June 17, 2022

CNN's new president Chris Licht wants staff to staff to stop saying "big lie" and just say "Trump election lie" or "election lies."

Mediate reports.
On a Tuesday conference call with management and show executive producers, Licht was asked for his thoughts on 'the big lie'.... According to a source, Licht argued that using “the big lie” makes the mistake of adopting branding used by the Democratic Party, thereby weakening the objectivity of the network....

That is, the problem is not the blithe evocation of Hitler, but the similarity to Democratic Party branding. To denounce the Hitler analogy would be to impugn the Democratic Party. Licht apparently just thinks CNN is better off looking less partisan.

“It’s worrisome that we’re being told how to talk about one of the worst things that ever happened to American democracy,” a CNN insider told Mediaite. “We have to call lies, lies, whether they’re small lies or big lies. Is there any lie bigger than that lie?”

But Licht endorsed the use of the word "lie," and this insider is acting as though "big lie" isn't a term of art.

Here's how Joseph Goebbels put it:

The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.

And here's the what Goebbels is often said to have said:

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State. 

Whether he actually said that or not, that is what the term of art "the big lie" has come to mean. In that view, what Trump has been saying about the 2020 election is obviously not an example of the big lie. It's important to maintain the distinction, because we ought to worry that he might have wanted to do something like that. But don't just assert that he did.

71 comments:

David Begley said...

CNN objective? That’s the Big Lie.

gilbar said...

He just, apparently, thinks CNN is better off looking less partisan.

yes! Optics are The Thing!! It's one thing for CNN to BE partisan.. But another to LOOK partisan.
At least, we want CNN to look LESS partisan

rhhardin said...

it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness.

That's the actual origin of dickhead. G dick = thick.

Temujin said...

How do we know it's a lie? I mean, beside the media universally using the word "debunked"? New information comes out almost weekly from states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Hell...Georgia is having 'issues' again with their recent primary election- again the issue being the Dominion machines and improper certification. Pennsylvania? Well...they seem to be hurrying to become our first 3rd world state in their election approach. The recent primary? Ballots in late? No problem. No date? No problem. No signature? No problem.

A big lie? No. Just no coverage and no investigation from CNN or any of our media 'stars'.

Licht is trying to slowly move CNN from a far left, highly partisan stand to a left sided, more lightly partisan stand. Not calling it The Big Lie is only good if anyone is actually watching them. His goal is to make it less painful to watch. It's a hefty project.

David Begley said...

“Is there any lie bigger than that lie?”

For one, the Russia hoax. But the Biggest Lie is the CAGW scam that has actually killed people in Texas, will cause more blackouts this summer and has already cost us trillions.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

“The biggest” is Trump development lingo into the political landscape. Frankly, “the big lie” in Trump world falls short.

Balfegor said...

But Licht endorsed the use of the word "lie," and this insider is acting as though "big lie" isn't a term of art.

It is also possible the insider isn't just playing dumb but literally doesn't realise that "big lie" is a term of art. What would be the point if the reader/listener knows the history of the term in English? It would be like insisting that all one meant by "peace in our time" was the literal meaning of the words. I can't think of any good examples (other than that Ben Rhodes quote making fun of how incredibly ignorant journalists are) but particularly on Twitter I occasionally find myself surprised by gaps in reporters' basic knowledge.

Mike Sylwester said...

In 2022, professional journalists do not used the word allegedly or other such careful words.

Instead, now in 2022, professional journalists use the expression big lie and other such blatant-propaganda expressions.

wendybar said...

CNN fucked themselves. There is no one else to blame. The same can be said about MSDNC, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR and PBS. Too bad, so sad. They let politics get in the way of the truth, and NOBODY trusts them anymore.

Breezy said...

If any term deserves the qualifier “without evidence”, it’s “The Big Lie”.

Enigma said...

Trump was probably most blunt and honest-as-he-saw-it public figure in my lifetime, but also fatally naive about the lack of good faith and sincerity around him. He was trying to be a do-gooder patriot as he saw it. So, the psychopaths in D.C. of both parties started projecting their own very real sins on him and employing the "best defense is a good offense" strategy. Lies were their mildest sins.

Trump's reaction to the 2020 election was either (1) sincere but self-deluded and thereby absolutely not a lie, or (2) correct about cheating but unprovable because he made too many enemies (e.g., see John McCain's funeral and immediate installation as an establishment saint). I have no evidence to decide which is correct.

