Brad, another clear and illuminating article. I really appreciate your work in chronicling what’s happening in our insane world- it helps keep me sane.
And your eloquence and patience even prevailed against the barrage of lunacy that someone let loose. An admirable trait that I wish I had more of!
Where are the protests in the Arab world against Hamas for killing all those Palestinians civilians?
The fact that they are NOT protesting in the streets to denounce Hamas is all the evidence we need to understand that the Arab world cares not about the Palestinians. All the Palestinians are is an expendable proxy pawn for their hatred of Israel and their dreams of wiping Jews off the earth so they don't continue to get reminded that, without oil revenue, their mediaeval culture would relegate them as camel herders and maybe pistachio and olive farmers.
The same can be said about all the educated liberals protesting in the BLM movement... and then demanding we defund the cops. They don't really care about black communities. It is all about their hatred of conservatives... generally the hard working part of our society... so they, the educated liberals, don't continue to get reminded that they are worth less to society and less accomplished than are their mommy and daddy.
Thank you for pointing out the BLM/defund the police connection. The people who demand eternal “Palestinian resistance” (or, for that matter, the ones who believe a fully independent Palestinian state would last more than 15 minutes without turning into a failed state jihadist hell-hole) are the same ones who think removing police from Baltimore will magically create a peaceful utopia.
My theory is that the influencers and power are comprised of people lacking normal self control themselves and this is why they stay in school longer and slime their way to looter careers...they hate those that demonstrate success derived from self control and productive enterprise (Israel) and advocate for out of control people. They care more about this resentment they have against people that have their shit together than the harm their out of control actions cause others.
I think especially professors who often get to opt out of free market competition through tenure are often jealous of entrepreneurs and other successful people, especially those without a formal degree. They think themselves the smartest and are angered that they aren't also the richest and most respected members of society.
I think BLM is an apt comparison in some way, it also seems that a lot of BLM supporters care not iota about a black person killed by another black person. Same usually seems to go for Muslims killing Muslims. Or rather they only care if there is some way to blame a white person or the West for it. You also see this with e.g. Russia or China pointing to war crimes and human rights abuses in the West, they don't actually give a shit, they just use it as a propaganda tool.
I think it's good though if the West actually holds themselves to a higher standard, and I think that starts at home. There ought to be a good dose of conservatism, to really hold fast to the principles and values that made us more successful in the past.
Will there ever be any accountability for this in reporting a claim so completely ridiculous?
Of course not. It’s important for the mainstream media to keep their 7 year streak of getting every major story 180 degrees incorrect.
But I’ve now learned that no one at the New York Times knows that a JDAM doesn’t just light cars on fire in a parking lot.
The people saying “well it’s not completely inexcusable because Israel kills civilians with bombs all the time, and we blew up weddings accidently” are falling into a mental trap.
I obviously like the Kurds better than ISIS. If in 2014 there was a report from the Kurds that ISIS flew the missing Malaysian airliner to the South Pole then slaughtered everyone on board, I’d say “I mean yeah they’re bad but I’m gonna need some rock solid evidence to back that up.”
I seldom believe all I hear or see. But this hospital account has me pulling my hair out! Admittedly a news junkie, I've been on a news detox for 10 days, so when I first heard about the hospital "attack" there was already doubt about what was fired and by whom. But that was more than 12 hours ago, and throughout the day more corrections were made such as it was an errant firing, only the parking lot was hit, etc. Seeking truth, I broke my news fast only to find several popular conservative outlets (Newsmax, OAN, Epoch Times, Fox, Gateway Pundit) are still purporting hospital devastation and huge death toll along with personal accounts of killed family members. I don't know which "facts" are real or who to believe anymore. This is exactly why I have removed myself from news since Oct 7. Unfortunately, I'll probably need to add related Substack articles to my detox regime.
I think the distinction is always that they're just spreading other people's misinformation instead of engaging in it themselves, that's why the headline includes "Palestinians say" - although the word Palestinian is also doing some heavy lifting, you wouldn't quote Bin Laden and write "Saudi Arabians say".
Whether it's a terrorist snafu, a Ukranian Rocket hitting Poland, the Nordstream pipelines blowing up, the Trump-Russia hoax, Saddams WMD or whatever else, large swaths of the media unquestionably repeat the narrative if it serves them. And then they lament that people don't trust them or institutions anymore while they only edit the lies they peddle a little bit instead of admitting where they were wrong.
Don't trust anyone who never admitted being wrong about something and never said "I don't know".
I remember when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-head of ISIS, was killed by US special forces during the Trump administration and the Washington Post titled "Austere religious scholar dies at 48".
Thank you Brad. Superb summation and analysis (as always) of both the event and the aftermath. How will this era of craziness and untruth end? Not well, methinks.
Thank you for the clearest and most credible overview of this that I have seen so far...(by a long way). The UK MSM has been just as shameful by the way.
