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It’s official: You hate the media because we’re stupid

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It’s official: You hate the media because we’re stupid
By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch

Opinion: News companies exploit tragedies and treat celebrities like royalty

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The Gallup polling organization has reported that Americans’ confidence in the media remains frightfully low. If you’re in the news business, this development should shake you to your core.

It boils down to this: What you’re selling, the public ain’t buying.

In fact, its belief in television news, newspapers and news found on the Internet is currently at or tied with record lows in the polling organization’s long-running confidence-in-institutions surveys. This is not a new occurrence.

Those findings build on a decades-long nose-dive. And what about the media industry’s savior, the Web, you ask? The trust in Internet news remains low since the previous survey, conducted in 1999. But that was so long ago that the tech-stock bubble hadn’t even burst yet.

The survey scrutinized Americans’ trust in 17 institutions; and newspapers, television news and Internet news ranked in the bottom third. The only institution all three outpolled was Congress. (That’s something to cheer about, eh?)

The Poynter media organization notes that, according to Gallup, “confidence in newspapers has declined by more than half since its 1979 peak of 51%, while TV news has seen confidence ebb from its high of 46% in 1993, the first year that Gallup asked this question.”

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-official-you-hate-the-media-because-were-stupid-2014-06-21?mod=latestnewssocialflow&link=sfmw

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Donald Trump unleashes anti-media tirade

The Celebrity Apprentice

Donald Trump unleashes anti-media tirade
By JONATHAN TOPAZ | 5/5/14 7:45 AM EDT

Donald Trump slammed the media on Monday, calling the press “really dishonest” in its coverage of everything from Benghazi to his recent comments about Donald Sterling.

“I have found the press to be among the most dishonest institutions. I’ve never seen anything like it,” the real estate magnate said on “Fox & Friends.”

The developer said that the media have avoided coverage of the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi  because they are trying to insulate many on the left from negative coverage.

“Most of the press, the liberal press in particular, does not want to talk about Benghazi,” Trump said. “And they want to protect anybody involved with respect to Benghazi.” Among those the media are trying to protect, he said, is former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump also railed against the press for its coverage of his remarks last week about Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who has been suspended for life by the NBA for his comments on race. Last week, while criticizing Sterling’s comments, Trump described V. Stiviano, the woman who taped her conversation with the Clippers owner, as “the girlfriend from hell.”

(Also on POLITICO: Trump: ‘The girlfriend from hell’)

“She’s called the girlfriend from hell, but what he said was terrible and despicable and very strong action is going to be taken. There’s no question about it,” Trump said last week of Stiviano and Sterling. “She’s a terrible human being, and he gave horrible answers and disgusting answers.” POLITICO reported the story last week with the headline: “Donald Trump on Donald Sterling comments: ‘The girlfriend from hell.’”

Trump said that the press only covered his comments on Stiviano and neglected his statements criticizing Sterling.

“Nobody was tougher on Donald Sterling than I was,” he said on Monday, while adding that he still thinks Stiviano was “bad news.”

“Reporters are really dishonest, especially political reporters,” he continued.

And though Trump knocked the press in general, he did single out one outlet in particular: “Huffington Post is, like, pathetic,” he said.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/donald-trump-media-106338.html#ixzz30rpqq0RU

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Sharyl Attkisson: There Is Coordination Between Reporters And Politicians

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Sharyl Attkisson: There Is Coordination Between Reporters And Politicians
March 21, 2014 10:31 AM
By Chris Stigall

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Chris Stigall talked to former CBS News Reporter Sharyl Attkisson this morning on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about the trouble reporters have to deal with while covering politicians and the government, as well as the current state of investigative reporting.

Responding to comments regarding a Phoenix television reporter yesterday who initially claimed that the White House pre-screens questions from reporters, Attkisson said, “I wouldn’t surprised if sometimes there is that level of cooperation with some questions. If I need something answered from the White House and they won’t tell me, I’ll call our White House Correspondent. They’re friendlier with the White House Correspondents in general. So the White House Correspondent may ask Jay Carney or one of his folks about an issue and they will be told ‘ask that at the briefing and we’ll answer it.’ They want to answer it in front of everybody. They do know it’s coming and they’ll call on you. There’s that kind of coordination sometimes. I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s sometimes more coordination. I don’t think it’s everybody on every briefing, every day. I’m pretty sure it’s not. But I think people would be surprised at the level of cooperation reporters have in general with politicians.”

Listen to full podcast here…

She also said it is more and more difficult for investigative reporters to get their stories published or on the air because of the trouble it may cause.

“Nobody was interested in the stories. It didn’t seem to matter what the topic was. There’s sort of a problem all over, I talk to my colleagues in different mediums. There’s just a lot of pressure. Investigative reporting gets a lot of backlash. They don’t quite know how to deal with it. Why not just put on stories that don’t draw that kind of response?”

