The Rot of American Journalism Runs Deep
Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone explores how networks like Fox News and MSNBC have come to tell viewers exactly what they want to hear.
This combination photo shows MSNBC television anchor Rachel Maddow, host of "The Rachel Maddow Show," moderating a panel at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass. on Oct. 16, 2017 , left, and Sean Hannity of Fox News at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md. on March 4, 2016. A generation ago, the likes of Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer were the heroes of television news. Now the biggest stars are arguably Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow. Old lines between journalism and commentary are growing fuzzier with traditional media guideposts stripped away by technology and new business models. (AP Photo)
In the latest episode of “On Contact,” host and Truthdig contributor Chris Hedges sits down with Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone for the first of a two-part series on American media, which Hedges calls a “purveyor of hate.” They explore the ways in which Fox News has reshaped the industry in its own image, and how networks like MSNBC have come to tell viewers exactly what they want to hear. Hedges also devotes a portion of his segment to Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky’s seminal book, “Manufacturing Consent,” which remains no less essential several decades after it was first published. Watch a video of their conversation above.
Your support is crucial...As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
Editorial Cartoons
Editorial Cartoons
Editorial Cartoons
Media
As campus demonstrations over the war in Gaza spread, mainstream pundits find a new way to discredit activists.
Media
Mainstream outlets bolster the legitimacy of state and corporate climate violence through decontextualizing protesters’ actions and privileging false ideas of objectivity.
Immigration
Immigrants and immigrants’ rights advocates are shut out of the horse race stories about partisan “border” one-upmanship.