Whatever happened to the media conducting due diligence before releasing a story?

[guillaumeb]

In this case, it is the thoroughly discredited lie concerning Joe Biden and a woman. Before that, it was the allegations against Al Franken that relied on an obviously staged photo, and testimony from a Trump supporter.

In the past, and it seems like ages ago, what is called the respectable media would actually charge an actual investigative reporter with looking into charges such as were made against both Al Franken and Joe Biden. But that was before vulture capitalists started buying up the media, and gutting newsrooms to maximize profitability.

Now, in the age of instant news, nonsense such as the Biden story is basically accepted at face value and rushed into circulation with no attempt at verification. And these stories are then promoted on Twitter and Facebook, and immediately it becomes truth.

And we are all the worse for it, and what were once called lies are now called alternative facts.

[cayugafalls]

1. Believe All Women is being weaponized.

We are the creators of our own demise...in a society of instant everything, people do not take the time to formulate an opinion based on knowledge and facts. They do not dig deep and think critically. Even if their world view is challenged, they have a hard time changing because they do not want to admit they are wrong.

They allow some other "respected" voice to speak for them. It happens on both sides of the aisle.

[guillaumeb]

2. Yes, that is true,

but my post focuses on the impact on the media when profit replaces professionalism. Media outlets are reduced to merely repeating whatever gains traction.

[uponit7771]

3. ... it's being half stated & tons of false equivalence he's just for ratings

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Who us,we know best.

We just say what our Corporate Owners tell us to say.

[guillaumeb]

5. True.

The US corporate media owners see their job as repeating whatever they hear.

[revmclaren]

6. When did they ever really care about truth in news.

Sensationalism sells....

[Sewa]

7. Okay boomer!

Those days are long gone.

[guillaumeb]

9. Not the "okay boomer" response.

Yes, except for independent media outlets, what is called news and reporting is more stenography.

[stopdiggin]

16. to be replaced by competing propaganda organs

funded by untraceable money streams. So .. That was fun!

(because .. that "verification and due diligence" thing .. so old school!)

[SBoy]

8. One of Biden's main defenses (surrogate talking points) was that the NYTimes had

Investigated the incident, including interviewing Tara Reade, and found Biden innocent. The Times had at least eight stories on the incident. I’m not sure how much more due diligence is required.

[guillaumeb]

10. Welcome to DU.

Not everyone on the country reads the NY Times. My guess is that far more only watch television, or check their media feeds.

[COLGATE4]

17. Nobody wants to hear that Biden is innocent.

Doesn't boost ratings. The old "if it bleeds it leads" is still with us.

[imanamerican63]

11. It's called Trumping the truth?

[guillaumeb]

12. And the result is that many people have no idea that truth exists.

There are no facts in this scenario, only opinions.

[imanamerican63]

13. Exactly!

[Cha]

14. It's been going on for a LONG TIME! I stopped watching in

2002.

[npk]

15. There was also a time when the news in general wasn't run by large corporations

But once the corporations took over, they quickly weeded out the real truly committed Journalist and replaced them with talking heads that would toe the line and print/report sensationalistic stories that served to only sale, sale, sale more ad time. The fifth estate has long been dead in this country.

[guillaumeb]

18. And many in the news field are so committed to reporting each side,

that if one side is lying, many in the media still feel a need to treat the lie as simply an alternative viewpoint.

[npk]

19. Yep it's the both sides are guilty of it effect

Which leads voters to believe there is really no difference in Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, even though there was a grand canyon of difference between the two. But our failed media is just as responsible for giving us Trump as anything or anyone else. Perhaps more responsible

[guillaumeb]

21. Trump was an advertising gift for the corporate media.

The myth of Trump was created by the corporate media.

[Peacetrain]

20. Once the lie has been shown to be a lie.. you do not get a second bite of the apple to try and

make a "new" truth

[guillaumeb]

22. Agreed.

A proven liar should always be treated as lying unless proof can be found of the liar's assertion.

[Steelrolled]

23. It used to be that a story like this would never be published at all,

for the most part. The press would collectively view this as a private matter, and would give people like VP Biden the benefit of the doubt. They would view it as gossip not worth of reporting. But the press have lost that power.

We are now at perhaps the opposite extreme because everyone can be the press, and their biases and concern for accuracy is lower than even before. And many people and the opposite political party (as per the case) are loving it, and encourage it.

The Internet revolution has done many good things - this is not one of them.

[guillaumeb]

24. I agree. Excellent analysis.

Social media is also a large part of this issue, but even pre-Facebook the US corporate media has been getting worse for many years.

[malaise]

25. Acorn, Shirley Sherrod and many more

The media is owned by billionaires with their own agendas

[guillaumeb]

26. Of course, and advertising revenue is first on that agenda. eom

[malaise]

27. I disagree

Ideology is first for the corporate media - pushing their own agenda but they do like the ad revenue.

[guillaumeb]

28. I stand corrected.

Yes, promoting their Libertarian lunacy is first.