Attkisson also confirmed she’s working on a book about how stories are reported in the media.

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/03/21/sharyl-attkisson-there-is-coordination-between-reporters-and-politicians/

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NBC Uses sleaze TV to trash Tea Party

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NBC Uses sleaze TV to trash Tea Party 

Brent Bozell : If you’re a fan of the slick NBC series “The Blacklist” and you’re a conservative, you found a nasty surprise inside your program. The evil female villain that the good guys were chasing “fosters relationships with incredibly powerful people,” and you saw Photoshopped pictures of her with Sen. Ted Cruz and former congressmen Allen West. They trash the Tea Party even in little blips of entertainment shows. Disgusting.

NBC’s ‘Blacklist’ Portrays Villain Socializing With Tea Party Republicans

By Kyle Drennen | February 25, 2014 | 10:04

On Monday night’s episode of NBC’s The Blacklist, the FBI is shown going after a fictional international thief named “Madeline Pratt,” who actor James Spader’s character Raymond Reddington explains “fosters relationships with incredibly powerful people” and then “exploits those relationships in ways that impact national security.” [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Photoshopped images appear on screen showing viewers the “powerful people” that Pratt is supposed to have connections with. The fake photos show her socializing with former Florida Republican Congressman Allen West and current Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz. No pictures are shown of the made-up criminal mastermind rubbing elbows with any real-life Democratic politicians.

Read more: https://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2014/02/25/nbcs-blacklist-photoshops-fictional-criminal-socializing-tea-party-rep#ixzz2uQTssfC7

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The Game Changed in Venezuela Last Night – and the International Media Is Asleep At the Switch

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The Game Changed in Venezuela Last Night – and the International Media Is Asleep At the Switch

Francisco Toro / 1 day ago

Dear International Editor:

Listen and understand. The game changed in Venezuela last night. What had been a slow-motion unravelling that had stretched out over many years went kinetic all of a sudden.

What we have this morning is no longer the Venezuela story you thought you understood.

Throughout last night, panicked people told their stories of state-sponsored paramilitaries on motorcycles roaming middle class neighborhoods, shooting at people and  storming into apartment buildings, shooting at anyone who seemed like he might be protesting.

People continue to be arrested merely for protesting, and a long established local Human Rights NGO makes an urgent plea for an investigation into widespread reports of torture of detainees. There are now dozens of serious human right abuses: National Guardsmen shooting tear gas canisters directly into residential buildings. We have videos of soldiers shooting civilians on the street.

And that’s just what came out in real time, over Twitter and YouTube, before any real investigation is carried out. Online media is next, a city of 645,000 inhabitants has been taken off the internet amid mounting repression, and this blog itself has been the object of a Facebook “block” campaign.

What we saw were not “street clashes”, what we saw is a state-hatched offensive to suppress and terrorize its opponents.

https://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02/20/the-game-changed/

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Is Western Media Ignoring a Violent Political Crackdown in the Socialist Utopia of Venezuela?

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Is Western Media Ignoring a Violent Political Crackdown in the Socialist Utopia of Venezuela?

Ed Krayewski|Feb. 20, 2014 4:52 pm

Venezuela has seen protests against Nicolas Maduro’s failing government for weeks, and they escalated after opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez surrendered himself to government authorities on charges of inciting violence.

Francisco Toro at the Caracas Chronicles writes that a state-sponsored campaign of violence in Venezuela last night has changed the nature of what’s happening in the country:

There are now dozens of serious human right abuses: National Guardsmen shooting tear gas canisters directly into residential buildings. We have videos of soldiers shooting civilians on the street. And that’s just what came out in real time, over Twitter and YouTube, before any real investigation is carried out. Online media is next, a city of 645,000 inhabitants has been taken off the internet amid mounting repression, and this blog itself has been the object of a Facebook “block” campaign.

What we saw were not “street clashes”, what we saw is a state-hatched offensive to suppress and terrorize its opponents.

After the major crackdown on the streets of major (and minor) Venezuelan cities last night, I expected some kind of response in the major international news outlets this morning. I understand that with an even bigger and more photogenic freakout ongoing in an even more strategically important country, we weren’t going to be front-page-above-the-fold, but I’m staggered this morning to wake up, scan the press and find…

https://reason.com/blog/2014/02/20/is-western-media-ignoring-a-violent-poli

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Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan Responds to Democrats attempt to tie lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to her administration

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file photo County Executive Donovan hosted a conference call with officials from around the county preparing for snow

Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan Responds to Democrats attempt to tie lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to her administration
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan
Together, we have always put public service and the interests of taxpayers, families, seniors, and young adults before politics. Sadly Democrats, who now control the Bergen County Board of Freeholders, do not.

