Why Bernie Sanders is absolutely correct about the Washington Post -- and corporate media as a whole

[JoeOtterbein]

[link:https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/why-bernie-sanders-is-absolutely-correct-about-the-washington-post-and-corporate-media-as-a-whole/|


Written by Norman Solomon / Common Dreams August 14, 2019
18

Many decades ago, the great media critic George Seldes observed: “The most sacred cow of the press is the press itself.” That remains true today.

Bernie Sanders set off the latest round of outraged denial from elite media this week when he talked to a crowd in New Hampshire about the tax avoidance of Amazon (which did not pay any federal income tax last year). Sanders went on to say: “I wonder why the Washington Post—which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon—doesn’t write particularly good articles about me. I don’t know why. But I guess maybe there’s a connection.”

Sanders has fought explicitly and effectively to raise the wages of Amazon workers as well as millions of others. Yet the mass-media pretense is that the financial interests of the Post‘s owner have no effect on the newspaper’s coverage of Sanders.

Corporate denial is the name of that media game. Usually, expressed denials aren’t necessary. But there’s nothing usual about Bernie Sanders, who’s been willing to call out the biases and blind spots of corporate media since he entered politics.

more at link

[George II]

1. Dupe:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287239106

[SouthernProgressive]

2. It will be copied over and over again.

First and foremost populists have to generate enormous distrust between the populace and the media. Trump and Sanders both hit that very very hard. It's a cornerstone of their campaign tactics.

[JoeOtterbein]

4. Wrong! My own daughter works for Politico!

Some of us progressives see what is wrong about some owners of the media. Are you suggesting we should not speak up?

[SouthernProgressive]

6. I don't see your daughters name on this article.

And Sanders would be the first person to tell you that your daughter is not independent in her writing. Sander is actually passionate about that aspect.

There is zero doubt that Trump and Sanders are pushing their populism by way of generating distrust among media outlets and the populace. It is the cornerstone of populism.

I recently read a piece by your daughter where she highlighted how Sanders has been floundering and is trying to change things around. I was really taken back considering she is a Sanders surrogate working on the inside at Politico.

She highlighted how he had become so full of himself that he even refused to do proper debate prep.

If it wasn't so toxic I would view Sanders attacks on the free press to be funny. This is a guy who has surrogates all over inside of the media and even has his own media outlet.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=239022

Not sure why you think your daughters employment is different. You will then claim people get it when it comes to the sons and daughters of others. Just not yours. Politico is owned by Capitol News Company.

https://twitter.com/hollyotterbein?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[JoeOtterbein]

8. Of course, Holly writes what she sees. And of course, she has disagreed with me more than anyone!

LOL!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the laugh!

[SouthernProgressive]

9. Always love a good smile and laugh. The world needs more of them.

It needs fewer candidate surrogates working the inside of corporate media conglomerates.

[JoeOtterbein]

11. Agreed!

Now, if I can just get Holly to agree with me that she needs to bring a half-bushel of steamed crabs home this weekend!

(I'm still giggling about the thought of all the times Holly has been furiously debating me about just about everything!)

[BannonsLiver]

27. You could start by speaking up about Politico

They espouse the “infotainment horse race narrative” and dumbing down of our politics as much as any other mainstream media outlet. I’m not exactly sure why you’d think they are immune from that criticism, either.

[KPN]

7. Lol. Well, I guess some here are just fine with the M$M. Or at least selectively. nt

[JoeOtterbein]

12. Don't cast your asparagus at me!

LOLy little smiley laughing too!

[KPN]

22. Did I?

[Gothmog]

24. Analysis: Bernie Sanders's bogus media beef

Link to tweet

“For example, I’ve been in politics for a few years,” he said. “You know what? Not one reporter has ever asked me: ‘Bernie, what are you going to do about the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality?’ Are you going to ask me that? Is that part of what the media talks about?”...

There are a few problems with this claim. The first is that it’s patently untrue.

Within about 20 minutes of searching on Lexis Nexis, I was able to find at least four documented examples of Sanders being asked what he would do about income inequality:

CBS’s John Dickerson on to July 12, 2015: “A lot of the issues you have mentioned both on wages and income inequality are going to be the topic of a speech by Hillary Clinton … on Monday. How do you distinguish yourself from her for Democratic voters out there?”

CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Oct. 14, 2015: “Senator Sanders, let’s talk about income inequality. Wages and incomes are flat. You’ve argued that the gap between rich and poor is wider than at any time since the 1920s. We’ve had a Democratic president for seven years. What are you going to be able to do that President Obama didn’t?”

MSNBC’s Al Sharpton on March 15, 2016: “What do you say to black and Latino voters who you need to support you in November if you`re the nominee … What do you say will be their particular way of dealing with racial inequality in the fight about income inequality?”

And CNN’s Wolf Blitzer did a lengthy interview with Sanders on May 19, 2015, the first one-third of which was devoted to his views on income inequality:

Link to tweet

[JoeOtterbein]

25. Plenty of asparagus cast on Bernie today.

What's up? Something special happen today?

[Gothmog]

26. Why are you quoting Louie Gohmert?

you are using his line. As a Texas Democrat, I do my best to keep away from all things related to Louie.

Link to tweet

[Eliot Rosewater]

29. Hmm, yeah I wanna know also!

[George II]

21. It was again:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287239485

[Gothmog]

19. I've reported on Bernie Sanders for years. A free press won't give him what he wants.

This is an interesting article https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/26/ive-reported-bernie-sanders-years-free-press-cant-give-him-what-he-wants/

Though Sanders understands the problem, his solutions leave something to be desired. The way the senator sees it, the job of a journalist is merely to transcribe his diatribes unchallenged and broadcast his sermons unfiltered.

“He would not be happy with anything that did not basically publish his press release in its entirety — word for word, quote for quote,” said Graff, who spent nearly three decades reporting in Vermont for the AP.

Back when Sanders held regular news conferences in Vermont — it’s been a few years — he typically refused to answer questions unrelated to his chosen topic of the day. That’s problematic for local reporters, who rarely have the opportunity to quiz the members of Congress they cover without spokespeople running interference.

At a 1985 forum on the media, the late Vermont political columnist Peter Freyne complained to Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, that he had reneged on his promise to hold regular press conferences, pointing out that “When asked a question you don’t want to answer, you leave the room.”

[Hortensis]

3. So much effort every day, but Sanders stuck at 8% long ago.

That's it. You guys could probably give yourselves a nice break for a few weeks, or months. He'd be 8% when you return to it. And if he were 7%, would it matter?

[JoeOtterbein]

5. There does seem to be lots of effort against Bernie. If he is doing so bad...

...why the constant need by some Dems to defeat him?

[comradebillyboy]

18. Many Democrats just don't like or trust Sanders and would prefer

just about any other Democratic candidate.

[NurseJackie]

32. You are describing me!

[KPN]

10. Bernie is lovable, but his time has passed. No question. That doesn't mean he isn't somewhat

correct about this. Having been a die-hard Bernie supporter for the 2016 primary, I can honestly say that the Washington Post was pretty darned biased against him at that time, especially Chris Cillizza. There's also no question in my mind at least that there has been a constant drumbeat to undermine Sanders by what strikes me as the Democratic Party establishment over the entire timeframe since and during the last primary. Part of that is just the normal political process, but clearly a large part of it is based on the internal divide within the party around "economics". For me personally, that is troubling.

What has always attracted me to the Democratic Party is it's tolerance. But sometimes my attraction gets tested.

[JoeOtterbein]

15. Actually, I have not decided to support Bernie...

...but the political-class distaste of him makes him seem more powerful than he is. And that does make me want to support him again this primary.

But I'm still on the fence for now!

[LongtimeAZDem]

28. It's not "political-class distaste"; it's disgust for what he has done, and continues to do

Sanders' comments make him sound like Spiro Agnew.

[JoeOtterbein]

30. So, just like that, we go from "a home is a man's castle" to...

"Medicare for All"?

Uh?

[ehrnst]

13. Bernie has walked back his statement, and wisely so.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/13/bernie-sanders-bezos-washington-post-1461360

I think that he's letting his anger at WaPo for reporting on the labor dispute in his campaign staff go a bit too far.

Calling Marty Baron a pawn of Bezos doesn't show much understanding of who Marty Baron is.

He's drawing some unflattering comparisons to Trump, who also tries to discredit WaPo...


https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750800062/sanders-again-attacks-amazon-this-time-pulling-in-the-washington-post

The remark sounded an awful lot like the kind of criticism leveled by someone else.

