Edward R. Murrow

The Decline Of Honest Journalism: Washington Post, CBS, And Potential Threat To CNN!

Ronald 17 Comments

American Democracy is in dire danger, with the decline of honest journalism, and with major news sources compromised.

The Washington Post, owned by Amazon tech entreneur Jeff Bezos, has just cut one third of its staff, including such departments as sports, local news, international news, and previously moving opinion columns toward a right wing slant. This was the newspaper which exposed the Watergate Scandal under President Richard Nixon, and has won the second most Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, only behind the New York Times.

CBS News has become a disaster under Bari Weiss, no longer a beacon of decent, honest journalism, and if Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow were still alive, they would be in shock, as retired 94 year old Dan Rather, most assuredly, is now.

CNN is in danger of being taken over by the same Billionaire Larry Ellison family that now controls CBS News, and could lead to the destruction of the original, award winning cable news channel, created in 1980 by Ted Turner.

With the decline of so many reliable news sources, and Donald Trump interfering with freedom of the press, the future looks gloomy for upholding truth and facts, and maintaining the Constitution and the rule of law in the future!

Trump’s Continued Attack On News Media A Dire Threat To The First Amendment!

Ronald 11 Comments

Donald Trump has unleashed massive attacks against a free press, attacking the news media, in an attempt to control the news of what he is perpetrating daily, abuses of the Consitution and the rule of law!

He has worked to undermine cable media, wanting to see CNN sold to a “friendly” billionaire who would distort reality to flatter him.

He has worked to destroy the legacy of CBS, and its heroic figures of the past, including Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather.

He has also undermined ABC News, and is constantly on the attack against NBC News and the newly organized MS NOW, formerly MSNBC.

But he has also succeeded in influencing the Washington Post, owmed by billionaire Jeff Bezos, turning the editorial policy toward right wing propaganda points, and leading to many long term and famed journalists at that newspaper being forced out or resigning and retiring on their own.

The New York Times is resisting and fighting Trump’s attempt to damage “the newspaper of record”, a battle that is essential.

Trump has gone on the attack against women journalists in a very misogynistic manner.

Local news media are also being influenced in a deleterious manner by Trump threats.

The battle for a free press cannot be lost, as doing so would make clear that American democracy is in danger of failing!

The Rapid Decline Of Honest Journalism

Ronald 5 Comments

A very sad and dangerous situation exists, where journalism at all levels has been compromised in the time of the Trump Presidency.

We have seen courageous, challenging journalists such as Terry Moran of ABC News and Jim Acosta of CNN forced out of their positions for the “nerve” to challenge Donald Trump and his supporters on their policies and actions.

We have seen ABC News and CBS News making financial settlements after lawsuits by Donald Trump over their coverage of news and interviews that Trump decided to sue, and the settlements leading to contributions to a future Donald Trump Presidential Library in South Florida.

We have seen major newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, making changes designed to avoid alienating Trump.

We have seen late night comedians, such as Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, along with “The View” and “Saturday Night Live” coming under attack, as well as the leadership and tone of “Sixty Minutes” being changed dramatically.

The new ownership of CBS by the billionaire Larry Ellison family is in process of destroying the long held, high level, reputation of that news network, that had such courageous journalists in the past as Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather.

The coverage of White House press conferences and other activities, including the Pentagon, has been compromised by Trump, his Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, censoring who can be present, who can ask questions, and denying freedom of speech and press at every turn.

This is all very alarming, as without a free, uncontrolled media environment, and without the ability to have comedy shows that can make fun of government leaders and policies, we are on the road to a total Fascist authoritarian government, which, once accomplished, will be hard to prevent long term damage.