Bezos Murders Washington Post

[WyattEarp]

The Murder of The Washington Post

Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.

www.theatlantic.com

(Credit: podcaster/commentator Emily Jashinsky and Reno 911! for the video clip below.)

 

[silentkisser]

The state of news is in critical condition. Having a free press is essential to democracy. Unfortunately, the costs to produce news are high, and viewership/readership/subscribers continues to fall. And, that isn't even going into the whole right-wing spin that the MSM lies or is fake news.

The Washington Post used to be a beacon. It was a destination paper for the best and brightest reporters, much like the New York Times, LA Times or Chicago Tribune. But, Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, had to muck it up. First he killed the pro-Harris editorial, which saw 200,000 subscribers cancel. Now, he's turning it into a shell of its former self, ensuring that it will depend on wire services and basically have significantly less original reporting. Hell, they even fired a correspondent covering the Ukraine war via email. How fucked up is that.

Look, I understand that you cannot have a business lose tons of money every year. But, at the same time, this was an important institution. But it didn't have to be this way. The NYTs conitnues to make money. The Post could have improved things, spend money on talent and made it a must-read paper like it used to be.

Remember, Democracy Dies in darkness...

 

[WyattEarp]

Look, I understand that you cannot have a business lose tons of money every year.

But, do you?

But, at the same time, this was an important institution. But it didn't have to be this way. The NYTs conitnues to make money. The Post could have improved things, spend money on talent and made it a must-read paper like it used to be.

This is a good point, but I am not sure a New York Times and Washington Post can both be very profitable. The two papers seem to offer readers similar stories and perspectives. I am not going to over-analyze WaPo's liberal content as the cause of their demise. Every city newspaper I pick up at a hotel is a very slimmed down version of its former glory including each that you mentioned.

Of note, the Wall Street Journal is still a very successful national platform. They seemed to have navigated the current media terrain of print, digital and video. Some will groan they hate the WSJ. The WSJ offers a good right of center perspective. They routinely offer criticism of the Trump Administration.

Remember, Democracy Dies in darkness...

Newspapers die alone. The lights can be on though.

 

[silentkisser]

But, do you?



This is a good point, but I am not sure a New York Times and Washington Post can both be very profitable. The two papers seem to offer readers similar stories and perspectives. I am not going to over-analyze WaPo's liberal content as the cause of their demise. Every city newspaper I pick up at a hotel is a very slimmed down version of its former glory including each that you mentioned.

Of note, the Wall Street Journal is still a very successful national platform. They seemed to have navigated the current media terrain of print, digital and video. Some will groan they hate the WSJ. The WSJ offers a good right of center perspective. They routinely offer criticism of the Trump Administration.



Newspapers die alone. The lights can be on though.

Here's the thing: Bezos, when he bought the post said that "The values of The Post do not need changing. The paper's duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners." That changed and changed hard. He became one of Trump's biggest bootlickers. I know you will probably disagree, but the Post kept Trump's feet to the flames. Until it didn't. Was it a business decision? Knowing that if he backed off and kissed Trump's ass, he'd likely continue to see AWS continue to get government contracts and less likely to get in a tangle with the DOJ? So, he neuters the Post. Kills anti-Trump stories. And, with Amazon (MGM) pays an outlandish fee to make an Triumph of the Will-esque documentary to bribe/kiss ass of Trump?

The point is, the Post could sustain losses. The man spent $500M on a yacht and basically rented Venice for a wedding. The reality is he could easily afford to keep it running as-is. He could've sold off some of the other money losing operatins in that portfolio he bought in 2013. Or, he could continue to enjoy the tax write-off.

What he has done is basically killed the paper. They will continue to shed subscribers and lose whatever prestige there was for working there. That is the reality here.

 

[Butler1000]

But, do you?



This is a good point, but I am not sure a New York Times and Washington Post can both be very profitable. The two papers seem to offer readers similar stories and perspectives. I am not going to over-analyze WaPo's liberal content as the cause of their demise. Every city newspaper I pick up at a hotel is a very slimmed down version of its former glory including each that you mentioned.