"...[T]he failing New York Times and the Amazon Washington Post do nothing but write bad stories even on very positive achievements - and they will never change!" President Trump tweeted last year.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/08/13/bernie-sanders-criticizes-washington-post-coverage-baron-responds/1994986001/

President Donald Trump has echoed similar criticism of The Post, using the hashtag #AmazonWashingtonPost in tweets and accusing the newspaper of furthering Amazon's corporate goals.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/13/bernie-sanders-bezos-washington-post-1461360

Sanders' comments drew comparisons to the rhetoric of President Donald Trump, who has linked what he sees as the Post's unfair coverage of his administration to Bezos, calling the newspaper a tax scam and a lobbying tool for the Amazon CEO and labeling it the “Amazon Washington Post.”

[Uncle Joe]

33. A little info about the ownership of Politico

Robert Allbritton (born February 16,[1] 1968 or 1969[2]) is the owner and founder of Capitol News Company, the parent company of Capitol Hill political newspaper and website Politico.[3]

Allbritton also served as the Chairman and CEO of Allbritton Communications, which owned several ABC-affiliated television stations in Washington, D.C.[4] Allbritton was previously the CEO of Riggs National Corporation, the parent of Riggs Bank, from 2001 to 2005.[5] Allbritton has been described by The New Republic as having "reshaped the way we follow politics."[6] He is a Trustee of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Allbritton

Riggs Bank was a bank headquartered in Washington, D.C. For most of its history, it was the largest bank headquartered in that city. On May 13, 2005, after the exposure of several money laundering scandals, the bank was acquired by PNC Financial Services.

(snip)

The bank was investigated for several money laundering scandals, including going to great lengths to allow former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to hide his fortune after his accounts were subjected to asset freezing and for unknowingly allowing the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks to transfer money due to lax controls at the bank.

(snip)

On May 13, 2005, after the exposure of several money laundering scandals, the bank was acquired by PNC Financial Services.[11][12][13]

(snip)

Hiding the fortune of Augusto Pinochet
Further information: Augusto Pinochet's arrest and trial
Augusto Pinochet, the former dictator of Chile, was widely accused of corruption, illegal arms sales, and torture. In 1994, Riggs officials invited Pinochet to open an account at the bank. In 1998, Pinochet was arrested in the United Kingdom for possible extradition to Spain, and his accounts were subjected to asset freezing by court orders. By using a shell company and hiding accounts from federal regulators, Riggs illegally allowed Pinochet to hide and retain access to much of his fortune.[18]

(snip)

The disclosure of the Riggs accounts reignited the case against General Pinochet. A ruling that he was not mentally competent to stand trial was overturned when it was proven that the general himself had orchestrated some of the huge transactions. In 2004, Pinochet was ordered to stand trial for crimes against humanity, and additional claims of mental and physical incompetence were overruled. However, Pinochet died in December 2006 before being judged. In September 2007, Pinochet's widow and five children were indicted by a Chilean court on charges including embezzlement.[20]

In January 2005, the bank pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $16 million in fines for helping Pinochet.[21][22] The bank and the Albritton family, which controlled the bank, agreed to pay $9 million to victims of the regime of Pinochet.[23][24] The bank also paid $8 million to settle the legal case in Spain.[25]

Embezzlement of oil revenues from Equatorial Guinea
In July 2004, the United States Senate published a report that showed that at least $35 million was siphoned off by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the long-time dictator of Equatorial Guinea, from the account held by the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea in Washington, D.C. at Riggs.[26][27]

(snip)

In May 2004, the bank was fined $25 million by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for violations of money-laundering laws.[29][30][31]

A long running Justice Department investigation was wrapped up quickly in February 2005 with Riggs pleading guilty and paying a $16 million fine for violations of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act after a Wall Street Journal article reported December 31, 2004, that Riggs had extensive ties to the CIA, including that several bank officials held security clearances. Also in February 2005, the bank and Albritton family agreed to pay $9 million to Pinochet victims for concealing and illegally facilitating movement of Pinochet money out of Britain.[32] No similar payment has been made with regard to Equatorial Guinea, as reported in this weekly Anti-Money Laundering Report from the Fair Finance Watch The abuses at Riggs led Congress to consider forming a single agency with greater authority to enforce money laundering and currency control laws. Daniel E. Stipano, deputy chief counsel for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said, "What happened with Riggs is unacceptable. It cannot be repeated."[33] Riggs admitted criminal liability for failing to prevent money laundering.[34]

Acquisition by PNC
In the wake of the money laundering scandals, members of the Albritton family resigned from the bank board. On February 10, 2005, PNC Financial Services agreed to acquire Riggs.[35] The merger was completed on May 13, 2005,[36] and the Riggs name was retired and all Riggs branches became PNC Bank branches three days later.[37] Soon after the merger's completion, PNC phased out the scandal-plagued embassy business.[35]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riggs_Bank

I will take Common Dreams any day over Politico.

