To me the problem with MSNBC and CNN coverage is not

[senseandsensibility]

WHAT is said. Most of that is unobjectionable and factual. It's what's being shown. The visuals, which I'm sure are what most people pay attention to, are those of celebrity journalism, not political journalism. So cheato comes across as a very interesting, kind of renegade celebrity who by definition deserves different treatment from other people. That's how propaganda works. It's subtle in a way, but very effective.

[Kennah]

1. Gotta walk the streets and strut their stuff

[gab13by13]

2. I don't listen to what they say either,

it's usually what the right wants talked about.

I will turn MSNBC on in 30 minutes.

[unblock]

3. i agree about the visuals and subtle impressions and implications. i'd add to the list:

topic choice
frame
word choice/buzzwords
perspective


the hillary email crap is still a great example. objectively, there was never any real possibility that hillary had committed a crime. it's always just a right-wing fantasy that they if they look and look and look and look they might find something damning. but they never did.

so it was *always* just a right-wing smear attempt, and all those congressional investigations were abuses of power. congressional investigative authority is meant to be used in cases where they may need to write new laws or update old ones, or as oversight of the bureaucracy to make sure the federal government is doing what congress intended for them to do. neither ever applied in this case. zero indictments and zero changes to any laws, afaik.

but how much of the media coverage was about the real scandal -- the long-lasting republican smear campaign and abuse of power against hillary?


the stories they cover, the questions they ask, the phrases they use, they all reinforce the right-wing propaganda, if only by repeating it.

many of the "debates" they have about race matters or womens' issues and so on feature a member privileged class debating a member of the disadvantaged class. these only serve to reinforce the division and hierarchy, almost no matter how brilliantly our side is represented. of course the disadvantaged person is complaining about being disadvantaged, *that's the whole point* of the right-wing hierarchical worldview and it only serves to convince them that if they're in the privileged class, that they have a better deal.

most of the views from the "left" as presented in the media are merely complaints and responses to right-wing views and right-wing accusations.


the propaganda is well-established and operates on multiple fronts, with many small techniques.

[senseandsensibility]

4. I agree about the framing and the topic choice

in their everyday coverage. And since that occurs everyday, it's probably a more serious problem. But on days like today, the visuals take over and drown out everything. But you're right. I agree with everything you wrote.

[emulatorloo]

5. Dunno, We're witnessing history. Trump's being held accountable for J6.

I’m enjoying hearing Maddow, O’Donnell, and Melber’s thoughts/insights on the arraignment. It is informative.

They are absolutely not doing “celebrity journalism.”

Of course YMMV.

[senseandsensibility]

6. I'm just talking about the visuals

as I said in the OP.

[emulatorloo]

7. The audio adds weight to the visuals and they come as a package.

[senseandsensibility]

8. Well, they certainly come as a package

but we'll have to agree to disagree about the weight part. Weight would be showing some of the visuals from Jan.6 violence at least part of the time not an endless loop of cheato's motorcade.