#which is why im doing it to wapo journos

[sabakos]

I think that the chattering class is defined by two distinct qualities: 1) a large amount of free time and 2) a complete and utter lack of creativity. People who don't have time don't care about things that aren't important, and people who are creative find interesting subjects to talk about instead of vapid ones.

Unfortunately the career that all these people seem to end up in is journalism, which is why you get the most ridiculous lifestyle articles claiming it's weird for two people to order the same thing at a restaurant, or who don't understand why other people don't want to spend all of their time sorting recycling, or are constantly policing language, both their own and others, in order to figure out how to offend as few of the imaginary people in their head as possible. Eventually this kind of system will collapse under the weight of its own incest, but until it does it mostly serves the social purpose of helping others screen out the kinds of people who do not have conscious experience.

[dhaaruni]

Hope you're feeling better!! Dont feel obligated to answer this but im just straight up exhausted from washington journalists - why do you think even credible beltway reporters cant seem to help themselves from doing horserace pieces or any type of serious reframing? Like I see these journo guys on twitter reblogging all these like pledges about how to cover politics where the context is the GOP is openly running against democracy but then going ahead and interviewing these folks w ZERO pushback??? Do you think there is any possibility of industry overhaul?

I am feeling a bit better, taking it day-by-day, thank you for your kind words.

I think the issue boils down to even reporters at reputable news sources like CNN or WaPo hailed from places like Politico or in Kaitlan Collins’ case, The Daily Caller. I don’t even think Politico is all terrible since there are some pieces that are worthwhile in it, but their feature writers and opinion writers opt for sensationalism over accuracy because that’s what brings about more clicks.

Like, Donald Trump was good for the Beltway press’ business model, and they’re trying to recreate it with Republicans. Reporters could write a puff piece on his late night Twitter rant and be done with work by 10am and then fuck around Twitter for the rest of the day! Now, they have to *shudder* do their jobs and report on the actual happenings in the White House and Congress and on legislation. Like, the Republicans being batshit insane and hurling masks at staffers and claiming the insurrection is a tourist adventure gets way more traffic than like, Mark Warner and Bernie Sanders bickering for 10 minutes about how they want to distribute the infrastructure budget and then agreeing that childcare is essential to include in it.

It’s just really mercenary, like reporters really don’t need to chase Republicans around to get comments day in and day out when there are dozens of House and Senate Democrats standing right there. Like, go ask *spins wheel* Sherrod Brown or Catherine Cortez-Masto what they think of the infrastructure negotiations! Brown reps Ohio, which Trump won twice, and CCM reps Nevada, which Biden won less than 3%, and she’s up for re-election in 2022! But no, they’d much rather treat Republicans like Rob Portman, who didn’t acknowledge Biden won the election for over a month, like good faith actors.

It’s like this: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who impeached Trump in 2021 but acquitted him in 2020, will always get better press than Dems like Conor Lamb and Lauren Underwood, who flipped districts, and Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester in the Senate, whose states Trump won twice, who all quietly voted with their party to convict Trump twice. I’m not going to give a few Republicans for doing the right thing once when the majority of Democrats in the House and Senate vote party-line every single time! Even Joe Manchin never votes against Democrats when he’s the deciding vote like him being a Democrat is why Chuck Schumer is Senate majority leader, so I’m not going to spend my time complaining he doesn’t vote like Elizabeth Warren (whose anti-Betsy DeVos rally Manchin attended for the record). 

To be fair though, even voters hold Democrats to different standards than Republicans, which is why Abigail Spanberger has to be a moderate while Republicans in swing districts can vote to overturn the election and will still sail to reelection in 2022. That’s also why the press sucks, but so do American voters, which has to be understood as we try to build a more perfect union.