[ehrnst]

37. So you're going to avoid the point of my post - that his remarks on WAPO echo Trumps?

Coming from someone who believes that Jacobin, Greenwald and YT are reliable sources of unbiased data, I'm not surprised.

[Uncle Joe]

38. I have already rejected the premise of your statement and your source n/t

[ehrnst]

39. But you didn't address the point of my post, which had more than one source included.

[zentrum]

14. KR

[LanternWaste]

16. I can certainly understand the convenience of blaming the media for his poor polling.

I'm guessing that as his numbers get worse, his allegations about unfair treatment will get much, much louder.

[JoeOtterbein]

17. Any candidate would blame the media if it is true. And...

...they should blame them. Look how they sold us Trump in 16.

We all need to be ready to push back really hard this time.

[Uncle Joe]

23. I agree Joe.

[Go Vols]

36. +1

[ehrnst]

40. Bernie is angry at WaPo for reporting what his staffers said about the labor dispute.

And when he reacted to it publicly, he stepped in it, publicly criticizing his union staffers for exercizing their union-given right to talk to the press about their employment issues.

So he tries to discredit WaPo.

That looks vengeful, petty and certainly doesn't confer credibility in the reasons one criticizes the media.

[Gothmog]

20. Opinion: Bernie Sanders's real media problem

Link to tweet

So let me offer an explanation of what Sanders’s real media problem is: Right now Sanders 2020 is suffering from the comparison with Sanders 2016, when his candidacy was a captivating new phenomenon that turned what could have been a dull coronation for Hillary Clinton into a real contest. That made him compelling to reporters — again, always drawn to what’s new and what creates conflict — who wrote story after story about this fascinating campaign, particularly the unlikely fact that a rumpled 74-year-old had become the hero of college students everywhere. They covered his policy proposals, but they also covered all the attendant human-interest sidelights such as people getting Bernie tattoos.

Sanders’s current candidacy doesn’t provide that same narrative interest. He’s just one candidate among many, running somewhere between second and fourth in every poll — a part of the big story, to be sure, but not the primary protagonist/antagonist, depending on the framing. If during the 2016 primaries he was getting something like half the coverage, most of it positive, now he can expect only to get a much smaller portion of a pie that has been sliced into many more pieces. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but you’d have to define what “fair” coverage would look like for all the candidates to say for sure.

It’s not as though Sanders is being ignored. I did a search on The Post’s website and found 28 articles and videos mentioning him that appeared just this Monday and Tuesday. FiveThirtyEight monitors the volume of cable news coverage of the candidates, and what you see is that coverage pretty well tracks poll standing: Joe Biden gets the most, followed by Sanders, Warren and Kamala D. Harris clustered together. You might be able to make a case for why that’s wrong, but you can’t say it’s particularly unfair to Sanders.

And here’s the thing: I’m sure Sanders knows how this all works. He’s a smart guy, and he has been around for a long time. In most of the comments he and his aides make on this topic, you can tell they understand the incentives and proclivities of the media perfectly well.

[JoeOtterbein]

31. I think I saw elsewhere that you've been "covering" Bernie for a while. Is that correct? Then...

...did you write the above?

[Gothmog]

34. I have a subscription to the Washington Post because I like being informed

The Washington Post is a truly great paper and has very helpful information.

[JoeOtterbein]

35. I like it too. It's not perfect (the only journalist who is perfect is my daughter, LOL!).

But I don't subscribe, so I can't click. I appreciate any clips!

And I note that you did not reply, "no."

[Gothmog]

41. From Nate Silver-sanders complaints about media coverage do not hold up

Senator Warren has just as liberal or even more liberal platform compared to sanders and she is not being hurt in the polls or getting bad press coverage

Link to tweet