One of my recurring rants is that the establishment news media are not our allies. Normally, I’d say that in the context of ABC’s bribe to Trump.
But the case is better made to take a long view. So, for example, a trend going back to 2015. In that case, correct reporting when Trump came down the golden escalator is that he was historically unfit for any public office by every criteria that mattered. And that, unless circumstances warranted an exception, was the reality- and sanity-based rule for covering him.
Reader, as you should recall, that was never, ever the rule for covering him (the very rare exception, by definition, notwithstanding).
No, correction: despite four years in office, in 2024 he was somehow even more unfit.
And not a single major outlet was willing to report him or, subsequently his party of the venal and the chickenshit, in that manner. There’s no legitimate reason not to report a crisis as a crisis.
So. Circling back to ABC. It’s far more than ever a pay to play era. Businesses want their benefits from Trump 2.0 — tax breaks, yet less regulation, exceptions in his tariffs, etc. So the occasional kickback or however you want to characterize what ABC did. It’s called insurance, a regrettably necessary, rational business decision.
Of course, the other old fart rant is that our leadership class, both private and public, are sociopathic. So, again, what ABC did.
That’s the reality neoliberalism creates. And both parties support.
They are going to lose their audience - if I never see David Muir again that's fine w me - and it's not like MAGA are suddenly going to abandon Right Wing news and start watching them.
Trump and Hitler: Frail Leaders, Big Lies, and the Press Under Siege
Donald Trump’s latest tantrum against the press—threatening lawsuits and jail for journalists—is a sad echo of Adolf Hitler's more violent war on media freedom. Trump, like Hitler, cannot abide criticism. Both men, frail and insecure, have decided that the best way to protect their fragile egos is by attacking the very foundation of democracy: a free press.
Trump has launched a series of defamation lawsuits against media outlets he dislikes, including one against ABC over a factual error and another against the Des Moines Register for publishing a poll he didn’t like. It's a classic move for a man who can’t handle the truth: if the press doesn't bow to you, sue them into submission. But Trump's strategy isn't just about seeking justice—it’s about using the legal system to drown out dissent. And with his pick for FBI director promising retribution against journalists, the chilling effect is already here.
Hitler, meanwhile, didn’t bother with lawsuits. He simply seized control. The Reich Press Law of 1933 turned independent journalism into state-approved propaganda, and anyone who resisted was either silenced or executed. No lawsuits needed—just the brute force of a regime that crushed free speech under the weight of its own delusions of grandeur. The Nazis even had their own term for “fake news”: Lügenpresse (lying press), a phrase weaponized to delegitimize dissent and discredit the media entirely.
Both leaders, in their own ways, use the media as a scapegoat for their insecurities. Trump calls the press “fake news” whenever it dares to report facts he dislikes, just as Hitler's Reich Ministry of Propaganda spun every inconvenient truth into a lie. Neither man can stomach the idea that their weak, insecure leadership might actually be questioned.
Tyranny doesn’t spring up overnight; it’s built piece by piece, first with threats and then with silence. Trump and Hitler are cut from the same cloth: insecure, petty men who would rather rule with fear than face the truth. Their war on the press is the first step in eroding democracy itself—and it must be resisted at all costs.
Re: the ABC/Disney "capitulation" to tRump...a key element in all this "defamation" business is of course "actual malice" and making statements that are "knowingly false". A couple of reports I read were regarding Stephanopoulos' previous interviews with E. Jean Carroll where he asked her about being disappointed that the jury DID NOT find for liability of rape, but rather of sexual abuse. The fear here by ABC is that during deposition, this interview, plus loads of emails, conversations with colleagues, etc., would reveal that Stephanopoulos actually KNEW that tRump was wasn't adjudged to have committed rape, but insisted publicly and on TV that in fact he well may have been a rapist, echoing the trial judge's ex cathedra remarks. A whole load of nasty PR may have been heading the network's way, and their high-powered legal team decided that indeed "discretion is the better part of valor", and that ABC should agree to a settlement, no matter how humiliating it may appear to its own amour propre.
Just another possible motive rather than the more sensational "rank cowardice".
That's a generous interpretation but there is this little tidbit in the NYT piece about it:
"Debra OConnell, the Disney executive who directly oversees ABC News, dined with Mr. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in Palm Beach last Monday, according to two people briefed on their interaction. The dinner was part of a visit by several ABC News executives to Florida to meet with Mr. Trump’s transition team.
News networks typically arrange such meetings ahead of a new presidential administration to discuss subjects like booking and day-to-day coverage. Another person familiar with the meeting said its purpose was to discuss Mr. Trump’s White House transition, not the pending defamation case."
M-hmm...given the quality of MSM at this point, I'm not a bit surprised.
One of my recurring rants is that the establishment news media are not our allies. Normally, I’d say that in the context of ABC’s bribe to Trump.
But the case is better made to take a long view. So, for example, a trend going back to 2015. In that case, correct reporting when Trump came down the golden escalator is that he was historically unfit for any public office by every criteria that mattered. And that, unless circumstances warranted an exception, was the reality- and sanity-based rule for covering him.
Reader, as you should recall, that was never, ever the rule for covering him (the very rare exception, by definition, notwithstanding).
