Update: 2/27/2025 The Associated Press has been barred from White House pressers; CBS was forced to settle a lawsuit over an interview with Kamala Harris; the owner of the Washington Post, billionaire Jeff Bezos, has taken over the Washington Post editorial page and will permit no dissent.
The free press is the last line of defense of democracy threatened by a president who now boasts he is a king. The free press is key to America becoming aware of the danger and the fallout that will also harm the very lives of American citizens. Without a free press, voters will not even know that they have been hurt by whom, much less be able to mount a resistance. Trump thinks he can lie, and he can get away with it because his loyal followers will believe any thing he says. Grisham: Trump ‘knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe’ That is what it is like to live in a dictatorahip.
: "Modern-day dictators have gained the power they seek because they have used modern technology to spin and mind-control their way to their position. .They spin the news to engineer their support" "The central goal remains the same: to monopolize political power. But today’s strongmen realize that in current conditions, violence is not always necessary or even helpful. Instead of terrorizing citizens, a skillful ruler can control them by reshaping their beliefs about the world. He can fool people into compliance and even enthusiastic approval. In place of harsh repression, the new dictators manipulate information. Like spin doctors in a democracy, they spin the news to support. They are spin dictators." How Do Dictatorships Survive in the 21st Century? | Andrew Carnegie Fellows | Carnegie Corporation of New York
The update at the end of the original posts poses a question:: Is American media beginning to self-censor? The update addresses differences in reporting Trump's mass deportation raids and media coverage compared with British coverage that puts it in a more realistic and accurate context. I have just subscribed to Reuters and I contribute to the Guardian. I will tap British press as a way to point out how American media is trying to keep in good graces under his threat of delicensing media of which he disapproves. CBS staff alarmed by reports of settlement talks with Trump over ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview | Business | kten.com
Original post continues: For those concerned with oligopoly control of media, there are some very pertinent recent articles and opinion pieces. The dire warning: he who owns and controls the message controls minds and public opinion. My own views of oligopoly, and another large body of references, go to the updated version, 1/16/2025,MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: New resistance opportunity arises: Rule by oligarchs and class warfare updated 1 14 and 16 2025 the day after Biden's farewell address warning us of oligopolies destroying democracy. The free press is key to America becoming aware of the danger and the fallout that will also harm the very lives of American citizens. Without a free press, voters will not even know that they have been hurt by whom, much less mount a resistance to such control. Here are some references to this issue.
Gullible voters? Trump thinks he could play you. Grisham: Trump ‘knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe’ His concept of common sense is what promotes him and his oligopoly of the rich, not the same as the rest of us. Modern-day dictators have gained the power they seek because they have used modern technology to spin and mind-control their way to their position. "The central goal remains the same: to monopolize political power. But today’s strongmen realize that in current conditions, violence is not always necessary or even helpful. Instead of terrorizing citizens, a skillful ruler can control them by reshaping their beliefs about the world. He can fool people into compliance and even enthusiastic approval. In place of harsh repression, the new dictators manipulate information. Like spin doctors in a democracy, they spin the news to engineer support. They are spin dictators. How Do Dictatorships Survive in the 21st Century? | Andrew Carnegie Fellows | Carnegie Corporation of New York
Update version 1/16/2025: MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: New resistance opportunity arises: Rule by oligarchs and class warfare updated 1 14 and 16 2025
Beware. A warning to gullible voters who only listen to media they trust:\ https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4394676-grisham-trump-knows-he-can-basically-say-anything-and-his-base-will-believe/
MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Social media fans Zucked again? Update 1 14 2025
Donald Trump has threatened to shut down broadcasters, but can he?
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