this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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politics

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The fact is that there is almost no more important job for the news media than to demand answers to these sorts of questions before a president takes the country to war.

There is also some context specific to Trump: He’s erratic, deranged, and impulsive. There can be no assumption that this is a reasoned decision. Journalists should make that clear as well.

And did no one learn the lessons from the cowardly, cheerleading mainstream-media coverage of the run-up to the Iraq War? I’m really agog at how understated the coverage is.

As I wrote last June, I believe journalists have a particular obligation to inform the public about the dangers and horrors of war. They are a repository of certain truths about war: That it is horrible; that it is easier to get into a war than get out of it; that war is often entered into under false pretenses; that when it comes to war, governments lie.

This time though our intentions are pure and war is going to work!

top 22 comments
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[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I see articles about Iran on the the front pages of NYTimes, CNN, and even CBS News. Some have multiple articles and have Iran in their ticker.

This presswatchers.org site has one article about Iran on their front page. The article linked doesn't do any actual journalism, and summarzes the work actual journalists have done.

Trump has been asked questions on Iran, but not by anyone at "presswatchers.org" which appears to be the personal blog of some guy called Dan Froomkin who doesn't appear to be doing any actual journalism. He just sits around complaining about the news being too fact based and not having enough opinion in it.

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

What in the critical thinking is going on here?

[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 hour ago

If you've been indoctrinated by fascist American culture you probably think it's completely normal to constantly attack the free press at every opportunity.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

i feel like it should be illegal to take a country to war to cover up the fact that you're a child rapist.

[–] Cosmonauticus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Since when has America held itself to a standard?

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

This is very likely to happen, especially if you remember in 2022 Putin waited until the end of the winter Olympics to invade Ukraine I would not be surprised at all if Trump waits for the current winter Olympics to end on the 22nd to strike Iran.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Except trump craves publicity so it'd be on brand for him to do anything to upstage something else in the news

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 7 hours ago

Could have just stopped after the eighth word and the headline would have been equally accurate.

Mainstream media, especially legacy media, have utterly failed the "don't make fascism the new normal" test by continuing to pretend that every bald faced political lie is a normal difference of opinion consistent with regular Reagan conservatism 🤬

[–] fox2263@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

Trumps Special Military Operation.

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 27 points 11 hours ago

They aren't failing us they are following the plan.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

Shit, they've been failing for decades. The Murc's Law Media filled with reactionary centrists is largely why Pedonald is even in office at all...

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 15 points 11 hours ago

Saying that they're failing us buys in to the lie that their goal is to inform us of the facts. That isn't their goals. They are bought, owned and controlled by the ruling class.

[–] dizzle18@lemmy.zip 16 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

What the fuck else is new? They’ve been failing us for decades now.

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 1 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

What is new is our righteousness of spirit! God is on OUR side this time!

I think

[–] green_goglin@thelemmy.club 3 points 8 hours ago

They’re publicly traded for profit companies

[–] Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 hours ago

Chomsky silent on this one as he hopes for a distraction from the Epstein files too.

[–] theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 8 hours ago

The US media has always been a loyal servant of empire.

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

You mean the liberal media? /s

LoL.

The right wing arm.of the government won't cover it unless it makes Der Furher look good.

[–] yesman@lemmy.world -1 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

i mean both things can be true; it is a distraction and the media doesn't care enough to cover it (because the media loves war coverage)