Of note, the Wall Street Journal is still a very successful national platform. They seemed to have navigated the current media terrain of print, digital and video. Some will groan they hate the WSJ. The WSJ offers a good right of center perspective. They routinely offer criticism of the Trump Administration.



Newspapers die alone. The lights can be on though.

Things worked better when owners thought news divisions didn't need to be profitable but we're a public service. The networks thought that way. Didn't care if advertisers dropped. Also when media concentration like we have today wasn't allowed. I get the fact partisanship was always there. But at least facts were mostly agreed upon. And when things were clear it was reported straight.

And finally when corporations couldn't give unlimited money to campaigns.

Those days aren't coming back. Not without a serious fight. Ar this point we have AP, Reuters, maybe Axios. I use the CBC, BBC. CP24 for a news ticker.

After that a bunch of independent sources that I have to cross check and just move past opinions in to glean facts. It's absolutely tougher.

Funny enough Epstein is steadily becoming a unified narrative. How this shakes out in Corp media is interesting to watch. How its causing independent media to turn on their chosen "side" more so.

 

[WyattEarp]

Things worked better when owners thought news divisions didn't need to be profitable but we're a public service. The networks thought that way. Didn't care if advertisers dropped. Also when media concentration like we have today wasn't allowed. I get the fact partisanship was always there. But at least facts were mostly agreed upon. And when things were clear it was reported straight.

I am not sure the change in the media landscape would be defined as media concentration. When I was a kid there were only the three major networks and PBS offering news on TV. Instead of newspapers, we have a multitude of print news in digital format. There's talk radio and liberals don't seem to be able to hold the audience's attention. This has been a problem for news talk radio for fifty years.

You can say the distribution of news is fragmented. One could also say that it is more democratized since the internet is open to everyone.

However, this is all mainly the result of technological change.

 

[Butler1000]

I am not sure the change in the media landscape would be defined as media concentration. When I was a kid there were only the three major networks and PBS offering news on TV. Instead of newspapers, we have a multitude of print news in digital format. There's talk radio and liberals don't seem to be able to hold the audience's attention. This has been a problem for news talk radio for fifty years.

You can say the distribution of news is fragmented. One could also say that it is more democratized since the internet is open to everyone.

However, this is all mainly the result of technological change.

It's starting to fragment again, but the platforms that deliver it are owned by a few and can control algorithms. Shadow ban. Demonetize.

And remember I said the networks let their news divisions have a lot of leeway. I always use the Tylenol scare example. Notice how after that all the Big Pharma buy ads on news channels? And suddenly you never really hear about class action lawsuits anymore as a news item? Or show victims in those cases?

That was the beginning. Epstein was covered up vis a vis Andrew to get the Will and Kate interview. Lots more like it.

 

[Frankfooter]

I am not sure the change in the media landscape would be defined as media concentration.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1970198299341922644

 

[kherg007]

The loss of local coverage and newspapers are at least as bad to making pols accountable. Nationally WSJ and NY Times and Boston Globe doing OK but WAPO now in it's death throes. WAPO does have a few conservative columnists though.

 

[mandrill]

I am not sure the change in the media landscape would be defined as media concentration. When I was a kid there were only the three major networks and PBS offering news on TV. Instead of newspapers, we have a multitude of print news in digital format. There's talk radio and liberals don't seem to be able to hold the audience's attention. This has been a problem for news talk radio for fifty years.

Distinct differences in consumption habits between lefties and righties, connected to difference in respective education levels.

 

[jalimon]

I am not sure the change in the media landscape would be defined as media concentration. When I was a kid there were only the three major networks and PBS offering news on TV. Instead of newspapers, we have a multitude of print news in digital format. There's talk radio and liberals don't seem to be able to hold the audience's attention. This has been a problem for news talk radio for fifty years.

Fox understood long ago it`s much more profitable to say trash and false shit. Truth is boring as hell.

That's how we got Alex Jones and the subsequent trash show.

In Canada, we have a government agency that oversees the news. It`s not perfect. But so far it made sure our news is not as trashy as in the US.

