Disinformation Deconstructs Democracy: Is the News Up to Covering the Story?

Coincidentally the Republican senators who are jurors in Donald Trump39s second impeachment trial this week are preparing to say the same thing Unlike the late Ms Westman who was contemplating a life well lived their case reflects willful blindness It39s not a surprise Since November the vast majority have mouthed versions of Trump39s stolen election mantra ignoring the validated votes in all 50 states as well as his failed legal challenges in nearly as many courtsWhether cowed craven or just political cowards the Republicans39 submissiveness nonetheless is remarkable After all they were witnesses on January 6th when the mob stormed the Capitol in order to overturn an election at Trump39s behest So were the journalists who courageously reported the first attempted coup d39amp233tat incited by of all people a President of the United States The question is Will the media cover the growing threat to democracy that Trump39s big lie and its enablers39 support represent after his impeachment trial is no longer newsWhen it comes to Trump only the naamp239ve would expect any postimpeachment pause in his prevarication His personal pathologies have been a lifetime in the making As for the Republican senators who are waiting to acquit him their slavish obedience is simply running truetoform over their last four years With a herd immunity to facts and fearful that Trump39s faithful could oust them they conjure their rubber stamp counterparts in Moscow39s Supreme Soviet back in the dayTo be sure Republicans in Congress have their personal reasons From coast to coast state parties are rebelling in outrage against transgressors censuring governors as well as legislators for disloyalty to Trump and his fantastical election fraud claims In Washington meanwhile the Republican House caucus last week circled cultlike to protect Marjorie Taylor Green the Georgia freshman and Trump acolyte whose lunatic theories antisemitic tropesamp160and support for sick conspiracies give her pride of place among the party39s rightwingThe news of course covered it all in straight reporting and endless commentary although ink and airtime notwithstanding it still missed the point Trump39s big lie Taylor Green39s delusionsamp160and the GOP39s ignominy are symptoms not the cause of the country39s divisions and disorder The Republican spiral into lies and extremism reflects a bigger problem The rightwing media39s parallel universe that is undermining democracy itself The news needs to do better An analysis that diagnosed how by a trio of researchers at MIT three years ago points the wayNetwork Propaganda Manipulation Disinformationamp160and Radicalization in American Politics by Yochai Benkler Robert Farisamp160and Hal Roberts is heavy enough with data to qualify as a doorstop In fact the evidence alone makes their point The trio argues that the conservative media bears no resemblance to media outlets comprising the center and left wing of the news spectrum Their data presents the crucial distinction the right wing media ecosystem purveys falsehoods without even a fig leaf of effort to find the factsBenkler Farisamp160and Roberts reached their conclusion after analyzing two million stories published during the 2016 election campaign and another 19 million during Trump39s first year in office Surprisingly for some perhaps the results didn39t finger Facebook the Russians or polarization for the country39s disinformation deluge or its political divisions Rather the three conclude quotthe right wing media ecosystem differs categorically from the rest of the media environmentquot including greater susceptibility to quotdisinformation liesamp160and halftruthsquotJournalists and their standards figure prominently in explaining why Reporting elsewhere on the media39s spectrum involves factchecking and investigation Network Propaganda illuminates the right wing39s faux journalism that peddles falsehoods without a second thought It is quotthe insularity of right wing media and audiences from the corrective function of professional journalismquot that makes quotthat media ecosystem more susceptible to political clickbait fabricators Russian propagandaamp160and extremist hyperpartisan bullshit amp8230quotNetwork Propaganda couldn39t be more relevant to explaining why 75 percent of Republicans still believe Trump39s stolen election lie In mapping the express lanes that carry lies from the web39s extremist cesspools such as Infowars to socalled news networks like Fox the book also highlights the difficulty ahead in putting their audiences back on the road to facts Standard journalism from quothe said she saidquot tropes that demonstrate quotbalancequot to chasing scoops that serve to sensationalize right wing lies won39t do the trickBenkler Farisamp160and Roberts warn that dealing with disinformation won39t be easy calling among other things for the news media to make right wing outlets quotinstitutionally accountablequot Despite their caution it may well be a more powerful idea than they think Advertising revenue may not be Fox39s Achilles Heel but from Tucker Carlson to Sean Hannity companies have ditched mendacious commentators when their lies were exposed This month a 27 billion defamation suit against Fox from voting system manufacturer Smartmatic over bogus election fraud claims prompted the network to cancel star Trump sycophant Lou Dobbs in a dayWhatever lawsuits may reap in reigning in right wing media the time is long overdue for journalism to police its impostors The issue is how Reporting on fabrications and falsehoods is one thing investigating the sources their funding political ties pattern of cooperationamp160and purposes another From national to local levels and across media platforms an investigative network that digs into disinformation and shares the results can be a powerful tool Indeed as Trump39s trial unfolds just consider what the network that peddles lies and deceit has producedAsked recently about the last four years Aaron Sorkin the writer of The West Wing the sevenseason smash and television39s most popular political drama ever put it this wayamp160quotI never imagined grown men and women just lying to people the way they did And I never imagined the tens of millions of Americans being as gullible as they arequotA few months from now Trump39s historic second impeachment and its aftermath will be yesterday39s news The spotlight will move on His big lie its enablersamp160and their audience won39t The consequences and the stories that need to be written about them are only beginning The question is will the news media be willing to get to workClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Disinformation Deconstructs Democracy: Is the News Up to Covering the Story?

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Kent M. Harrington

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