Kang’s notion that Biden should filter his argument not through the truth as he experiences it, but through a nebulous, feel good narrative just illustrates the problem with Kang’s approach to journalism in general. It should be about telling the truth, not pushing an agenda that assuages the media. Truth, evidence, insight, context. Not group narrative, self-interested persuasion, thumb on the scale.
Thank you! The conflation is maddening and offensive as is calling Democrats who back the presumptive nominee, BlueAnon and BlueMAGA. It’s getting weird out here.
This is such an excellent piece . Thank you . I’ve been thinking all weekend of the G Sargent piece in The New Republic in which he presents /discusses the Marist poll on what voters find most important to the presidency . They care about age, of course, but they/we care about temperament and honesty more than age. And when both candidates are elderly , why discuss age at all? It becomes irrelevant. He quotes the NYT (editor - I think - it’s been a long weekend ) as saying they’re reporting on age because that’s what voters care about ….which ignores other characteristics that are more relevant. I just don’t know how many excuses they can make after Gore, HRC, Trump, Biden. Either the profession is going to start treating itself like a profession - or not. The behavior in the press room the other day was abominable. And yet, and yet - they did not correct it! They continued to harrass the press sec! Lastly, Trump did more than threaten the press , he halted press confs entirely , for almost a year … and there were no WH visitor logs kept.
Well done, it's kind of amazing where journalists are putting their energy. It's not so surprising with Kang but that's just a reflection of how poor their work reads to me historically. They're failing at doing their jobs frequently because of the powerful people who have shredded our press and hold most of the jobs left only to shitty journalists who have failed to cover their own decimation. People argue about the media like it's not mostly all the same. There are in fact still other good sources of journalism but they're not typically who people like Kang consider MSM.
Kang’s notion that Biden should filter his argument not through the truth as he experiences it, but through a nebulous, feel good narrative just illustrates the problem with Kang’s approach to journalism in general. It should be about telling the truth, not pushing an agenda that assuages the media. Truth, evidence, insight, context. Not group narrative, self-interested persuasion, thumb on the scale.
Thank you! The conflation is maddening and offensive as is calling Democrats who back the presumptive nominee, BlueAnon and BlueMAGA. It’s getting weird out here.
This is such an excellent piece . Thank you . I’ve been thinking all weekend of the G Sargent piece in The New Republic in which he presents /discusses the Marist poll on what voters find most important to the presidency . They care about age, of course, but they/we care about temperament and honesty more than age. And when both candidates are elderly , why discuss age at all? It becomes irrelevant. He quotes the NYT (editor - I think - it’s been a long weekend ) as saying they’re reporting on age because that’s what voters care about ….which ignores other characteristics that are more relevant. I just don’t know how many excuses they can make after Gore, HRC, Trump, Biden. Either the profession is going to start treating itself like a profession - or not. The behavior in the press room the other day was abominable. And yet, and yet - they did not correct it! They continued to harrass the press sec! Lastly, Trump did more than threaten the press , he halted press confs entirely , for almost a year … and there were no WH visitor logs kept.
Well done, it's kind of amazing where journalists are putting their energy. It's not so surprising with Kang but that's just a reflection of how poor their work reads to me historically. They're failing at doing their jobs frequently because of the powerful people who have shredded our press and hold most of the jobs left only to shitty journalists who have failed to cover their own decimation. People argue about the media like it's not mostly all the same. There are in fact still other good sources of journalism but they're not typically who people like Kang consider MSM.
One of your best!
Great piece. Thank you.
Here's Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, who says, "the media has done an abominable job of prioritizing what is important."
https://youtu.be/DqoHUlB3sSQ?si=f___ne7_GWO6OaSb
The hell either them - and throw in CNN and much of MSNBC (the latter with some extraordinary exceptions makes me tired)
And epically Disingenuous garbage from the garbage collectors at the NYT. Good piece.