Carey Wedler
(ANTIMEDIA)
In a revealing statement that flew largely under the radar earlier this
month, the mainstream media admitted it would never recover from its
irresponsible and negligent coverage of the 2016 presidential election. A
recent
column published in the
New York Post referred to the media’s reporting as “
the complete collapse of American journalism as we know it.”
In his
article for the
Post,
Fox News
contributor Michael Goodwin discussed the media’s pro-Clinton bias –
one recognized by supporters of virtually every other presidential
candidate, from
Bernie Sanders to
Jill Stein to
Gary Johnson and, of course,
Donald Trump. Even Americans who don’t necessarily have a horse in the 2016 race
notice the slant.
“
By torching its remaining credibility in service of Clinton,” Goodwin wrote, “
the
mainstream media’s reputations will likely never recover, nor will the
standards. No future producer, editor, reporter or anchor can be
expected to meet a test of fairness when that standard has been trashed
in such willful and blatant fashion.”
Indeed, he is correct in this regard. The Clinton machine has effectively infiltrated corporate media. Last year, the
Intercept reported MSNBC
failed to disclose that multiple pundits who spoke favorably about
Clinton were actually employees of a consulting firm hired by her
campaign.
More recently, embarrassing DNC leaks released in July
revealed
DNC officials attempted to craft narratives painting Sanders in a
negative light to undermine his campaign. They also organized a secret
fundraiser with the
Washington Post and were careful to keep it
under the radar. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the now-disgraced former
chairman of the DNC, along with one of her colleagues, personally
contacted
MSNBC to complain when one of its anchors criticized Clinton and suggested she drop out. Per a “deal” with the DNC, one
POLITICO writer sent an article critical of Clinton to the DNC for suggestions
before he sent it to his editor.
Though Goodwin has previously
implied he does not support the Republican nominee, he still argues “
Any reporter who agrees with Clinton about Trump has no business covering either candidate.”
There is no question the mainstream media has sided with the political establishment in its decision to craft
narratives that paint Clinton as a competent leader who is the
only option in the face of a
catastrophic Trump presidency. Indeed, in spite of Clinton’s lack of popularity among the general population, the media continues to
suggest she is the only thing standing between America and its descent into fascism.
While the degree of negative press Trump has received is undeniably
staggering, Goodwin failed to recognize — at least in this article —
that like Clinton, Trump is wildly unpopular and dangerous. Though
mainstream media is undoubtedly fervent in their coverage of Trump’s
absurdity, it is arguably irresponsible
not to point out the gaping problems with his xenophobic, violent, non-factual rhetoric.
But therein lies the problem: rarely does the mainstream media devote
as much time to questioning Hillary Clinton, her rhetoric, and her
policies. As the
Hill noted earlier this month:
“
Some would argue that Trump deserves it because of controversial
rhetoric or falsehoods around X, Y, Z… [But] when looking at
honesty/trustworthy numbers, it’s Clinton who — in the eyes of the
public — has more issues in that department.”
As Politifact
documented,
Clinton has lied on multiple occasions, and the media’s lack of outrage
and refusal to focus on her dishonesty lends credence to Goodwin’s
assertions.
Goodwin’s rhetoric is openly right-wing, though he
voted for Obama in 2008 and in 2012 claimed to be a Democrat. He appears regularly on
Fox News and has previously
asserted
President Obama is not doing enough to combat Islamic extremism. And
though he is correct in pointing out the pro-Clinton bias, his
employment at the
New York Post and ongoing appearances on Fox —
two icons of mainstream media — obliterate any chance of his media
criticisms being taken seriously.
The
New York Post has been owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. since 1976. In that time, the
Post has developed a reputation for
sensationalism and
inaccurate reporting. While they deserve mild credit for covering controversial issues like
police brutality and the
secrecy and corruption surrounding the infamous 28-pages of the 9/11 commission report, a
long line of
ethical controversies mars their
credibility — so much so that even a
Fox News anchor has questioned the paper’s legitimacy.
Little needs to be said about
Fox News’
out of touch,
delusional take on the world, though it is worth noting that according to an
analysis by Politifact, 58 percent of Fox News’ content is mostly false, false, or “pants on fire.”
The reputations of the
New York Post and
Fox News precede Goodwin’s argument, no matter how true it may be that the media is in Hillary Clinton’s pocket. What his assertion
should
have contended is that American journalism was a lost cause long before
the 2016 election — something Americans have increasingly and
rightfully begun to
recognize.
From the corporate media’s flagrantly
irresponsible coverage of the Iraq War during the Bush years to the media’s
ongoing blackouts of relevant news in favor of more
superficial, inconsequential stories, Goodwin’s assertion that 2016 is the year American journalism died is as factual as the content churned out by
Fox News.
2016 has merely been its funeral procession.