Can we just have healthcare?

Important new @miccenter.bsky.social research by @theine.bsky.social & Dr. Carlotta Verita that examines local media's coverage of Critical Information Needs in Philadelphia: www.asc.upenn.edu/research/cen...

The ongoing consolidation of our media infrastructure by a handful of right-wing oligarchs poses a profound threat to any hope for democracy in the U.S. Read this piece by @sulliview.bsky.social:

Soooo…Congress is now irrelevant. Good job, John Roberts.

The ongoing consolidation of our media infrastructure by a handful of right-wing oligarchs poses a profound threat to any hope for democracy in the U.S. Read this piece by @sulliview.bsky.social:

The reason they create devices is not to solve a problem but instead to build something that makes you a more perfect stream of data for them to monetize. www.cnet.com/tech/computi...

Robert Redford set out, 53 years ago, to alert America to the disruption of elections by big money, self-dealing interest groups, media-driven campaigns and contenders who sacrificed values for style. With “The Candidate,” he anticipated almost everything that has corrupted contemporary politics.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez explains the serious financial interest media conglomerate Nexstar has in sucking up to Donald Trump, including on matters like Jimmy Kimmel's suspension.

Mobster government; Trump always wants a taste. Literally demanding "a fee" that could amount to billions.

They rush when they want to rush and they slow walk when they want to slow walk and it’s an ideological decision always in either direction.

This was really inspiring to watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe1V...

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

In his effort to bring the media to heel, Trump could not invent a better ally than FCC Chief Brendan Carr. interc.pt/46zp4VT

So many of our media institutions and information infrastructures are owned and controlled by right-wing oligarchs. And it promises to only get worse.

While people are suddenly and uncharacteristically paying attention to media regulation, please take a moment to notice all the massive harm Brendan Carr has done to consumer protection and public safety as well me, back in April:

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who intends to monitor bias while wearing the president's bust as a lapel pin, is the poster child for why the Constitution bars the government from meddling in newsrooms' editorial decisions. www.cbc.ca/news/worl...

Donald Trump seeks to make sure that free speech is reserved exclusively for right-wing billionaires.

So many of our media institutions and information infrastructures are owned and controlled by right-wing oligarchs. And it promises to only get worse.

An informed electorate is a cornerstone of whatever comes next, something that can’t be attained without significant U.S. media reform, notes Victor Pickard, professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. www.theverge.com/tech/656653/...

Been talking nonstop about this shameful episode for the past two days & this point needs to be underscored: It's the culmination of longstanding structural defects in our media, not simply the bad actions of bad actors. What happened to Jimmy Kimmel is a downstream manifestation of systemic probs:

Almost as if media owners and government officials are collaborating to protect the interests of the corporate class and the prerogatives of government officials.

Been talking nonstop about this shameful episode for the past two days & this point needs to be underscored: It's the culmination of longstanding structural defects in our media, not simply the bad actions of bad actors. What happened to Jimmy Kimmel is a downstream manifestation of systemic probs:

Page One of today's NYT:

Talked to Jim Rutenberg at the NYT about whether there were any historical precedents in the U.S. for Trump's frontal assault on our media, especially this kind of FCC intervention focused on silencing dissent, directly violating free speech, etc. Could think of none: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/b...

IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE: What I have not seen anyone discussing is that Nexstar pulling Kimmel, forcing ABC’s hand, comes as Nexstar is leading the way for the industry on trying to get FCC approval for media consolidation. www.poynter.org/business-wor...

Sinclair is demanding that Kimmel apologize to the family (?) and also "make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA" Are you fucking kidding me? It's not enough they got him fired, they want him to grovel and send money to these anti-free speech grifters?

Report: You To Be Fired For Reading This Headline About Charlie Kirk

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

The level of state/corporate censorship that we're witnessing today in the U.S. is astonishing.

trump’s numbers are tanking and there is a palpable desire in the electorate for a real alternative and yet the only money in democratic politics is for doing starmerism

"Each dollar spent by a newspaper on investigative reporting can save taxpayers hundreds of dollars by changing public policy and rooting out waste and corruption.” Victor Pickard, Democracy Without Journalism? Confronting the Misinformation Society academic.oup.com/book/35132?l... #DemocracyDay

Really enjoyed this timely conversation!

Statement from @postguild.bsky.social on the firing of Karen Attiah:

This is an excellent piece and brings some sanity to an increasingly absurdist and dangerous discourse.

A functional press would accurately label Fox News as GOP propaganda, but when you read ANY mainstream news story that mentions fox, they're always treated like a legitimate news organization as if doing anything else would be impolite or radical hyperbole

the permission structure created for a bloodthirsty maga rampage the last two days by mainstream media, all before any facts were known at all, deserves some real introspection by the entire industry

Part of the statement from the @transjournalists.org on reporting details of the the Charlie Kirk shooting investigation. Full statement here: www.transjournalists.org/tja-urges-ca...

This careless reporting was inexcusable and calls for more than a public apology. We need to see a thorough investigation as to how it happened and how we can be sure that it will never happen again.

If democrats wanted to shore up democracy/votes in a critical battleground state, finding ways to sustain local media would maybe be a priority

Featuring Ian Gavigan of @higheredlabor.bsky.social on how the bipartisan neoliberalization of higher ed laid the groundwork for Trump’s all-out assault. Workers must unite on every campus, articulate an alternative vision for the university, and fight to win it.

Very troubling stuff that I’m not seeing in the corporate media.

Happening tomorrow!

This agreement cements Rupert Murdoch’s legacy—a legacy that includes undercutting fact-based journalism and healthy political discourse, while consistently fomenting fear and outrage among its audiences. The settlement doesn’t bode well for democratic society, but it serves the Murdochs handsomely.

“A socialism that means that the government is a thing that works on behalf of the public to make the public’s life better. That’s all! That’s it! Can we not try this? Are we to believe this is a foolish dream—for the bus to be free and on time?”

I am so looking forward to this conversation!

Another lurch to the right.

The @nytimes.com ran a whole story about the murder of Venezuelan civilians on a ship as if it were a military matter and we were at war with Venezuela. It was a crime. The story never mentioned that Trump ordered a criminal act and the Navy followed an illegal order. This is a major event.

Read and weep... and then begin planning for building something entirely new out of the ashes.

Read and weep... and then begin planning for building something entirely new out of the ashes.