No, correction: despite four years in office, in 2024 he was somehow even more unfit.
And not a single major outlet was willing to report him or, subsequently his party of the venal and the chickenshit, in that manner. There’s no legitimate reason not to report a crisis as a crisis.
So. Circling back to ABC. It’s far more than ever a pay to play era. Businesses want their benefits from Trump 2.0 — tax breaks, yet less regulation, exceptions in his tariffs, etc. So the occasional kickback or however you want to characterize what ABC did. It’s called insurance, a regrettably necessary, rational business decision.
Of course, the other old fart rant is that our leadership class, both private and public, are sociopathic. So, again, what ABC did.
That’s the reality neoliberalism creates. And both parties support.
And here we are.
They are going to lose their audience - if I never see David Muir again that's fine w me - and it's not like MAGA are suddenly going to abandon Right Wing news and start watching them.
This IS how it dies...!
Trump and Hitler: Frail Leaders, Big Lies, and the Press Under Siege
Donald Trump’s latest tantrum against the press—threatening lawsuits and jail for journalists—is a sad echo of Adolf Hitler's more violent war on media freedom. Trump, like Hitler, cannot abide criticism. Both men, frail and insecure, have decided that the best way to protect their fragile egos is by attacking the very foundation of democracy: a free press.
Trump has launched a series of defamation lawsuits against media outlets he dislikes, including one against ABC over a factual error and another against the Des Moines Register for publishing a poll he didn’t like. It's a classic move for a man who can’t handle the truth: if the press doesn't bow to you, sue them into submission. But Trump's strategy isn't just about seeking justice—it’s about using the legal system to drown out dissent. And with his pick for FBI director promising retribution against journalists, the chilling effect is already here.
Hitler, meanwhile, didn’t bother with lawsuits. He simply seized control. The Reich Press Law of 1933 turned independent journalism into state-approved propaganda, and anyone who resisted was either silenced or executed. No lawsuits needed—just the brute force of a regime that crushed free speech under the weight of its own delusions of grandeur. The Nazis even had their own term for “fake news”: Lügenpresse (lying press), a phrase weaponized to delegitimize dissent and discredit the media entirely.
Both leaders, in their own ways, use the media as a scapegoat for their insecurities. Trump calls the press “fake news” whenever it dares to report facts he dislikes, just as Hitler's Reich Ministry of Propaganda spun every inconvenient truth into a lie. Neither man can stomach the idea that their weak, insecure leadership might actually be questioned.
Tyranny doesn’t spring up overnight; it’s built piece by piece, first with threats and then with silence. Trump and Hitler are cut from the same cloth: insecure, petty men who would rather rule with fear than face the truth. Their war on the press is the first step in eroding democracy itself—and it must be resisted at all costs.
For a deeper look into how Trump’s tactics echo those of pre-WWII Hitler, read my full article here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-153103008.
It explores their shared strategies of exploiting grievances, manipulating followers, and undermining democracy.
Subscribe for more insights on the dangerous rise of authoritarianism and the fight to protect our freedoms.
NY needs to change its
"sexual assault as rape"
designation, where
penetration of anything,
anywhere, on a body under
duress is concerned. I think
the judge had it right. Why
the jury didn't understand the
implications, we'll never
know.
David, I love TPM but implore
you folks to please, please
make the links to WSJ, WaPo
and NYT articles open for
those of us who no longer
subscribe to them. It's
important, if you're going to
tease us with their headlines,
to make the article available.
Thank you.
Re: the ABC/Disney "capitulation" to tRump...a key element in all this "defamation" business is of course "actual malice" and making statements that are "knowingly false". A couple of reports I read were regarding Stephanopoulos' previous interviews with E. Jean Carroll where he asked her about being disappointed that the jury DID NOT find for liability of rape, but rather of sexual abuse. The fear here by ABC is that during deposition, this interview, plus loads of emails, conversations with colleagues, etc., would reveal that Stephanopoulos actually KNEW that tRump was wasn't adjudged to have committed rape, but insisted publicly and on TV that in fact he well may have been a rapist, echoing the trial judge's ex cathedra remarks. A whole load of nasty PR may have been heading the network's way, and their high-powered legal team decided that indeed "discretion is the better part of valor", and that ABC should agree to a settlement, no matter how humiliating it may appear to its own amour propre.
Just another possible motive rather than the more sensational "rank cowardice".
That's a generous interpretation but there is this little tidbit in the NYT piece about it:
"Debra OConnell, the Disney executive who directly oversees ABC News, dined with Mr. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in Palm Beach last Monday, according to two people briefed on their interaction. The dinner was part of a visit by several ABC News executives to Florida to meet with Mr. Trump’s transition team.
News networks typically arrange such meetings ahead of a new presidential administration to discuss subjects like booking and day-to-day coverage. Another person familiar with the meeting said its purpose was to discuss Mr. Trump’s White House transition, not the pending defamation case."
M-hmm...given the quality of MSM at this point, I'm not a bit surprised.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/14/business/media/trump-abc-settlement.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk4.Qlsq.DzIG8SlCBi-m&smid=url-share&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email