"Fact-checking" is a feeble, inadequate way to respond to racist, antisemitic incitement

[SouthernDem4ever]

Great article about the state of journalism in a gaslighted society.

Journalists should be actively confronting Trump and others with their lies at every opportunity. They should deny liars opportunities to use the media – particularly live media — to spread lies. They should caveat every statement known liars make – not just the provably false ones – with the fact that they lie all the time.

The “why” behind the lie is even more important than the lie itself, as I argued here.

That’s especially the case because Republican lies about elections are calculated, democracy-killing lies. And that needs to be made very clear in every story about them — or journalists are not really telling their viewers and readers what they need to know.

Trump lied compulsively, yes, but also intentionally, and leaving those intentions unstated is bad journalism.

Entire article at:

https://presswatchers.org/2023/03/fact-checking-is-a-feeble-inadequate-way-to-respond-to-racist-antisemitic-incitement/

[SomedayKindaLove]

1. Instead Leslie Stahl is telling us that MTG is "smart"

[agingdem]

2. I watched the way the media went after MTG

and George Santos in Manhattan..throwing their words back at them, no backing off..that's how they should deal with racists and anti-semites...every time a reporter asked Trump a question he did not like, he would insult the reporter and the reporter would back off..McCarthy/Comer whine when questions are off topic/Jordan says he doesn't have his glasses..and each and every time the reporter backed off ...stop backing off!..hound them until they answer or run and hide..and then post their cowardice on social media...

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. No hate speech laws? A day too late and a dollar short fact checking all you got.

Not to mention scholastic violence and hate directed toward identifiable racial groups is perfectly legal.

[Redleg]

4. As an educator, I do fear "scholastic violence."

And stochastic violence too.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. You still going to give me an A for content, right?

[Redleg]

6. Sure, and I can relate to mis-writing things

I have been doing it more and more as I have gotten older. Just the other day I spelled "remember" as "rember."

[tritsofme]

7. The First Amendment contains no exception for "hate speech"

[Alexander Of Assyria]

8. It does, per scotus, and That's a shame...enjoy your fascism!

[tritsofme]

12. That is not true, don't make things up.

[peggysue2]

9. I absolutely agree with this

The state our our current 'free press' is abysmal. You can chalk it up to laziness, herd mentality, lack of funding and/or profit motive but the end state is the same: a failure of journalism to stress the truth and the motives for all the lies and gaslighting. The result? A failure to inform the American public of what's really going on as the assault on our democratic institutions progresses.

I took special note of this:

The main news story about a lie should rapidly confront and dispel the lie with facts. (See, for instance, the “truth sandwich.”) Journalists should treat a lie like a virus, for which they are the vaccine, not the spreader.

The bitter irony here is if the MAGA movement were successful, journalists would be first on the chopping block. Authoritarian movements always gag the press because they don't want the truth exposed. There's no countenance for critical analysis or reporting; you become a true lapdog for the powers-that-be. You toe the line or you find yourself out of a job.

Or far worse, as in a prison stay or falling from high windows.

[SouthernDem4ever]

10. The same thing goes for those in our justice system, as in right-wing judges

Do they really think a fascist autocratic society will value their opinions? Do they really disdain our justice system of which they are part? If they don't all wise up - they will no longer be valid, or even be there after our democracy is gone. There should just be judges, not right wing.

[peggysue2]

13. Agreed, Southern Dem

The right-wing, Nationalist White Christian authoritarians are on a crusade and anything and anyone standing in their way will be mowed down. Including judges.

No one is safe in this scenario, no quarter of democracy is safe. If they cannot get the judges they want? They'll simply change the laws/rules to accommodate their twisted perspective.

This is not a battle between Left vs Right, Blue states vs Red. This is the Republic vs full-throated fascism.

And yet our 'free' press by-and-large has failed to blast the clarion call resorting to bothsiderism and writing as if this is business as usual.

Normal.

Clearly, it is not!

[Boomerproud]

11. Fantastic analysis.

You would think reporters would look at the big picture. They still all look for chaos, corruption and sensationalism. We have clowns instead of at least competent people practicing their craft.

[peggysue2]

14. Thank you, Boomer

This is a subject that has driven me berserk for the last 20+ years, increasingly so during the Trump Era.

[Kid Berwyn]

15. Deport Rupert Murdoch

From the OP:

Finally, it’s essential for journalists to publicly and emphatically distinguish between media outlets that don’t lie and the ones that do. That means prying viewers away from Fox News – and back to reality — should be a goal of serious journalists everywhere.