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The Most Epic Media Failure in U.S. History
PJ Media ^ | 03/25/2019 | Rick Moran

Posted on 03/25/2019 8:31:26 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

There is a pall hanging over the left side of the internet today. The disappointment is palpable. How is this possible, they're asking? We were so certain that the president of the United States was a traitor — that Hillary Clinton didn't lose the 2016 election because she was the worst candidate in modern history, but because Trump and the Russians worked together to steal it.

It's like election night, November 2016, all over again.

Once again, leftist delusions have been shattered, this time by a putative ally -- special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller turned over every rock, looked in every nook and cranny of the Trump campaign and concluded that no member of that organization -- including candidate Trump -- worked with the Russians to influence the 2016 race for president.

Thus, the 675 days spent investigating dubious scenario is over. What does Mueller have to show for it? He got various Trump aides on lying to the FBI and sleazeball Paul Manafort on some other crimes unrelated to collusion. But, like any good little bureaucrat, he carefully documented all the work he did: 2800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, more than 230 orders for communication records, 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and 500 witnesses interviews.

All told, Mueller spent around $13 million. In truth, Congress probably spends close to that amount for Kleenex to blow its nose, so in the grand scheme of a $4 trillion budget, it's a piddling amount.

More to the point was the reason the money was spent in the first place.

Partisans in the Justice Department and FBI were concerned that all these Russians running around Washington during the campaign must be up to something. And some of the people working on the Trump campaign had long-standing ties to Russia, or, in the case of Paul Manafort, Russian-sympathizing Ukrainians. Put two and two together, add in a dash of Trump hatred, a dollop of Democratic partisanship, a pinch of wishful thinking, stir it up, bake well and voila! Collusion was born.

But that's only half the story. Anti-Trump officials may have talked themselves into believing that collusion was possible, but it was anti-Trump hysteria in the Democratic-Media Complex that ultimately drove this story, kept it front and center for nearly two years, and in the end, made it what it has become: The most epic failure of American journalism in history.

As recently as three weeks ago, even after it became apparent that Mueller was not going to give the left what they wanted -- evidence to impeach Trump -- New York Magazine ran this headline: "Russia Corrupted Trump. Mueller's Just Filling In Details"

Headlines over the previous two years reveal a startling lack of control and objectivity -- so much so that the exaggeration, the wild speculation, the sweet, sweet anticipation of Trump's downfall became as much a part of the story as any information being leaked.

How did the institution of American journalism fail so utterly to get it right? That used to be a tremendous source of pride for journalists. They felt a great weight of responsibility to the public to carefully ascertain the facts of a story and report those facts in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. Analysis was supposed to be as objective as possible with speculation absent or kept to an absolute minimum.

What we've seen in the collusion story is what happens when freedom is casually and unconscionably abused. Freedom of the press is guaranteed and for 230 years, the press has -- mostly -- used that freedom responsibly. Sure, the pressures of deadlines and the desire to be "first" with a story led to some famous failures. "Dewey Defeats Truman" was supposed to be a cautionary tale for reporters and editors. Instead, along with many proud traditions associated with the craft and art of journalism, the lessons have been forgotten or discarded as outmoded.

Collectively, the media saw Trump as a threat. Despite the fact that no reporters have been arrested for what they've written about him, no newspapers have been closed, no TV stations have gone dark, no internet sites taken down, nothing remotely resembling a serious and immediate threat to freedom of the press has emerged from the White House, the media convinced themselves that Trump was going to destroy democracy and rule as an autocrat.

Perhaps other threats to the industry had something to do with it. Newspapers are dying — not because they are partisan but because the way people consume information has passed newspapers by. TV news is bleeding viewers — not because they are anti-conservative but because there are so many other choices available for people to become informed. The world is changing and what we know as "the media" isn't changing fast enough to keep up. They have become the blacksmiths, the wheelwrights, the carriage makers, the buggy whip manufacturers of the 21st century. And they apparently don't have a clue how to save themselves from destruction.

The collusion story will become a milestone in the history of American journalism. Will there be a period of self-examination, a hard and honest introspective look at where the press went wrong and how it can get better? Or will the media simply move on to the next scandal and start the sickening, maddening, process all over again?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; journalism; media; mediawingofthednc; msm; mueller; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; russia; smearmachine
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In this Nov. 4, 1948, file photo, President Harry S. Truman at St. Louis' Union Station holds up an election day edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune, which - based on early results - mistakenly announced "Dewey Defeats Truman."
1 posted on 03/25/2019 8:31:26 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Can’t wait to hear Rush today.....


2 posted on 03/25/2019 8:32:31 AM PDT by Lockbar (What would Vlad The Impaler do?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Change the A to P, and we have a winner.


3 posted on 03/25/2019 8:32:53 AM PDT by going hot (happiness is a momma deuce)
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To: SeekAndFind

How much of the media ate paid by Russia? They are the real tools of Putin.


4 posted on 03/25/2019 8:33:31 AM PDT by richardtavor
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To: SeekAndFind

This coup attempt was a worse on America than 9/11 was - and I speak as a firsthand witness of the latter - and it is time to go nuclear on the perpetrators.


