Can I just say how frustrating it is to listen to an NPR call in program where callers espouse these sorts of views (usually ranting, almost screaming about how democrats are racist and conspiring with russia and the investigation is a lie/witchhunt), and the host COMPLETELY VALIDATES them by saying “Yeah, I hear what you’re saying! Guest A, what do you think about the caller’s views?”
Why can’t hosts be more like the BBC and say “You’re spouting nonsense that has no basis in reality. Let’s break down why you’re so incredibly wrong.”?
I assume it’s because the radio hosts aren’t anywhere close to proper journalists, have little idea what’s going on in the substance of the show they are hosting, and are only there to “facilitate” two sides issuing their talking points.
Clay
3875
BBC has a history of that. NPR would lose all its funding if they responded that way.
Timex
3876
Also, the DOJ recently interviewed Christopher steel, and found him credible.
The dossier wasn’t actually wrong. It suggested the Russians had stuff on Trump… Because the Russians have stuff on Trump.
Also one of the talking points on the Steele Dossier, “well Steele is a foreign agent.”
No Steele is a foreigner who worked (past tense) for a foreign government, Britain who is America’s closest ally. Where as most of the folks that were investigated by the Mueller team worked for the Russia government or more typically for Russians who were friends/close associates with Putin. Russia of course is no ally of the US.
It’s everywhere.
Once upon a time, if you read the Letters to the Editor Page in a newspaper, if a letter writer stated something blatantly untrue, the paper would add a comment correcting his/her “facts”.
Now you see complete BS espoused as truth by letter writers, with absolutely no correction.
Tim_N
3879
I thought it was the Tea Party that is pushing to reform myriad legislation or judicial decisions that are decades old (e.g. tax rates, roe v wade, environmental protections, regulation of all forms), and many progressives at the moment would settle for just getting a President that isn’t trying to unravel institutions, upend century old convention, and dismantle reforms that their parents and grandparents fought hard to implement.
Somehow maintaining the status quo has become a ‘left-wing’ position in the American political consciousness.
Another ridiculous Republican conspiracy story is about how Clinton got oppo research from foreigners, too, just like Trump, and why isn’t there an investigation of that?
The rather obvious answer seems to be that Clinton paid for the oppo research as a campaign expense, and that it isn’t a crime to pay for oppo research, even oppo research from foreigners.
Well, and then there’s the fact that the initial funding was from a Republican opposition group and Clinton just picked up the project when they abandoned it after the primaries.
This anti-troll/foreign influence infographic from the government is making the rounds this morning.
Someone at the DHS is getting fired. This is a direct attack on Republican campaign strategy. I’m not even being sarcastic.
That’s a helpful infographic. I hope people realize it and regain some sanity.
The graphic is helpful, but it doesn’t address when it’s mainstream media companies that pick up on the troll fueled “controversy” and amplify it to people that wouldn’t normally be exposed. And that’s not even counting the propaganda style tv networks.
It does, actually. It shows the pineapple pizza being aired as a news story.
That’s another topic. The inforgraphic was about foreign interference through social media being used to divide us. The domestic TV networks are our own problem we’ve created.
Oh, I meant on the back end of the process if that makes sense. Like after airing the initial story, it goes through the internet filter and trolls making it worse, and then picked back up on again and rebroadcast.
We created social media too. The ones Americans read anyway.
Zylon
3888
I can’t decide if it’s helpful or distracting that they picked as their illustrative example a genuinely divisive issue.
CraigM
3889
Only because some people are jerks who don’t know how to shut the hell up and let people enjoy things they like.
I doubt your friend will listen to anything but right wrong talking points.
rowe33
3891
It’s worse than that - from what I’ve seen, basically anyone that disagrees with Trump in any way, shape, or form is the new enemy. So there are plenty of right-wingers that are on the shit list too now.
Like my Trump-worshiping bro-in-law who calls the media the enemy of the people, etc, including Fox News, ignoring the fact that Trump literally gets every bit of his information from Fox News. I can’t even parse how Fox can be the enemy despite the fact they’re basically running the Presidency at this point.
robc04
3892
Yeah, I know. Fox et al. have him convinced everyone else is lying.
It is very nice, but my concern is it has more than 5 words, which means half of Republicans won’t bother to actually read it.
