This is the revolting, understated, under-reported truth that the still rockin’ Harvey Weinstein Ethics Train Wreck has made explicit and beyond dispute. Journalists don’t report the news we need to know. They report the news they choose to allow us to know, when they choose to allow us to know it, in the form that serves their interests. This can no longer be denied by its enablers, who mostly look down on us from the Left.
Daniel Greenfield—yeah, yeah, he’s a conservative and this is on a conservative website—shut up and don’t play that game. He’s spot on—wrote in part..,
“Everybody f____g knew,” a top Hollywood screenwriter wrote of Harvey Weinstein. “Everybody knew” about Matt Lauer at NBC, Variety reports, and it “wasn’t even considered a secret.” “Every female in the press corps knew that, right, don’t get in elevator with him,” ABC’s Cokie Roberts said of Rep. Conyers.
Everybody knew.
The #MeToo sexual harassment scandals have hit CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, PBS, Vox, New Republic, Mother Jones. Forget Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose. They were just the talent. Their big decisions were limited to which hairpiece looked best in all three mirrors and which naïve intern to prey on this month. The heads of the men who actually make the news are rolling left and right.
NPR lost its Chief News Editor and its Senior VP of News. Vox lost its Editorial Director. The New York Times lost its White House Correspondent and Mother Jones lost its D.C. Bureau Chief. MSNBC lost two prominent contributors who had done much to shape the political landscape, Mark Halperin, who had written the definitive media account of the ’08 election, and David Corn, who had debuted the 47% attack on Romney and got the first look at Hillary’s Trump dossier.
The massive media machine built to smear and steamroll Republicans never bothered to report what everybody on the inside already knew. The wannabe Woodwards and Bernsteins in every paper, news bureau and explainer site weren’t investigating the scandals they already knew about. Those weren’t the scandals they were looking for.
That’s why no one trusts them. Hollywood, the media and the Democrats have been preaching to us about sexism and feminism for generations. Meanwhile behind the cameras and the chambers, an assault spree was in progress. And everybody knew.”
Well, that’s one of the myriad reasons nobody should trust them. I don’t think the causal connection between the #MeToo eruptions and the biased. partisan, ideologically driven manipulation of the news by our unethical, incompetent journalists has permeated the public consciousness yet—it took too long to permeate mine—but I’ll do my part to help, now that my brain has finally has engaged.
Being a conservative, Greenfield leaves out Fox News in his list of infamy. Fox News also harbored sexual predators–indeed, it was run by one— and no journalists there deemed it worthy of reporting, even though women were being hurt. Greenfield’s indictment applies to the conservative news media too—you know, that tiny, drowned-out sliver of the whole.
The evidence of what of what Greenfield aptly describes is disgusting. Journalists and media execs participated in an obscene 2008 ‘roast’ of Matt Lauer’ at which his sexual misconduct was repeatedly alluded to and made the butt of jokes as everyone guffawed—it was funny, you see!
The 2008 Friars Club roast took place at the New York Hilton and was attended by everyone from future President Donald Trump to TV legend Norman Lear to a constellation of New York’s media elite including Brian Williams, Diane Sawyer, Nancy O’Dell and Howard Stern. Also on hand were numerous top executives from across the business and almost everyone who was anyone at NBC News. Fox News has confirmed many details of the roast with a media executive who attended, and has also drawn on the one contemporaneous account of the roast, which appeared in The Village Voice.
Speaker Martha Stewart joked, “I hear NBC executives call Matt the ‘Cock of the Rock,’” according to The Voice.
Another of the roast’s speakers was current CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker — then the chairman of NBC Universal — who last week adamantly denied that he had any idea about Lauer’s in-office sexcapades.
“It’s just good to see Matt up here and not under my desk,” Zucker said from the podium. “I don’t want to say Matt is a germophobe, but he’s the only guy I know who uses Purell both before and after he masturbates.”
They knew. They just didn’t want us to know, as with a lot of other things.
Writes Ed Driscoll, as he catalogues the damning evidence —yes, Ed’s another conservative, and believe me, I’d quote a writer on the Daily Kos or ThinkProgress or the New York Times or NPR if any of those organizations had the integrity and honesty to call this what it is—
Perhaps the big catch there is Zucker, who has been in full Sgt. Schultz* mode during the past week regarding his former employee, including last Thursday when he said, “I’ve known Matt for 25 years and I didn’t know this Matt.” But we’ve been seeing numerous variations of the above article in recent weeks. …Amazing how many in the political-media-industrial complex “everybody knew,” and couldn’t be bothered telling the public.
Of course, it isn’t amazing at all. When you think about it, it all fits.