Instead, Democrats on the freeholder board choose to put politics before common sense. Recently, these same Democrats have tried and failed to somehow tie my administration to what now appears from recent news reports to be politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. These lane closures are truly troublesome. I have always contended these attacks against me and my administration are totally inappropriate, a waste of time, and little more than political grandstanding.

Now the Record editorial on this topic agrees with us. Their calm, thoughtful narrative supports our position. Here are several excerpts from that editorial: “Now the board’s attempt to get top officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to come to Bergen County to discuss the scandal clearly has more to do with politics than anything else.” It is also worth noting that I, as Bergen County Executive, have no jurisdiction over the Port Authority.

The Record editorial also states: “The freeholders have no jurisdiction over the Port Authority. Additionally, there now are ongoing investigations into the matter by a joint legislative committee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Port Authority inspector general.”

As your County Executive, I will not let politically motivated attacks distract me from my dedication to serving you, the citizens of Bergen County.

Thank you for your time, support, and well wishes. You can find the full Record editorial here.

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Bridgeaplooza more assertions and no facts

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Bridgeaplooza more assertions and no facts

Christine Administration denies Wildstein’s Assertions

The Christie Administration just released the following statement:

“Mr. Wildstein’s lawyer confirms what the Governor has said all along – he had absolutely no prior knowledge of the lane closures before they happened and whatever Mr. Wildstein’s motivations were for closing them to begin with. As the Governor said in a December 13th press conference, he only first learned lanes were closed when it was reported by the press and as he said in his January 9th press conference, had no indication that this was anything other than a traffic study until he read otherwise the morning of January 8th. The Governor denies Mr. Wildstein’s lawyer’s other assertions.”

 

 Microsoft Store

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Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. : NBC, MSNBC sink to bottom of who the public trusts

Plane Watchers

Democratic firm Public Policy Polling. : NBC, MSNBC sink to bottom of who the public trusts

By Paul Bedard | JANUARY 30, 2014 AT 4:20 PM

NBC News and sister cable network MSNBC rank at the bottom of media outlets Americans trust most for news, with Fox News leading the way, according to a new poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

In its fifth trust poll, 35 percent said they trusted Fox news more than any other outlet, followed by PBS at 14 percent, ABC at 11 percent, CNN at 10 percent, CBS at 9 percent, 6 percent for MSNBC and Comedy Central, and just 3 percent for NBC.

https://washingtonexaminer.com/nbc-msnbc-sink-to-bottom-of-who-the-public-trusts/article/2543186

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Bridgeaplooza :Reader says MSNBC should be covering this, and so should Fox

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Bridgeaplooza : Reader says MSNBC should be covering this, and so should Fox.

Has anyone been watching Fox news one could say that they have a bias towards Christie. They keep comparing it to Clinton’s Benghazi problems. The difference is that New Jersey can not investigate the Benghazi problem, only what happens in New Jersey. Do you want New Jersey to act like the Federal government and ignore how New Jersey investigates Christie because things like the IRS scandal, Benghazi and the NSA are ignored? I don’t think so.

Coming to Christie’s defense is X NY Mayor Giuliani, and why is that? Look at all of the Subpenas sent out in New Jersey, and look at how many of the Christie staff involved were past Giuliani employees. Maybe this is highlighting what Giuliani was like in office and he is afraid many people will draw that conclusion. or perhaps he figures if he defends Christie and he becomes president he will have a great government gig in his administration.

Also as much as many of you may dislike the Bergen Record they have done a good job of linking Christie’s bullying behavior back to his College days. Christie has a continued history of putting his friends in place and having them do what ever he wants verses what is best for the people he serves.

The really important question is Why would Bridget Kelly order a traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge? What was her motive? Was she having a personal relationship with the Mayor of Fort Lee and got mad at him and caused the problem? Was it just for kicks that she woke up one morning and decided to create chaos for the hell of it?

Why would Wildstein just do what ever Kelly wanted without even questioning the request? Then he pleads the fifth and looks for immunity? isn’t that an admission of guilt? or is he fearful of Christie retribution?

The emails clearly showed that several of those who are in Christie’s closet circle knew what was going on. Samson knew about all of this so why wasn’t he asked to step down? Why wasn’t Drewniak fired?

Kelly and Stepien were the sacrificial lambs. Fire somebody and the public will think that the problem is solved. The big question that needs to be answered is Why it all occurred.

As for Zimmer, she is a naive small time Mayor who is now learning the hard way about politics. Remember she is only the mayor because the previous mayor was found guilty of taking bribes.

MSNBC may be covering these things because others aren’t. Just as Fox was covering Benghazi because others weren’t.

