It's Time to End News 'Open Mic Nights'
Plus, a three-word oath that should guide all journalists
Welcome to Episode 20!
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So much of the news media has lost sight of its role in society: to provide truth. News organizations have even built operations around the opposite idea, letting anyone say anything. They've turned what should be journalism into open mic nights.
Recently, Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC called out the media, and his message spoke to this problem. In Episode 20, I share some of his remarks with you. And I show sneakier ways that the media keep this up — ways many of us are so used to that we don’t even think about.
To try to justify this failure, people in the news business present a false dichotomy. I explain what that is, and give you examples including CNN (Anderson Cooper) spouting this nonsense and News Nation (Chris Cuomo) applying it to an antisemitic screed from Kanye/Ye. Here’s my reply to Chris.
Also, a three-word oath that journalists should use as a guide in making any and all decisions.
I discuss the disastrous CNN “town hall” with Trump, which I was quoted about in a couple of news stories afterward.
Also, I refer to the previous episodes on presidential debates, (Trump lied nonstop of course) and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Meanwhile, here’s a reminder that Rashida Tlaib does not care what’s true either.
What you can do
Anytime you see a news agency allow people to lie, Google to find the email addresses for top executives. Send them an email with this text or something like it, and cc me at: josh@joshlevs.com. You’re more likely to get a response if the executives know there’s a public forum, this podcast, in which their “open mic nights” might be highlighted.
You allowed (name the person or people) to spout lies without fact checking them. This is not journalism. As Josh Levs explains in his podcast They Stand Corrected, the news should never provide “open mic nights.” We should be able to count on any “news” organization to be a source of truth — only truth. Please let us know the steps you plan to take to rectify this. Thank you.
A faster step you can take: Send me links. I fact check things listeners send me. I also share clips you send my way. Speaking of which, thank you to the listener who sent me the Lawrence O’Donnell clip!
Paid subscribers: Post your thoughts, questions, requests, etc. in the comments section or message me here. Everyone else can find a form via my website, joshlevs.com.
Thank you to sponsors, including MIT45! The website mentioned in this episode is kratomresearchinstitute.org. Here are recent columns from CEO Ryan Niddel in Newsweek, The Advocate and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Thanks to all of you who have helped us get to 20 episodes! An upcoming edition of this newsletter will focus on those, so be sure to subscribe.