What does a BIDEN Presidency look like?

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Another sign of the enormous danger we put ourselves in with these unaccountable and unelected people controlling massive amounts of the world's wealth. What happens when these "individuals" send their "charity" to our enemies? Billions of American dollars used to destroy our own people.

This is easy.  Either we make it legal or we make it illegal.

Nothing is easy in your Congress...

[Admiral Yi]

Another sign of the enormous danger we put ourselves in with these unaccountable and unelected people controlling massive amounts of the world's wealth. What happens when these "individuals" send their "charity" to our enemies? Billions of American dollars used to destroy our own people.

This is easy.  Either we make it legal or we make it illegal.

Nothing is easy in your Congress...

I was not responding to Valmy in Congress.

[Razgovory]

Valmy for Congress!

[Caliga]

Valmy for Congress!

I'd vote for him if he drops his support for the Washington Football Team or whatever dumb name they now have.

[Barrister]

Aren't most major media outlets in the US owned by GOP sympathizing oligarchs?

Conspiracy much?

Almost all "major media outlets" are all public companies, not owned by anyone in particular.  Disney(ABC), Comcast(NBC), Paramount(CBS), Warner Bros Discovery (CNN).

And not quite clear what you mean by "major media outlets" so I focused on the big TV channels.  But you can also look at NYT (NYT), Jeff Bezos/Amazon (Wash Post), Netflix, Apple, Sony... but again other than Bezos none controlled by any one oligarch, and in the case of Bezos he's definitely not a GOP sympathizer.

FOX is the only one you can say that about - controlled by the Murdoch family, who is Australian but yes GOP sympathizing.

So look I'm all here for media criticizing.  You can even argue that the way the US media covers the US election is in some ways benefitting Trump.  But it's definitely not because the media is "owned by GOP sympathizing oligarchs".

Small correction - the New York Times is privately held and not a public company.  The only one on my list.  It's controlled by the Sulzberger family - who again would never be accused of being GOP-sympathizing.

[Sheilbh]

In terms of digital content these are the top 20 news sites in the US:

1    nytimes.com   
2    cnn.com   
3    foxnews.com   
4    msn.com   
5    people.com   
6    nypost.com   
7    finance.yahoo.com   
8    news.google.com   
9    usatoday.com   
10    dailymail.co.uk   
11    bbc.com   
12    washingtonpost.com   
13    apnews.com   
14    forbes.com   
15    cnbc.com   
16    newsweek.com   
17    nbcnews.com   
18    cbsnews.com   
19    news.yahoo.com   
20    theguardian.com

One thing worth flagging is that the NYT is on 500 million monthly pageviews, CNN on about 400 million and hen Fox and MSN (who knew?! ) both on about 250 million. The slots in 5 to 20 is a far narrower gap from about 150 million for People to about 80 million for the Guardian.

I'd add the big gaping hole in this are things like the Apple News app on devices which is a huge presence (and problem for publishers) in digital media - but editorially they explicitly focus on things like climate which are not likely to align with GOP talking points.

[crazy canuck]

Whatever piece of human anatomy that is holding things up, let's fix that.  Because the moment Elon Musk personally intervened to limit the scope of use of Starlink by Ukraine, he took control over a significant piece of American foreign and defense policy.

This particular piece of American foreign and defense policy was an act of individual charity. 

Another sign of the enormous danger we put ourselves in with these unaccountable and unelected people controlling massive amounts of the world's wealth. What happens when these "individuals" send their "charity" to our enemies? Billions of American dollars used to destroy our own people.

Yeah, Yi unwittingly presented the best argument for the US taking control.

[Barrister]

In terms of digital content these are the top 20 news sites in the US:

1    nytimes.com   
2    cnn.com   
3    foxnews.com   
4    msn.com   
5    people.com   
6    nypost.com   
7    finance.yahoo.com   
8    news.google.com   
9    usatoday.com   
10    dailymail.co.uk   
11    bbc.com   
12    washingtonpost.com   
13    apnews.com   
14    forbes.com   
15    cnbc.com   
16    newsweek.com   
17    nbcnews.com   
18    cbsnews.com   
19    news.yahoo.com   
20    theguardian.com

One thing worth flagging is that the NYT is on 500 million monthly pageviews, CNN on about 400 million and hen Fox and MSN (who knew?! ) both on about 250 million. The slots in 5 to 20 is a far narrower gap from about 150 million for People to about 80 million for the Guardian.

