A message from Jeff

A message from Jeff: As you probably know, there are some hurt feelings over at the news rooms. This is because some of the nation's liberal newspapers have gone uncommitted on presidential endorsements. No Kamala endorsement, and that's driving a lot of liberals...

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A message from Jeff - American Thinker https://t.co/eaT2b8bBmE

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) October 30, 2024

 

As you probably know, there are some hurt feelings over at the news rooms. This is because some of the nation’s liberal newspapers have gone uncommitted on presidential endorsements. No Kamala endorsement, and that’s driving a lot of liberals over the cliff.

Why didn’t the Washington Post do its usual endorsement of a Democrat? Maybe we should listen to the guy who signs their payroll checks. He is not happy with his newspaper or the state of the media.

This is the message from Jeff Bezos:

The billionaire then argued that presidential endorsements “create a perception of bias… of non-independence” and the decision to end them was a “principled decision.”

Bezos wrote he wished “we had made the change earlier than we did, in a moment further from the election and the emotions around it,” but chalked the issue to “inadequate planning” rather than “some intentional strategy.”

The Washington Post owner said there was no quid pro quo at play, and neither of the candidates or their campaigns were consulted or informed about the decision beforehand.

Bezos cited surveys showing declining public faith in the news media and framed the decision as an effort to restore trust and avoid being replaced by “off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts and other unverified news sources.”

Bezos is right on target and his comments are must reading in newsrooms. Bezos is correct that trust in the media is down, way down. Honestly, I’m not sure that the presidential endorsements have destroyed the media’s credibility. What Bezos is more concerned is the biased coverage.

And the perception that the media is in the tank for one candidate, such as VP Harris is 2024, is real.

It’s an important message from a man who obviously wants to sell more newspapers or subscriptions. I see it more as a man who sees what’s going on in the industry and doesn’t like it.

Good for Bezos.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

2016: What radio show would Orson Wells do about this election?

(My new American Thinker post)

On October 30, 1938, millions of Americans had their dinner and sat down to listen to the radio. It turned out to be a rather unusual Halloween night:

Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. But most of these Americans were listening to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy “Charlie McCarthy” on NBC and only turned to CBS at 8:12 p.m. after the comedy sketch ended and a little-known singer went on. By then, the story of the Martian invasion was well underway.

Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to “the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra.” …  An announcer broke in to report that “Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory” had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer’s field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey.

Soon, an announcer was at the crash site describing a Martian emerging from a large metallic cylinder. “Good heavens,” he declared, “something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now here’s another and another one and another one. They look like tentacles to me … I can see the thing’s body now. It’s large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather.” But that face, it… it … ladies and gentlemen, it’s indescribable…”

The Martians mounted walking war machines and fired “heat-ray” weapons at the puny humans gathered around the crash site. They annihilated a force of 7,000 National Guardsman, and after being attacked by artillery and bombers the Martians released a poisonous gas into the air. Soon “Martian cylinders” landed in Chicago and St. Louis. The radio play was extremely realistic, with Welles employing sophisticated sound effects and his actors doing an excellent job portraying terrified announcers and other characters.

They say that a million people fell for it.

Maybe a 2016 version of Orson Welles could do a radio show about a presidential candidate who used a private server as Secretary of State.    

Then he can tell us about the lady’s assistant who is married to a rather bizarre fellow addicted to sending strange texts to young women.    

And the climax of the story is when the FBI discovers that the bizarre fellow had classified information in his laptop. 

Wonder if any radio producer would buy that story? My guess is that that they would reject it on the grounds that they don’t think any candidate for president would be that stupid.

Orson, where are you when we need you?

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

October 30, 1938: Orson Wells and "The War of the worlds" radio show.

Years ago, Sunday night was radio prime time.  

Enter Orson Wells.    

On Sunday, October 30, 1038 at 8 p.m, a voice announced: 

“The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in ‘War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells.”

The broadcast was so good that people were in panic from coast to coast.  In other words, many really believed that we were being invaded by aliens.

Let me recommend that you check out the whole show.   It is one of the finest audio programs ever made.  

I can understand why so many people bought into the Martian attack.   Fantastic!    

 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Our Halloween 2019 show with Leslie Eastman

Our Halloween 2019 show with Leslie Eastman 10/31 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics:

Guest: Leslie Eastman, contributor to Legal Insurrection.......we will look at the big stories of the day. and other stories....

 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember John Adams (1735-1826)

We remember John Adams, who was born on this day in 1835.

This is what John Adams wrote to Abigail about July 4th:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.

It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.

It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

The HBO series is great.   Check it out.

It is a great story about the making of the US.   It is also a great story about a wonderful couple, John and Abigail Adams.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.