CNN was a useful propaganda tool a few years back, but they are no longer needed. The current owner is scraping up whatever profit remains in its residue.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

but just a pinch off from Democrat party talking points. LOL.

Shoeless Joe said...

I'm assuming nobody on the conference call asked whether the Dems' assertion that both Hillary and Al Gore had their elections stolen from them constituted a Big Lie as well. If not why not?

D.D. Driver said...

"He was trying to be a do-gooder patriot as he saw it"

Definitely. I've said all along Trump combines the virtues of Jesus Christ (except he has way better ratings in Pennsylvania!) with the courage of George Washington (except Trump is less of a pussy).

But above all, Trump will be remembered for his honesty.

tim maguire said...

Yawn. Wake me when they get honest and stop calling it a lie altogether. It is a disputed claim. It's not acceptable to call it a lie until it's proven to be a lie and that particular claim has been denied its day in court. The people insisting it's a lie have determinedly prevented it from being properly aired out.

gilbar said...

Can Of Cheese for Hunter said...
Cnn Lolz

exhelodrvr1 said...

Trump threatened the Washington rice bowl of both parties. That could not be allowed to stand!

Buckwheathikes said...

In Communist countries, the lie is a very important feature of society. The authorities do not care if you know they are lying. They want you to know. They will make the most outlandish statement. They also want you to repeat the lie, knowing that it is a lie. To progress.

Once they can make you do that, they own your soul.

Readering said...

I didn't know the Big Lie was Democratic branding until the head of CNN told his people to stop suing it on a network I don't watch.

Readering said...

Using

jaydub said...

Why not just devote CNN's efforts to proving Trump lied? You know, something that no one has attempted yet.

Václav Patrik Šulik said...

I didn't/wouldn't vote for Trump, but the "Big Lie" was clearly the Russia-collusion lie. Does CNN even acknowledge that was a lie>

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Joe and Hunter are innocent.

2020 ballot fraud or fraudulent counting going on in targeted precincts in targeted states - "no proof!" "Debunked!" cuz sez so.

Skeptical Voter said...

Credibility, like virginity, once lost is rather hard to recover. CNN's new boss is trying, but I doubt that he will succeed.

James K said...

Yawn. Wake me when they get honest and stop calling it a lie altogether. It is a disputed claim. It's not acceptable to call it a lie until it's proven to be a lie and that particular claim has been denied its day in court. The people insisting it's a lie have determinedly prevented it from being properly aired out.

Correct, but it's probably impossible to prove or disprove, which was the whole point of mail-in voting. A court could rule against Trump because fraud was not proven, but it still won't be a lie. Is it a lie to say that OJ killed his wife? Or that Sussman committed a crime by lying about his affiliation with the Clinton campaign? Or that Bill Ayres committed acts of terrorism? None of them got convicted, but those wouldn't be lies. It would only be a lie to claim they were convicted.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mike of Snoqualmie said...

The Big Lie is that Democrats didn't stuff the ballot box in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. After all, Joe Biden told us that the Democrats "put together the Most Extensive and inclusive voter Fraud Organization in the history of American politics.” We saw counting centers shutdown around 11:00 p.m. election night, observers sent home, and then, in a miraculous event, report that they had counted 100,000s of votes overnight, 95% for Sleepy Joe! Then there was all the ballot harvesting in Georgia and Pennsylvania, and probably elsewhere, where ballot harvesting is illegal.

The fact that they keep talking about the "Big Lie" is a tell that they are lying.

Lurker21 said...

Juneteenth will be really great this year if it marks Brian Stelter's last show -- or better, if he's already off the air Sunday. There would be dancing in the streets, except that nobody in the country watches his show anyway.

I'd like it if Trump just sort of let 2020 go. The assumption would be that there was fraud and that he might have won, but we aren't going to obsess about that now. Given how badly Biden is doing, that unspoken understanding might actually grow and spread if Trump weren't always truthing about it. But if Trump were capable of that kind of concentrated focus and strategic judgment, he might still be president now.

Darkisland said...

There's a new sherriff in town and his name is not Chris Lichter.

John Malone owns Liberty which is one of the largest US cable and cell phone providers in the US.

He also owns Discovery networks and, now, CNN.

Interesting character. Read his bio in Wikipedia. In addition to all all his cable assets, he is one of the largest landowners in the US.