I was interested to see a legitimately journalistic comment from Conor Friedersdorf (as a tweet). I've always had a soft spot for him to after he produced the very best quote from the 2008 financial crash.
"It's wrong to create a mortgage-backed security filled with loans you know are going to fail so that you can sell it to a client who isn't aware that you sabotaged it by intentionally picking the misleadingly rated loans most likely to be defaulted upon."
I love how everyone demands that Israel play by the rules and “de-escalate.” It’s like the bully who takes a cheap shot at someone and then cries and throws a fit when a punch is returned. If all Israelis are targets, then all Palestinians should be targets.
Absolutely. And probably not with as much restraint. Israel knows all eyes are on them and so many groups/countries/people are looking for any reason to make Israel the bad guy.
Thank you for writing this. What is the solution? Replace the media? Can someone create a new news source that just reports without editorializing or curating the facts? At one point, I thought Fox did that. But now they, too, have been suborned. A new News needs to stand up. Elon suggests citizen journalism. Would that be enough?
I'm at a loss as well. Gallup came out with another poll recently showing trust in media continues to fall. Can only go so low before something changes, I hope.
So impressed by this article - came to it via a link in the comments of another Substack (Covid and Coffee). I really appreciate the lack of invective and hyperbole, combined with the through presentation. I look forward to reading more of your work.
Max Blumenthal was trying to access whether the Israeli's, or Hamas hit the hospital yesterday while observing the footage of the attack. He came to no definitive conclusion in that regard one way or the other at this point. However be assured that most in the media will claim it was a Hamas hit. The NY Post already did, and did so from the beginning and be reassured most if not all American media will reach the same conclusion. Same happened when we went into all those wars based on all those lies. At first some of the opposition was given a minimal voice here there, but shut out soon after which allowed us to go on our merry way to mass slaughter. I hope it doesn't happen here..
Brad, another clear and illuminating article. I really appreciate your work in chronicling what’s happening in our insane world- it helps keep me sane.
And your eloquence and patience even prevailed against the barrage of lunacy that someone let loose. An admirable trait that I wish I had more of!
Where are the protests in the Arab world against Hamas for killing all those Palestinians civilians?
The fact that they are NOT protesting in the streets to denounce Hamas is all the evidence we need to understand that the Arab world cares not about the Palestinians. All the Palestinians are is an expendable proxy pawn for their hatred of Israel and their dreams of wiping Jews off the earth so they don't continue to get reminded that, without oil revenue, their mediaeval culture would relegate them as camel herders and maybe pistachio and olive farmers.
The same can be said about all the educated liberals protesting in the BLM movement... and then demanding we defund the cops. They don't really care about black communities. It is all about their hatred of conservatives... generally the hard working part of our society... so they, the educated liberals, don't continue to get reminded that they are worth less to society and less accomplished than are their mommy and daddy.
Thank you for pointing out the BLM/defund the police connection. The people who demand eternal “Palestinian resistance” (or, for that matter, the ones who believe a fully independent Palestinian state would last more than 15 minutes without turning into a failed state jihadist hell-hole) are the same ones who think removing police from Baltimore will magically create a peaceful utopia.
My theory is that the influencers and power are comprised of people lacking normal self control themselves and this is why they stay in school longer and slime their way to looter careers...they hate those that demonstrate success derived from self control and productive enterprise (Israel) and advocate for out of control people. They care more about this resentment they have against people that have their shit together than the harm their out of control actions cause others.
I think especially professors who often get to opt out of free market competition through tenure are often jealous of entrepreneurs and other successful people, especially those without a formal degree. They think themselves the smartest and are angered that they aren't also the richest and most respected members of society.
Absolutely
I think BLM is an apt comparison in some way, it also seems that a lot of BLM supporters care not iota about a black person killed by another black person. Same usually seems to go for Muslims killing Muslims. Or rather they only care if there is some way to blame a white person or the West for it. You also see this with e.g. Russia or China pointing to war crimes and human rights abuses in the West, they don't actually give a shit, they just use it as a propaganda tool.
I think it's good though if the West actually holds themselves to a higher standard, and I think that starts at home. There ought to be a good dose of conservatism, to really hold fast to the principles and values that made us more successful in the past.
My Substack of over 65 writers has been largely a single issue feed for the last 10 days.
This is the best piece on the hospital / media hypocricsy issue bat none.
Thank you!
Will there ever be any accountability for this in reporting a claim so completely ridiculous?
Of course not. It’s important for the mainstream media to keep their 7 year streak of getting every major story 180 degrees incorrect.
But I’ve now learned that no one at the New York Times knows that a JDAM doesn’t just light cars on fire in a parking lot.
The people saying “well it’s not completely inexcusable because Israel kills civilians with bombs all the time, and we blew up weddings accidently” are falling into a mental trap.