 

[Frankfooter]

The loss of local coverage and newspapers are at least as bad to making pols accountable. Nationally WSJ and NY Times and Boston Globe doing OK but WAPO now in it's death throes. WAPO does have a few conservative columnists though.

At least Canada has a few options, a few indies and CBC, though CBC isn't perfect.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

The state of news is in critical condition. Having a free press is essential to democracy.

Yes, but they don't want a democracy.
They want a fascist kakistocracy where the role of the press is to write articles glorifying the diapered figurehead and publish MAGA loyalist propaganda.
Bezos is now a MAGA loyalist.
He bribed Trump via the Melania documentary, and now this.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

There's talk radio and liberals don't seem to be able to hold the audience's attention.

Yes, the right wing media along with its low IQ grifters are single handedly responsible for the brainrot.

 

[Intrinsic]

Yes, the right wing media along with its low IQ grifters are single handedly responsible for the brainrot.

 

[silentkisser]

Yes, but they don't want a democracy.
They want a fascist kakistocracy where the role of the press is to write articles glorifying the diapered figurehead and publish MAGA loyalist propaganda.
Bezos is now a MAGA loyalist.
He bribed Trump via the Melania documentary, and now this.

You just need to check out what the billionaires are doing.

• Musk buys Twitter and rebrands it so it can be your one-stop shot for disinformation and stupid conspiracy theories that he amplifies (oh, and lets not forget the CSA material that is now rampant on the site).
• Facebook now allows virtually anything to be posted, regardless of how incorrect it is.
• Ellison buys CBS and immediately fucks up its trusted news division by putting an idiot like Barri Weise in charge. Someone who has never run a newsroom, let alone a television broadcasting giant...
• You know Trump would love to see someone buy CNN and neuter it so they stop reporting the trust about him.
• In Canada, our largest conservative media group in PostMedia (owners of the Sun chain as about 130 total papers across the country) are majority owned (66%) by a US private equity group.

They're basically trying to water down any competent criticism of the Trump regime. But, I also think its something the right has been working on for decades. They've done everything they can to vilify teachers and slash budgets to school boards across the country, all while making college a debt trap. If you have money, you can send your kids to private schools and give them a great education, but for anyone else, the standards continue to slip. It's almost like they want an uneducated lower class that the elites can manipulate and rule...

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

You just need to check out what the billionaires are doing.

• Musk buys Twitter and rebrands it so it can be your one-stop shot for disinformation and stupid conspiracy theories that he amplifies (oh, and lets not forget the CSA material that is now rampant on the site).
• Facebook now allows virtually anything to be posted, regardless of how incorrect it is.
• Ellison buys CBS and immediately fucks up its trusted news division by putting an idiot like Barri Weise in charge. Someone who has never run a newsroom, let alone a television broadcasting giant...
• You know Trump would love to see someone buy CNN and neuter it so they stop reporting the trust about him.
• In Canada, our largest conservative media group in PostMedia (owners of the Sun chain as about 130 total papers across the country) are majority owned (66%) by a US private equity group.

They're basically trying to water down any competent criticism of the Trump regime. But, I also think its something the right has been working on for decades. They've done everything they can to vilify teachers and slash budgets to school boards across the country, all while making college a debt trap. If you have money, you can send your kids to private schools and give them a great education, but for anyone else, the standards continue to slip. It's almost like they want an uneducated lower class that the elites can manipulate and rule...

Yes there is a concerted effort on the right to takeover all social media and tweak the algorithm to push brain rot.
I foresee more social media sites springing up and an exodus of people eventually resulting in echo chambers.

 

[richaceg]

Yes, the right wing media along with its low IQ grifters are single handedly responsible for the brainrot.

A great example of "Go woke, Go broke"...lmao...nobody buys woke news....News are suppose to just report news...not mouthpiece for the democrats.. very reason CNN and MSNBC are tanking...

 

[Carpa]

No big loss if the Post shuts its doors.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

A great example of "Go woke, Go broke"...lmao...nobody buys woke news....News are suppose to just report news...not mouthpiece for the democrats.. very reason CNN and MSNBC are tanking...

They do report the news.
You just call news you don't like woke.