I'd add the big gaping hole in this are things like the Apple News app on devices which is a huge presence (and problem for publishers) in digital media - but editorially they explicitly focus on things like climate which are not likely to align with GOP talking points.

OK - but other than Murdoch-owned properties (NY Post and Fox) are any of the rest owned by "GOP-leaning oligarchs"?

The only one I can maybe see is Forbes (Steve Forbes did run for President twice in the GOP) but Forbes itself was sold to a Hong Kong based investment group, and although Steve Forbes remains as chairman I've never thought of Forbes as being particularly right-leaning.

[Sheilbh]

I don't think so. The Daily Mail, including their US site is owned by the Rothermere family (they recently de-listed). It is mainly celebrity news but to the extent there's politics broadly pro-GOP. The Washington Post, I suppose, depends on how you view Bezos.

But I take Sophie's point on local press which is perhaps particularly relevant as local news tends to have a higher level of trust.

[Barrister]

I don't think so. The Daily Mail, including their US site is owned by the Rothermere family (they recently de-listed). It is mainly celebrity news but to the extent there's politics broadly pro-GOP. The Washington Post, I suppose, depends on how you view Bezos.

But I take Sophie's point on local press which is perhaps particularly relevant as local news tends to have a higher level of trust.

Under Bezos the WaPo changed it's tagline to "Democracy Dies in Darkness".  I think we can safely exclude him from being pro-Trump.

I mean I guess the one other example of a "pro-GOP oligarch" would be Elon - but that's a social media company, not a news outlet.

[Norgy]

Is there any chance of "geriatricy" becoming a system of rule? Oldest and least mentally ill person gets a term.

I am not dropping by to just spite or ridicule, quite the opposite, I am deeply concerned. It is not like things are ship-shape in Norway, or in Europe.

For five years I have worked in the press. And I am fairly certain that my sector is a huge part of the problem. It is not "fake news", but rather how we report and that on a 24-hour news cycle, we tend to go for easy headlines. I have three items to deliver every day and they should be read by so-so many, else I have failed. I can only imagine how it works in larger media houses.
In my first stint, back in the late 90s, editors were happy if we managed to produce one good piece in a day.

I won't go for the easy explanation that talk media has polarised us all. It has contributed, but only because there are unresolved and often ignored deep divisions in our societies. Take Italy. Oh, no, they went fascist. WELL ONLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN LUMBERED WITH EVERY DAMNED IMMIGRANT CROSSING THE MED AND NO OTHER COUNTRY HAS GIVEN AS MUCH AS LIRE TO HELP. We also suffer under the growing expectation of what life is going to be like. I did. I am content with being average and being alive. But when you are being told from a young age that you can be anything you want, you're going to be disappointed. It is inevitable. Because competition will be there, whether you vote left, right, centre or not vote at all.

What happened, in my humble view, is that democracy sort of hit a brick wall after the financial crash and the end of the good times, and we are back to class struggle and infighting. Those are not savvy insights.

That said, I think we should still vote.

[Norgy]

Under Bezos the WaPo changed it's tagline to "Democracy Dies in Darkness".  I think we can safely exclude him from being pro-Trump.

I mean I guess the one other example of a "pro-GOP oligarch" would be Elon - but that's a social media company, not a news outlet.

WaPo is a solid newspaper with editorial freedom.
/journalist

[Jacob]

Norgy

[Jacob]

Okay, I officially accept that the answer to my question "aren't most major media outlets in the US owned by GOP sympathizing oligarchs?" is "no, not when it comes to national media."

With respect to local media it does seem to be the case, though... correct?

[Syt]

Norgs.