Study Hall Digest 9/11/2017

Hi

It’s 9/11. Here’s a Twitter thread I wrote about it. I think it’s a good day to reflect on how the media feeds into the desires of the state, and how it can challenge it. Let’s never forget how supposedly liberal outlets like the New York Times cheered on the Iraq war. But most of the media’s support of the state is more subtle than blatant lies in favor of presidential administrations. I’ve noticed that places like NPR keep getting more jingoistic, framing everything as a national security issue and pandering to the right and white supremacists. But I also have hope that things are changing. However you feel about Chapo Trap House, it’s cool that independent media operations that are less reliant on access to power are beginning to find semi-sustainable business models. What are other media operations you’ve been following that feel less in support of state power? Message me! I’ll create a list. — Enav

Speaking of media operations in thrall to the state, the New York Times has a good story on how CNN killed its investigative team by expecting it to produce glitzy investigative stories on Trump and Russia that got big numbers at a rapid clip, and failing to do adequate fact-checking in the process.

Some good info on how to report in a hurricane from a Miami Herald editor, including the advice to not die because “we can’t replace you because we’re in a hiring freeze.”

The New York Times, after hiring a slew of truly terrible people to their op-ed page, has finally hired a less terrible person, who nonetheless is still maybe terrible?

The New York Daily News is being sold to Tronc, which is probably bad news for the future of the Daily News. But also the Daily News is mostly bad. Fun story: as a young journalist I was a stringer for the Daily News and they assigned me to spy on an event being run by the New York Post, but I missed it because the G Train got stuck, and I was fired.

Would you pay to be able to text a journalist? Me neither. What about pay to hear Atlantic writers’ musings on politics and journalism? Me neither. What about pay to go on a cruise with a bunch of progressive media people? I rather die tbh (cruise ships scare me, as do media people).