Friday open thread: Milkgate
But, of course, the media fuckery which in part caused the Virginia loss continues apace.
If you were at all sentient yesterday, the big story was an interview that CNN conducted with the Stotlers, a family "hit hard" by inflation. The complaint which got the great and the good apoplectic was the fact that milk prices had gone up.
I won't link to the interview here, but let's just say that CNN's propensity for mediawashing right-wing narratives was on full display. When commentors on Twitter pointed out that the story the Stotlers were putting out made no sense, the CNN blue checks hurled back invective that "they didn't know what it was like to shop for milk."
Of course, the thing is, neither do the CNN reporters. They're not of a socio-economic class which has to budget much. They went on yet another safari to find disaffected Trump voters who wanted to complain about President Joe Biden and Democrats. How do I know that the Stotlers were Trump voters? Well...
How soon before we find out the Stotlers are, in fact, GOP operatives? That seems to be the general direction of stories like this.No, it's the journo who didn't know the milk prices. THAT's the problem. He was completely hoodwinked by the Stotlers, who told the story of food inflation being 55% to 106% in seven months (remember? saying they spent between $150-200/wk in March and $310 now?)
— Purity For Thee But Not For Me💃🏻⚖️💉 (@TheePurity) November 4, 2021
The dad in May pic.twitter.com/b3lUP0QZi6
From "bare store shelves" to "inflation is running rampant", the media has found its new shiny toy. This is a media which misses the daily drama of the Trump regime so much that it needs to gin up angst. Why does it need to do so? Because viewership at CNN and MSNBC are cratering, down anywhere from 40% to 75% year on year. Rather than doing a rethink that perhaps their pushing drama is what's driving away viewers, they double and triple down, thinking this will be the bombshell which brings back people. The fact that none of it has, except for blips like the Afghan mishegas, seems to be lost on the heads of the networks. They just keep going to the same pitch which the batters have already seen and hit out of the park. The definition of insanity, and so on.
It's sad to say, but at this point we can't trust the media when it says the sky is blue. Their legitimacy is at its lowest ebb, as it has responded to the events of the Trump years, and to the insurrection, with carelessness and insouciance. You'd think that a coup attempt would be a bigger story. But it isn't. The media is back to its usual bullshit when a Democrat is in charge. The media isn't interested in truth. It sees truth as not a revenue generator. Truth is boring. But what they're doing is driving away viewers and readers, so they seem to be on the horns of a dilemma.
The media likes to hold itself out as champions of the people. But they see the people as easy marks, units to be mobilized for monetization. Citizens need truthful, factual reporting, not opinion dressed up with a patina of objectivity. The media is failing horribly at this task. It may soon find its last remaining audience deciding to bail ship. Who wants to be hectored all day long that the sky is falling? There's only so much agita normal, healthy people can tolerate.
Oh well. I'm sure the next time will be the time a specious story generates a groundswell of reaction. Heaven forbid the media try something else.