Reporters Once Challenged the Spy State. Now, They're Agents of It | Hacker News Reader

Reporters Once Challenged the Spy State. Now, They're Agents of It

taibbi.substack.com

27 points1cvmask8 comments

We really need to dismantle the idea that Journalism is what protects Democracy. It’s just another institution and shouldn’t be seen as some incorruptible source of Truth.

I don't think the old line news organisations that used to be funded by classified advertising had much choice other than to become shills / reworkers of press releases. As soon as that independent funding source dried up they were always going to change.

Interestingly to me, the subscription model seems to further drive partisan reporting. The more the news organisations rely on subscriptions, the more they have to pander to their subscribers and main advertisers who tend to be skewed towards whatever political leaning that organisation had. It has almost forced them to be more extreme to keep up the clicks and keep the subs flowing in. Can't write a bad article about Apple or Google if they are a substantial part of your ad revenue and/or are restricting the distribution of your headlines.

They desperately need some other source of income.

> "Interestingly to me, the subscription model seems to further drive partisan reporting"

This is a great observation. However I don't think these institutions want to be reformed. I think they exist to serve the political ends of their owners, and have for a long time.

This is true, Murdoch is no different to Hearst in terms of yellow journalism. I do think there is a big difference in flexibility of editorial freedom that the subscription and clickbait model doesn't allow compared to the older funding model.

Perhaps that is the root of that unwillingness.

I think it's more complicated than the title suggests. Forgive my very conspiratorial suggestion, I think that the so-called 'spy state' has become an agent of the same interests served by mainstream so-called 'journalists'. One could generously interpret the article as suggesting as much.

I think both of these institutions have been weaponized to serve to protect the business interests of America's elite. As a non-American looking in on the chaos, my belief is that the major financial players in the country are exercising their power to ensure that a resurgence of economic protectionism does not impede their financial, and political interests.

The subtitle sums it all:

“News companies are pioneering a new brand of vigilante reporting, partnering with the spy agencies they once oversaw”

—-

Edward Snowden would not even be covered now (or the Church commission).

The problem is that this is no news. They are doing it from a long time. They are now just started to admit it.

Jack Balkin at Yale has some relevant thoughts on the topic. The video is worth watching for the historical analysis alone.

https://balkin.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-first-amendment-in-s...

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