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Bridgeaplooza : Bergen Record Continues to Push Hoboken mayor’s tenuous claims

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Bridgeaplooza : Bergen Record Continues to Push Hoboken mayor’s tenuous claims 

Hoboken mayor worried no one would believe Christie threats

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY JANUARY 19, 2014, 10:44 PM
BY  MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

HOBOKEN — Mayor Dawn Zimmer said she didn’t go public with her claim that the Christie administration threatened to withhold Superstorm Sandy aid if she didn’t fast-track a politically connected real estate project because she feared no one would believe her.

In interviews on Sunday, many of her constituents said her story rang true, especially after the scandal that has emerged related to the September traffic jam in Fort Lee caused by closures to access lanes to the George Washington Bridge that have been linked to Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/hudson/Hoboken_mayor_worried_no_one_would_believe_Christie_threats.html#sthash.fTqNDueW.dpuf

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Bridgeaplooza :The scandal is MSNBC

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Does anyone else think its hysterical that someone from Hudson County would call anyone a crook? 

Bridgeaplooza :The scandal is MSNBC
BY JENNIFER RUBIN
January 18 at 7:00 pm

The bridge scandal started out as a test for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Now it has become a test for the media. MSNBC, which long ago stopped being a news outlet in the sense of going out to find facts and is largely indistinguishable from Democratic Party talking points, has been going 24/7 since the bridge story broke. No surprise. But then Saturday MSNBC decided to throw even the pretense of journalism overboard.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media in 2009. (Mel Evans/Associated Press)

It ran with a claim from Mayor Dawn Zimmer of Hoboken claiming Christie withheld Sandy relief funds to gain approval for a business development. Christie’s office put out a quick denial of the allegations, as did the developers. MSNBC says the mayor has a personal diary that corroborates her claim — a diary that has yet to be released, reviewed or verified. Rather than, you know, investigate the story, MSNBC threw it out on the air hoping others would follow. The Hill had the good sense to note this mayor had changed  her story from earlier claims that the funds were denied for not backing him for governor.

Then Saturday afternoon Christie’s team had enough. It put out a written statement:

MSNBC is a partisan network that has been openly hostile to Governor Christie and almost gleeful in their efforts attacking him, even taking the unprecedented step of producing and airing a nearly three-minute attack ad against him this week. Governor Christie and his entire administration have been helping Hoboken get the help they need after Sandy, with the city already having been approved for nearly $70 million dollars in federal aid and is targeted to get even more when the Obama Administration approves the next rounds of funding. The Governor and Mayor Zimmer have had a productive relationship, with Mayor Zimmer even recently saying she’s ‘very glad’ he’s been our Governor. It’s very clear partisan politics are at play here as Democratic mayors with a political axe to grind come out of the woodwork and try to get their faces on television.

In short, the Hoboken mayor  has been all over the place, claiming different things have been for retribution. With no correspondence or other documented communication with the governor, we’re supposed to take a personal diary that could have been written at any point in time as reliable? A professional news operation must be more than simply a bulletin board for partisans.

The scandal is MSNBC

BY JENNIFER RUBIN

January 18 at 7:00 pm

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The bridge scandal started out as a test for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Now it has become a test for the media. MSNBC, which long ago stopped being a news outlet in the sense of going out to find facts and is largely indistinguishable from Democratic Party talking points, has been going 24/7 since the bridge story broke. No surprise. But then Saturday MSNBC decided to throw even the pretense of journalism overboard.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media in 2009. (Mel Evans/Associated Press)

It ran with a claim from Mayor Dawn Zimmer of Hoboken claiming Christie withheld Sandy relief funds to gain approval for a business development. Christie’s office put out a quick denial of the allegations, as did the developers. MSNBC says the mayor has a personal diary that corroborates her claim — a diary that has yet to be released, reviewed or verified. Rather than, you know, investigate the story, MSNBC threw it out on the air hoping others would follow. The Hill had the good sense to note this mayor had changed  her story from earlier claims that the funds were denied for not backing him for governor.

Then Saturday afternoon Christie’s team had enough. It put out a written statement:

MSNBC is a partisan network that has been openly hostile to Governor Christie and almost gleeful in their efforts attacking him, even taking the unprecedented step of producing and airing a nearly three-minute attack ad against him this week. Governor Christie and his entire administration have been helping Hoboken get the help they need after Sandy, with the city already having been approved for nearly $70 million dollars in federal aid and is targeted to get even more when the Obama Administration approves the next rounds of funding. The Governor and Mayor Zimmer have had a productive relationship, with Mayor Zimmer even recently saying she’s ‘very glad’ he’s been our Governor. It’s very clear partisan politics are at play here as Democratic mayors with a political axe to grind come out of the woodwork and try to get their faces on television.

In short, the Hoboken mayor  has been all over the place, claiming different things have been for retribution. With no correspondence or other documented communication with the governor, we’re supposed to take a personal diary that could have been written at any point in time as reliable? A professional news operation must be more than simply a bulletin board for partisans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2014/01/18/the-scandal-is-msnbc/