*For those of you who are too young and too culturally under-educated to recognize the reference, Sgt. Schultz (John Banner) was the comic Nazi prison guard in “Hogan’s Heroes” who would stumble upon evidence of escapes, espionage and other hijinx from the American prisoners and keep mum, saying, in what became a popular catch-line at the time, “I know nothing! Nothing!”
Ethics Alarms 
A cautionary note: The rush to causally link media to the hush-hush of past sins runs the same risk that we find in pro-Moore people making – “If it was true, how come they didn’t come out and say it?”
Because saying certain things at certain times in certain places could get you fired, shunned, ostracized, sued, and worse.
Listen to any of the women raising complaints now about why they didn’t speak up then. Because they felt intimidated. And try writing a respectable news report made up entirely of “off-the-record” claims by people who would refuse to testify in court, or who had signed non-disclosure agreements.
I’d like to hear from some reporters on this, but it seems to me that the burden of proof, and the credible threat of lawsuits (from the likes of Trump, Clinton, Weinstein) had a chilling effect.
When you say “They knew. They just didn’t want us to know,” I think you are conveniently rewriting history: ask what it would have been like to write about some of these things back when they were happening, 10-20-30 years ago.
The pro-Moore people are right about one thing: it WAS different back then. The flip side of his behavior not seeming so outrageous was that if someone tried to bring it into the open air, they’d have been shut down, and not just because of their politics.
This only tangentially fits the narrative of demonizing the press for power-seeking obtuseness. It more substantially fits in the “times have changed” narrative, and they’ve changed for the press along with everyone else.
The times haven’t changed regarding the unacceptability of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace in the last 20 years! I’ve been doing sexual harassment training more than that long! Anita Hill had Thomas on the ropes in 1990! Packwood resigned in 1995!
Any of those reporters could have blown the whistle at any point in, say, the last five years. I don’t understand the comment, Charles. And there would be no basis for a lawsuit. A lawsuit by any of these predators would be insane…see Wilde, Oscar.
“And try writing a respectable news report made up entirely of “off-the-record” claims by people.” Charles, they do it all the time. Have we ever seen a Trump Russia collusion story that doesn’t cite mysterious, unnamed “government sources” for all their factual allegations?
Let’s not forget that the reporter that got this ball rolling (Ronan Farrow) was shut down by his employer (NYT?) and had to run it through an alternate publisher in order to get the train rolling. What would have happened to this train wreck had Farrow let it go and dropped the story as his editors had wanted him to do? Doesn’t that nugget of info support the Greenfield thesis?
Think Stuart Smalley is going to finally give up the ghost tomorrow?
PredictIt.org just flipped from 20/80 to 80/20, so I’d say yes.
I was unfair in a comment I made on this topic a month ago.
I still believe everyone has an absolute responsibility to speak up against this crap whenever and wherever they see it, even when it is hard to do so; but how do you do that when it is treated as a huge giggle by every single person around you. It undoubtedly starts when you are young and new and trying to fit in with the workplace and it is going to be easy to absorb these attitudes over years.
I trust that in the future we can all speak up as we should, when we should; that we are moving to a new culture where we call out these actions and refuse to sweep them under the carpet. To do that we are going to have to be strong and risk the cost. Perhaps it is even more important that we speak up instantly on behalf of others than that we do so for ourselves. Being called to account by someone other than the victim is more powerful and challenging, and can’t be as easily swept aside as ‘snowflaking’.
Having said that I do believe there will be three key aspects to achieving a worthwhile valid change.
Firstly, should be speak up and refuse to tolerate sexist behaviour on the spot, rather than try and destroy lives and careers through the courts or social, or formal, media. I’m not thinking of the ever increasing crop of long term abusers we are seeing at the moment, rather going forward.
Secondly, we ALL have to ‘take care’. I find it fascinating that VP Mike Pence was thoroughly bagged out for saying that he puts ‘hedges’ around himself and is very careful of his interactions with, particularly, women. This is actually a common, and common sense, practice adopted by many Christians. Sadly not so much with some mega-church leaders! We actually have to think about our actions and their possible consequences a bit more.
Thirdly, we need to react to real cases of abuse, not just sit around trying to find something we can construe as abuse. There really are some hypersensitive people about and we all know what happens if we cry wolf to often.
Well said, Paul.
I am not certain that Sergeant Schultz should be called a Nazi. He was a Germany soldier in Nazi Germany, but I don’t think it can be said that subscribed to the ideology or even supported the war effort. Even during the war, I think our policy was to separate the regime from the population.
Gee, that sounds like the kind of point Neil Dorr would make.
