on this beast. What seems like an almost obscene effort to give him the benefit of the doubt LONG after he squandered that courtesy, still seems to be lurking too close by.

What more do we need to see, by now? What more? Seriously?

[DFW]

22. MY beef is that the media doesn't seem to be trying to be objective at all

They are bending over backwards in order to seem "fair" to "both sides." Instead, they are suppressing the truth in order to give truth and lies equal time. That's not how objectivity works.