5 posted on 03/25/2019 8:33:45 AM PDT by thoughtomator (The Clinton Coup attempt was worse than 9/11)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Ministry of Propaganda has Russian egg all over their faces.


6 posted on 03/25/2019 8:33:48 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: SeekAndFind

It’s schadenfreude all over again!


7 posted on 03/25/2019 8:36:12 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: thoughtomator

This coup attempt was only made possible by the successful coup on Usurpation Day January 20, 2009 when ALL of our elected and appointed ignored the Constitution and swore in an ineligible usurper.


8 posted on 03/25/2019 8:36:34 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents_Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: SeekAndFind

“How did the institution of American journalism fail so utterly to get it right?”

They’re leftists. Domestic enemies at war with America. ‘The ends justify the means’

They’re complicit in this massive conspiracy and need to be brought to mob justice.


9 posted on 03/25/2019 8:37:23 AM PDT by Electric Graffiti (Cocked, locked and ready to ROCK!)
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To: SeekAndFind
Paging the Boo Hoo girl


10 posted on 03/25/2019 8:38:55 AM PDT by RightGeek (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on)
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To: aquila48

I know. I personally enjoyed watching George Snuffalupogis this more on GMA. Everyday for the last 2 years they started the show with the latest on the Russia investigation.

I think the person that has enjoyed this the most is actually Putin. He must be laughing his a$$ off.


11 posted on 03/25/2019 8:39:18 AM PDT by woodbutcher1963
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To: Lockbar

Me either. I can catch about 45 minutes of his show before American forces me onto “airplane mode.”


12 posted on 03/25/2019 8:40:15 AM PDT by Not A Snowbird (I trust President Trump.)
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To: SeekAndFind
It's like election night, November 2016, all over again. .......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mYVi7WHyiU

13 posted on 03/25/2019 8:40:37 AM PDT by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Lockbar

“Can’t wait to hear Rush today.....”

I’ll save you the trouble...El Gordo will be bragging that this is somehow a victory. You know, the same co-conspirators that have been framing and running a coup against PDJT for 2 plus years now magically have the moral authority to exonerate PDJT.

PDJT never needed exoneration from these high treason co-conspirators. The real question is what brought about the cease in hostilities...What made the corrupt state lay down their arms? Was there a quid pro quo with the conspirators?


14 posted on 03/25/2019 8:45:17 AM PDT by Electric Graffiti (Cocked, locked and ready to ROCK!)
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To: SeekAndFind; SunkenCiv; governsleastgovernsbest
Headlines over the previous two years reveal a startling lack of control and objectivity -- so much so that the exaggeration, the wild speculation, the sweet, sweet anticipation of Trump's downfall became as much a part of the story as any information being leaked.

The most epic failure of American journalism in history.

Hello New York Times, Washington Post, Morning Joe, and MSNBC - YOU boys destroyed faith in journalism... YOU destroyed the institution ... not Trump, not the 'deplorables', not 'the crazies', YOU JOURNALISTS did it to yourselves. Go eff yourself jerks.

15 posted on 03/25/2019 8:45:17 AM PDT by GOPJ (Did the Southern Poverty Law Center assist with organizing (and funding) Charlottesville?)
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To: SeekAndFind
How did the institution of American journalism fail so utterly to get it right? That used to be a tremendous source of pride for journalists. They felt a great weight of responsibility to the public to carefully ascertain the facts of a story and report those facts in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. Analysis was supposed to be as objective as possible with speculation absent or kept to an absolute minimum.

This paragraph can be duplicated in every media analysis for the last three years. How long will it take publishers to take action?

16 posted on 03/25/2019 8:50:06 AM PDT by immadashell (Save Innocent Lives - ban gun free zones)
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To: immadashell

I imagine J-schools will take no notice. They will continue to emphasize “speaking truth to power” and the importance of persuading the public to believe the “right things” so that we can socially engineer America into something other than what the Constitution says.


17 posted on 03/25/2019 8:53:33 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Po, po DimoRats today are in dire need of Prozac, safespaces and furry hugs. Their TDS has now become Cotard Delusion. This scary mental disorder causes the sufferer to believe that they are the walking dead (literally) or a ghost, and that their body is decaying and/or they’ve lost all blood and internal organs.


18 posted on 03/25/2019 8:54:41 AM PDT by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than having to WORK like the rest of US:-))
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m calling BS on this author. What the investigation was about was trying to stage a coup. And it WAS the so-called insurance policy discussed by the FBI love birds. It was launched when Hillary lost and the overnight emergency meeting was held. This dude makes it sound like it ‘just evolved’. Nope. People need to be held accountable for treason and sedition. That’s what really happened.

In fact, now that I write this, I’m thinking that’s the next strategy to dodge accountability...make it LOOK like it ‘just happened’.


19 posted on 03/25/2019 8:56:46 AM PDT by TrueFact (Keep heart!)
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To: SeekAndFind

The REAL crime was Obama weaponizing the DOJ, FBI and various Intelligence Agencies against the political opposition.

NEVER in US History has such a crime been perpetrated against the USA.

The media is a integral part of the democrat/Leftist/Socialist party. They are utterly corrupted by it.


20 posted on 03/25/2019 8:57:25 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The media is after us. Trump's just in the way.)
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