When This Blows Over

Crickey
5/7/2016 12:29 PM EDT
Lincoln's dealings with the Confederate "peace delegation" were a
masterpiece of deception. Every administration in history practices it at
some time or another. Looking at this one, the degree of deception was
objectively puny and the benefits to the US and the world, enormous.
Get over your fake indignation.
ZenMan1
5/7/2016 12:26 PM EDT
All administrations manipulate the press to their own advantage -- look
at Cheney outing Valerie Plame, and the "weapons of mass destruction"
story line in the run up to the Iraq war. Reporters must rely on "sources"
and the sources always have an agenda.
The fact that many reporters are so young and inexperienced accounts
for some of the ridiculous reporting of the 2016 election. It's also a
problem that most "journalists" are what IQ testers used to call "bright
normals." (Google IQs of Professionals) The "bright normal" person is
curious about the world and is a collector or "facts" and tidbits of
"information." However, like "normals" (who are not particularly
curious), they tend to rely on the opinions of their peers for what they
believe -- Truth is the consensus opinion of their friends.
Journalists are the "Huffington Post" of the intelligentsia for the most
part. They aren't smart enough (and are too busy) to really understand
the world they are reporting on, so they rely on reporting "both sides"
even handedly without having the smarts or perseverance to cut through
to what's really going on. So, Trump and Sanders are both "populists,"
and Hillary is a "liar" because a generation of Republican spin doctors
has been smearing her and there must be some truth to what they're
saying, right? "Bright normals" are often cynical but seldom insightful.