Impromptus

‘The media,’ we say, &c.

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Members of the news media cover President Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Washington, Mich., April 28, 2018. (Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
On political culture, conservatism, free speech, Stalin, a revolting night at the opera, TV theme music, and more

Republicans would probably choke to hear it, but they benefit from media bias — or call it “media overload.” Consider something: A few weeks ago, Donald Trump told a rally in Pennsylvania that Americans who criticize Supreme Court justices or other judges ought to be jailed. (I wrote about this in a column, here.) This barely made a ripple. A typical Republican outlet would not report it. Did other media? Yes, but there is so much else to cover, from Trump’s mouth alone: It is a fire hose. So no one ever pauses over one thing.

What if Kamala Harris said that Americans who criticize judges ought to be jailed? The Republican media, and other media, would talk of nothing else. Rightly. Her views would be deemed disqualifying for high office. Rightly.

• What do we mean when we say “the media”? As a rule, we mean media we don’t like, I think. We don’t mean the media that we ourselves consume. I hear people who consume nothing but Republican media — Fox, Newsmax, the Daily Wire, etc. — complain about “the media.” But what they regard as “the media,” they never watch, or listen to, or read.

I thought Mark Cuban had an interesting observation:

For years, we have said “the media,” reflexively (and usually negatively). It may be time to reevaluate what we mean. For the last many years, I have tried to specify which media in particular.


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• It is important that media be held accountable for defamation, when they commit defamation. Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million. (I wrote a column about this here.) What the filings in that case revealed was fascinating.

Chris Wallace, formerly of Fox, addressed this recently. (Listen to him here.) “I’m glad to see that somebody’s paying for playing with the truth and for very much breaking what I think is our almost sacred charter, which is to inform people, not to misinform people.” It is encouraging, Wallace said, to see that there is “a cost to lying.”

A headline from Friday reads, “Georgia election workers settle defamation lawsuit against conservative website.” (Article here.) Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — who are mother and daughter — have reached a settlement with The Gateway Pundit. Freeman and Moss have been subjected to a torrent of lies, from Rudy Giuliani and that ilk. This torrent has resulted in threats of violence against these women. Through the judicial system, they are achieving a measure of justice.

I strongly object to the description of The Gateway Pundit as “conservative.” What do these people have to do with William F. Buckley Jr. or George F. Will, to say nothing of Michael Oakeshott or Edmund Burke? I realize that language is in the hands of the people. But conservatism ought not to be equated with populist buffoonery and mendacity.

If Bill Buckley and Alex Jones share the descriptor “conservative,” the word is meaningless.

Stephen Richer is an Arizona Republican, brave and truthful. (I wrote about him here.) He was recently defeated by a MAGA type in a primary. On Saturday, Richer tweeted, “I hope readers of Gateway Pundit are mad they’ve been lied to. Over and over again.”

In my experience, they will not be, ever. It is not a matter of truth or falsity. It is a matter of belief — wanting to believe. Needing to believe. There is an old expression: “The mark is in on the con.” In a mysterious way, he is, evidently. The con wants to con, and the mark wants to believe.

Anyway, this is “above my paygrade.”

• I know many MAGA people, or MAGA-friendly people, who are free-speech advocates. Or who at least style themselves that way. I wonder whether they are ever given pause, by their guy.

Trump is always calling for media outlets to “lose their license.” He did this just the other day:

Also, as I have said, he has called for the jailing of Americans who criticize Supreme Court justices or other judges. This is — at variance with our tradition and law.

The “free speech” guys who are MAGA, or MAGA-friendly: Do they ever have doubts? Do they ever think, “Gee, that doesn’t sound very First Amendmenty”? I don’t think so — because tribalism is virtually the strongest emotion on earth.

• “I don’t speak badly about somebody’s physical disability, but he’s got the biggest stomach I have ever seen, I swear. I swear. That’s the biggest stomach . . . I have never seen a stomach like that.” That was Donald Trump, speaking about Senator Jon Tester in August.

Over the weekend, Trump was talking about Congressman Adam Schiff: “He’s one of the least attractive human beings I think I’ve ever seen.” “He’s got the smallest neck I’ve ever seen.” And so on.

I know everything has changed. I know the Right is nothing like it was. I realize I’m a dinosaur, as I’m told and reminded daily. But the conservatives I knew, way back, would have thought that was rotten. Illegitimate. Out of bounds. They were right, as on so much else.

• Speaking of yesteryear: When I was in my twenties, people were tearing down statues of Lenin and Stalin. They were doing this across the former Soviet Union and the former Soviet bloc. For the last many years, people have been erecting new statues of Lenin and Stalin. Here is an article from Friday: “Back to the future: Russia to unveil new Stalin statue.”

An old lesson, confirmed: History does not have an ever-upward trajectory. It plummets, regularly.

• Here is a headline that says something about our system: “The presidential campaigns have made over 200 visits but speak to just a fraction of American voters.” (Article here.) Sometimes, I am tempted to envy Pennsylvanians . . .

• News from the arts world, pretty revolting: “Eighteen treated for severe nausea in Stuttgart after opera of live sex and piercing.” (The article is worse — I mean, more revolting, much — than the headline.)

• More music? I can’t promise you live sex and piercing. (That’d help the ol’ clicks.) A friend of mine sent me the theme of Room 222, the 1970s TV series. “Isn’t the theme redolent of the era?” he said. Yes, very much so. It is by Jerry Goldsmith.

Room 222, in turn, reminded me of 227, a different show, from the ’80s — and its glorious theme song, by Ray Colcord, sung by Marla Gibbs (who starred in the show).

It is an interesting, even a juicy, subject, TV themes. I wrote on it in 2021, here.

• Greg Landry, my quarterback, has died at 77. Why do I call him “my quarterback”? Because he was the first quarterback I was aware of, on my team (my NFL team), the Detroit Lions. Late, late, in his career — after his career was over, really — he played one game for the Chicago Bears. Amazing day. Alex Williams, of the New York Times, recounts it in his obituary:

After three years away from the N.F.L., Landry returned to the Pontiac Silverdome on Dec. 16, 1984, two days before his 38th birthday, to play one last game for the Bears as an emergency replacement for the injured quarterbacks Jim McMahon and Steve Fuller. Landry completed 11 of 20 passes for 199 yards with three interceptions as Chicago steamrolled his old team, 30-13.

The spry legs that carried him to the Pro Bowl were no more, although the Bears’ head coach, Mike Ditka, did not leave him stationary in the pocket.

“After the third rollout,” Landry told The Washington Post, “I went over to the bench and told them, ‘Don’t call that anymore. At 38, I guess I can’t roll out and pass like I used to.’”

Friend of mine played golf with him not too long ago. Helluvan athlete, Greg Landry.

• An interesting article, out of Baltimore: “A ‘Pure Vibes’ kick; Justin Tucker shares he broke a ‘written-in-stone principle’ on his 56-yarder.” Tucker is a placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens. You are supposed to aim within the goalposts, no matter what. But on this particular kick, Tucker aimed outside a goalpost, trusting that the wind would carry the ball back.

I like the article’s Shakespearean ending.

Tucker said, “I did kind of bail” on an important kicking principle. “But I think it’s one of those all’s-well-that-ends-well type of things.”

Nice play, Shakespeare (and Tucker).

• One picture for you today, of a ballfield at the University of Arizona. Kind of dream-like, wouldn’t you say?

Thanks for joining me, everyone. Have a great week.

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