I obviously like the Kurds better than ISIS. If in 2014 there was a report from the Kurds that ISIS flew the missing Malaysian airliner to the South Pole then slaughtered everyone on board, I’d say “I mean yeah they’re bad but I’m gonna need some rock solid evidence to back that up.”
I seldom believe all I hear or see. But this hospital account has me pulling my hair out! Admittedly a news junkie, I've been on a news detox for 10 days, so when I first heard about the hospital "attack" there was already doubt about what was fired and by whom. But that was more than 12 hours ago, and throughout the day more corrections were made such as it was an errant firing, only the parking lot was hit, etc. Seeking truth, I broke my news fast only to find several popular conservative outlets (Newsmax, OAN, Epoch Times, Fox, Gateway Pundit) are still purporting hospital devastation and huge death toll along with personal accounts of killed family members. I don't know which "facts" are real or who to believe anymore. This is exactly why I have removed myself from news since Oct 7. Unfortunately, I'll probably need to add related Substack articles to my detox regime.
I think the distinction is always that they're just spreading other people's misinformation instead of engaging in it themselves, that's why the headline includes "Palestinians say" - although the word Palestinian is also doing some heavy lifting, you wouldn't quote Bin Laden and write "Saudi Arabians say".
Whether it's a terrorist snafu, a Ukranian Rocket hitting Poland, the Nordstream pipelines blowing up, the Trump-Russia hoax, Saddams WMD or whatever else, large swaths of the media unquestionably repeat the narrative if it serves them. And then they lament that people don't trust them or institutions anymore while they only edit the lies they peddle a little bit instead of admitting where they were wrong.
Don't trust anyone who never admitted being wrong about something and never said "I don't know".
I remember when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the then-head of ISIS, was killed by US special forces during the Trump administration and the Washington Post titled "Austere religious scholar dies at 48".
Thank you Brad. Superb summation and analysis (as always) of both the event and the aftermath. How will this era of craziness and untruth end? Not well, methinks.
Thank you for the clearest and most credible overview of this that I have seen so far...(by a long way). The UK MSM has been just as shameful by the way.
I was interested to see a legitimately journalistic comment from Conor Friedersdorf (as a tweet). I've always had a soft spot for him to after he produced the very best quote from the 2008 financial crash.
Found it:
"It's wrong to create a mortgage-backed security filled with loans you know are going to fail so that you can sell it to a client who isn't aware that you sabotaged it by intentionally picking the misleadingly rated loans most likely to be defaulted upon."
Tardigrade, do you happen to know the "Tardigrade Song" written by Cosmo Sheldrake? It's all about that adorable water bear!
Thanks! And then there's this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsStKuWHI_c
Thanks for the video. Informative and funny too. "Tardigrade don't give a crap!"
If tardigrade give a crap, it's a glittery one.
🤣🤣🤣 Prettiest crap I ever seen!
I put that entire quote on a big sign and waved it around at local Occupy protests. It's a fondly remembered experience, despite the 17° temperatures.
Came pretty close to starting WWIII just for their vanity
The good news is the reputation economy revolution is starting right here on the Stacks.
I have equal parts contempt and hope.
I think they're in spasmodic death throes.
I love how everyone demands that Israel play by the rules and “de-escalate.” It’s like the bully who takes a cheap shot at someone and then cries and throws a fit when a punch is returned. If all Israelis are targets, then all Palestinians should be targets.
The reality is that any country in the world would respond the way Israel is responding.
Absolutely. And probably not with as much restraint. Israel knows all eyes are on them and so many groups/countries/people are looking for any reason to make Israel the bad guy.
Thank you for writing this. What is the solution? Replace the media? Can someone create a new news source that just reports without editorializing or curating the facts? At one point, I thought Fox did that. But now they, too, have been suborned. A new News needs to stand up. Elon suggests citizen journalism. Would that be enough?
I'm at a loss as well. Gallup came out with another poll recently showing trust in media continues to fall. Can only go so low before something changes, I hope.
" She then proceeded to storm the Capitol building with protestors in tow."
Quick, we need a House Committee to investigate insurrection.
So impressed by this article - came to it via a link in the comments of another Substack (Covid and Coffee). I really appreciate the lack of invective and hyperbole, combined with the through presentation. I look forward to reading more of your work.
Max Blumenthal was trying to access whether the Israeli's, or Hamas hit the hospital yesterday while observing the footage of the attack. He came to no definitive conclusion in that regard one way or the other at this point. However be assured that most in the media will claim it was a Hamas hit. The NY Post already did, and did so from the beginning and be reassured most if not all American media will reach the same conclusion. Same happened when we went into all those wars based on all those lies. At first some of the opposition was given a minimal voice here there, but shut out soon after which allowed us to go on our merry way to mass slaughter. I hope it doesn't happen here..
https://normanfinkelstein.substack.com/p/israel-would-never-target-medical Here'a few good reasons why some you reference and no doubt from independent media may feel it's quite plausible that Israel did hit the hospital since it has quite a history, when it comes to things medical.