One thing I've seen in recent weeks is this almost shock at the idea that the American media can be systemically biased, that there must be some powerful truth to what they're saying all of a sudden. This idea that journalism in this country is some kind of sacred art and that every journalist is trying to be Superman or a cast member from The Newsroom and that sure, the people who own the papers might be biased but the people writing the articles are surely trying to tell us something so we shouldn't discount their panic narrative because they care about fascism, too. Or something. It's an argument based on an ideal that would be great if it were true, but that illusion makes the press dangerous.
In most other democracies, newspapers and TV channels don't hide their bias and there's a wide selection to choose from depending on what you're looking for.
But not so here. In the US, the press has always served the agenda of its owners behind a deceptive mask of credibility. As progressives, we ought to be ashamed if we forget this like it seems we have recently. We should be ashamed of elected officials who claim to represent the working classes, who asked for our votes, only to turn around and listen to the media like the media is their supervisor. Excuse me, we are their supervisor.
In case anyone needs a reminder in this moment of both real and artificial crisis, the definitive word on the press was spoken decades ago:
This is the press, an irresponsible press. It will make the criminal look like he's the victim and make the victim look like he's the criminal. If you aren't careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.
That was Malcolm X. I'd source it but it's one of his most famous quotes so it takes three seconds in Google to verify.
The press doesn't work for us, so we should stop working for them like we have been in recent weeks. Volunteer, get people to vote, tell people about Project 2025, and worry about the rest after we win. The press and the public expect Democrats to cave. We can't simultaneously complain about electeds caving all the time and then do it ourselves at the first opportunity.
As long as the press in this country is dominated by people getting their paychecks from the oppressor class, the press will continue to support the oppressor. Doesn't mean we have to, and we'd be stupid if we did.