He was a member of the Nazi German army, fighting for Nazi Germany, having taken an oath to support Hitler, wearing a swastika. If my father referred to someone like him in his autobiography, he would be referred to as a Nazi. My father also referred to civilians who, after their towns were captured by the allies, denied that they ever supported Hitler as Nazis.
I concur.
“Even during the war, I think our policy was to separate the regime from the population.”
Because most common-folk who DON’T go all out, can be recovered and redeemed. But make no mistake, the common-folk did go partially out for the Nazis.
So yes, they bear certain guilt. Just not the guilt worthy of targeting them specifically with the implements of war and retribution.
If you can’t sleep tonight and want to read something interesting, read the Facebook posts of the women senators who have called upon Franken to resign. Or, more specifically, read the comments (the Senators are, by and large, taking a beating from their constituents). The comments are indistinguishable from the pro-Moore comments on his Facebook page, except for the names.
I guess nobody likes their own ox to be gored. And both parties are full of hypocrites. But I think we can stop claiming that one party exclusively is conducting a war on women.
“I guess nobody likes their own ox to be gored. And both parties are full of hypocrites. But I think we can stop claiming that one party exclusively is conducting a war on women.”
The rot has been around long enough that being in the game is corrupting, at least to a degree. This is what is meant by ‘The Swamp’ in the American heartland. My observation is that the mere act of being in national politics is so corrosive that no one can withstand the taint. This problem is pervasive on both side of the aisle, and leads to playing the game for the sake of the game, instead of to guide our nation. Many national level politicians couldn’t care less about what is best for America, or her people, if it does not directly benefit their wealth, power, or prestige. Too many go to Washington and become part of the 1% within a few years (if they were not already) on a salary that would never support that.
If these heartland Americans wake up enough, we might change this, for a season. These are the core of America that responded to Pearl Harbor and 9/11. These are the ones, more than any other demographic, sent and lost sons (and daughters) for the cause of national survival. This demographic is the great slumbering giant Yamamoto was afraid of awakening, whose core values demand they sacrifice so that America continues as a positive force in the world.
The slumbering giant opened one eye and turned over last fall: Trump was elected. If little else disturbs them, they will blissfully fall back asleep.
This past year progressives have made sure to sprinkle pepper on the giant’s nose; to open a window to a drafty night; to short sheet the bed. Listen closely and you can hear the disturbed dreams and restless twitching of the giant. Find somewhere to hide, make yourselves small, unnoticeable, all those who push America.
History teaches that once that giant is fully awakened, the world changes.
The slumbering giant is…a swarm of hive-minded Nazis, if you’re a communist revolutionary…
http://reverbpress.com/politics/this-facebook-post-about-trump-supporters-is-going-viral-because-its-chilling-af/
That isn’t too far off the mark, IMHO. I keep saying, not just on Pearl Harbor Day but every time the subject of WWII comes up, that Americans won that war (with a little help from their friends AND future enemies) because they were even more militant, bad-assed, and audacious (and luckier) than the Third Reich and all its tools, stooges and slaves.
That was then, though. Now, we just have “triggered” mobs in a was-country, vying for control of the streets, classrooms, boardrooms, C-suites, courtrooms, vote counts, and media influence in low-grade urban and psyops warfare. It’s only going to get worse.
The values of the heartland have not changed that much, lucky. These folks rose up after 9/11 as well, and a whole new generation went to war and reaffirmed those values.
I pine and pray for a “heartbeat of America” to beat more strongly in the big cities. I really do wish I was not so pessimistic. I can only hope that I am wrong and that you are right, that the heartland is still strong enough to overcome and reverse the collectivist-statist, authoritarian and proto-totalitarian direction this country and its people are hurtling toward.
I fear the cities may burn, should any major disruption occur (be it natural, political, or enemy action.) If electricity stops (regionally or nationally) for more than two weeks; if food cannot be transported (within a few days); if government services break down without immediate relief; if a region is isolated and cannot receive outside help: all of these will result in riots and mayhem that will break the social compact such that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to repair without a matter of years to do so. The resulting population crash will look like that during the biblical flood.
Too many who live in the cities look to others to solve their problems, and have had the initiative bred right out of them by generations of welfare and progressive social forces. We have mostly lost the last generation who lived without modern electrical assistance: very few know what they knew.
. This is what is meant by ‘The Swamp’ in the American heartland.
The Swamp was a reference to sexual predators in Congress?
Then why are so many in the “American heartland” who complain about the Swamp supporting putting a sexual predator in Congress?
Reading comprehension, my dear Chris… reread the post. Like the sentences immediately after the one you hacked out of context to dispute.
This is ONE sort of behavior indicative of the swamp: preachy politicians who violate what they preach in private. The rot in general is what I am talking about in general.
But nice try to deflect and nit pick.