The sounds of silence

Readers voice support for diverse political voices and fear the results of a muzzled media

Media bias spawns propaganda

I WAS GRATIFIED to see that the Journal’s Aug. 4 opinion section had two columns addressing the subject of propaganda, a timely and important issue. Cal Thomas (“Journalists’ liberal bias harms the profession and the country”) discusses the relentless anti-Trump bias of mainstream journalistic outlets such as The New York Times, using examples to show that “a line of decency ... has apparently been erased for the Trump administration.” He concludes that “Journalism that mostly promotes a single worldview and disparages all others is not journalism. It is propaganda.” Although his focus is on print journalism, mainstream television displays similar propagandistic tendencies in the age of Trump.

Diane Diamond (“Don’t be duped by social media propaganda”) also discusses propaganda in our time, although her focus is on Facebook and the allegations of Russian attempts to infiltrate Facebook and influence American politics and elections.

Robert Mueller’s investigation has said a Russian Troll Farm and 13 Russian nationals attempted to influence the 2016 election, and more recently Facebook has said it has discovered a new secret campaign on Facebook to “spread divisive political messages across the United States.” Although Facebook also said there is no evidence of Russian involvement in the recent political campaign, it is nonetheless being linked to Russia, by Diamond and others.

As someone who has regularly read The New York Times for over 40 years, and who is also a regular participant in Facebook, I am in a good position to evaluate these two discussions of propaganda. Like Thomas, I have been appalled and dismayed by the demise of journalistic standards at The New York Times and other mainstream journalistic outlets in the age of Trump.

Their relentless anti-Trump bias, with constant editorializing even on front page news stories, borders on lunacy. Few competing views are printed. To call their coverage propaganda is not hyperbole. I am not a Trump supporter, but I can see that the coverage of him and his administration in the mainstream media is far from being “fair and balanced.”

Facebook, on the other hand, is a forum where many different political views are presented and discussed. The recent allegations that some Facebook users are spreading “divisive political messages” is not surprising; indeed, many Facebook users are presenting diverse political messages and discussing them with others who may share their political viewpoint or disagree with it. This is what democracy looks like. Far from undermining democracy, Facebook promotes democratic interaction. There are billions of Facebook users around the world, and the paranoid focus on the alleged attempts of 13 Russian nationals to influence the 2016 election is absurd. I read many diverse opinions on Facebook, but I draw my own conclusions about what I believe to be happening in the world.

In my opinion, mainstream journalism is challenging and attempting to undermine Facebook because the diversity of political opinion on Facebook challenges their monolithic political viewpoint. Thanks to the Journal for printing diverse political views on its opinion pages and for maintaining journalistic standards of objectivity in its news reporting. The opportunity to read and discuss diverse views is the antidote to propaganda.

BEVERLY BURRIS Albuquerque

What makes all the ‘fake news’ fake?

IF YOU SUPPORT Trump, please don’t let the fact that I am strongly opposed to him stop you from continuing to read this letter. In fact, I implore you to respond.

Please address my greatest fear about Trump: His steady attack of the press. Tell me, how is his labeling of the free press as the “enemy of the people” any different than that same attack by dictators Mao, Lenin, Stalin and Hitler?

You must believe his characterization of news pieces critical of him as “fake news.” When the Albuquerque Journal publishes a piece that describes Trump’s odd support of Putin, is that “fake”? Or is a piece about Trump’s illicit sexual dalliances “fake”? Was his admission to NBC’s Lester Holt that he fired FBI director (James) Comey because of the “Russia thing” “fake”? Was his administration’s decision to separate children from their parents “fake”?

And please tell me, how can our country remain free when the president seeks to destroy perhaps the greatest component of the free country?

JANE GAGNE Albuquerque

All types of bias undermine journalism

CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST Cal Thomas (Aug. 4) makes the point that biased journalism is a threat to our country, both causing and perpetuating a plethora of ills. It is a point well taken, except he limits the problem to only liberal bias. It is biases of any nature, including conservative, that taint journalism.

Thomas further states that journalism is the only profession “that doesn’t seem to care what its readers and viewers think,” which I find perplexing. I have noticed just the opposite and consider catering to readers the biggest challenge confronting the news profession today. So much these days is about ratings and staying in business. Newsrooms across the country are experiencing pressure to please noisy, irate customers — however unreasonable — and some appear to be succumbing to the pressure — especially when they identify with the anger. It weakens journalism every time they do this.

Toward the end of his column Thomas makes the welcome point that what our country needs is strong journalism. I couldn’t agree more — “strong journalism” meaning respecting people’s desire to want truthful news, honestly presented, so we can make up our own minds. This is what makes America great: strong, good people of honor thinking for ourselves.

I shake my head at what Thomas seems to think strong journalism is. Yet he’s saying the right words! Even the president of our country, who keeps tweeting the most outlandish lies, says he wants only truth.

A popularity-driven, biased news system full of lies is the biggest threat to journalism because it insults us all. Those who do it assume we’re not capable people of honor but a bunch of patsies who want to be mollified and coddled.

It looks like it’s up to us to prove them wrong — including the conservatively biased Thomas and President Trump — by maintaining our vision of the truthful, strong, trustworthy journalism we deserve.

LINDA BAIRSTOW Albuquerque