Corporate Media: Lazy Whores

Daily Howler: Press-to! Harris disappears the press, just like Roger Simon before him: "Special report—The Missing!"

The article linked above is an excellent summary of everything I hate about our worthless media today. From its refusal to admit "liberal bias" is and always has been a myth, to its continuing inability to filter the spin out of "news."

The U.S. media in general, and in particular the White House press corps, no longer relates in any way to the American public. Like the talking point authors of the right-wing hate machine, the modern day "journalist" believes himself worthy of envy and admiration; something to be fawned over, not someone with a job to do.

They beg for access, they give in to every demand for anonymity, and they run stories that are fed to them - accuracy be damned. All in the name of raising their stature or inflating their egos.

Tim Russert does a god-awful job at picking apart right-wing liars on his show, but what does he care? He got to write a book about his dad. And why shouldn't he? He's an elite journalist. And if he seems to be much better at reciting neocon talking points and bashing Dems, well, have you noticed who's in power lately?

This country has a lot of problems: corporations have legal standing as people, half the wealth in the country is controlled by 5% of the citizenry, health care costs are exploding at a time when poverty is growing and Republicans are viciously stabbing at the corpse of the New Deal social safety net. If you want to talk about how the right has weakened this country, you need to set aside an hour for the list. The Cheney administration has its own fucking chapter.

But the spineless, pampered, corporate media journalists? They deserve a fate far worse than anything this world has to offer.