He also paid for President Trump's inauguration ball and is not just ultra-MAGA but Mega-super-ultra-MAGA. He has discussed his plans for CNN and they definitely don't include the same-old-shit.

I've been saying for about 6 months now, since I heard he was taking over CNN, that things were changing. The partisanship is being toned down half a notch at a time.

Moving from Big Lie to just lies and publicly distancing CNN from the Demmies is just another sign.

I think that in 5 years or less, CNN will once again be "The most trusted name in news" as their old slogan.

John LGBTQ Henry

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The power-obsess democrats, even the mild ones, (like Rick Steves) cannot handle losing. When they lose, the lash out and call you a Fascist and compare you to Hitler. *rinse and repeat*

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

gilbar @7:30 - worth a watch to the end. It gets better and better.

ConradBibby said...

I agree that Trump-Russian collusion is the biggest Big Lie there is, but some (dis)honorable mentions:

1. Blacks are at greater risk of being killed during police stops than whites;
2. Racial disparities are mainly due to racism;
3. Jan. 6 constituted an attempt to overthrow the government;
4. Justice Kavanaugh was a serial rapist;
5. Covid-19 could not have come from a lab leak;
6. Trump was/is an authoritarian;
7. Trump's SCOTUS picks are illegitimate;
8. Inflation is due to corporate greed rather than Biden policies;
9. Biden inherited a mess from Trump but now the economy is strong; and
10. Whereas BLM protests were mostly peaceful, the greatest domestic threat facing the U.S. is right-wing terrorism.

Darkisland said...

Bryan "Tater" Stelter, one of CNN's biggest names is apparently leaving CNN in the next few days. Apparently not of his own volition.

When he does, that will be another data point. Who replaces him will be another.

CNN has a problem with who their audience is. If they pivot to support Malone's liberal (A/K/A libertarian, classical liberal) views they will quickly lose what audience they currently have. The brand is so tarnished that they will not get the audience they desire.

So baby steps. "Trump was not so bad", "Here's a graph of gas prices since 1014. See how they went up since March 2022?" No need to point out the decline when PDJT took office or that they started going up sharply in Jan 2021, not this March. "The 1/6 demonstration was..." Omitting the words riot, insurrection and such.

And so on. Damning Biden, Pelosi et al with faint praise. Muddying the waters, poisoning wells and that sort of thing.

I think a lot of people here are going to be pleasently surprised with CNN in a year.

I also predict that John Malone will soon be THE WORST FASCIST EVER!!! TEN TIMES AS BAD AS HITLER!!! (who was never a fascist. Fascism is Italian. Hitler was national socialist)

All the people running around with their hair on fire is going to be a sight to warm my heart's cockles.

John LGBTQ Henry

Amadeus 48 said...

If you want to understand Trump, think of any real estate promoter you have ever encountered or any other promoter. Or read David Mamet's masterpiece GlenGarry Glen Ross. Or read The Art of the Deal.

If you want to think about lies large and small, but particularly small, think about Joseph Robinette Biden. He is steeped in lies. He would give "his word as a Biden" that any and every sort of self-aggrandizing nonsense is true.

LGB!

Narayanan said...

why not settle for Trump /questions/ \election procedures?\

D.D. Driver said...

report that they had counted 100,000s of votes overnight

Here's a question no one can answer. We know who voted. There is a list. The list is a public record here in Wisconsin. We don't know how you voted but we know you voted. Why not go and sample the "100,000" of voters in the precincts that counted their votes late? Find out whether they are real people with real addresses. Drive by their houses. Make sure the addresses exists. It's noy 100,000 ballots, it's 100,000 of voters. How hard would this be to find out? If the type of voter fraud happened that Trump believe, finding the proof would be the easiest thing in the world.


If there was massive voter fraud it would be the easiest thing in the world to prove. And yet nobody can do can do it! Weird. The evidence would be easy to find, and nobody can find it.

What if Trump has been in on it all along? Remember, it was TRUMP who told the Patriots to go home from the capitol? Why? And, then when he was on the cusp of proving everything in his Georgia lawsuit: he dismissed his lawsuit so that the truth wouldn't come out. Classic. Has anyone else considered that maybe Trump is behind the whole thing? At every turn when the Patriots are about to win, Trump calls off the troops. Fishy. ����

P.S. I would go with "Election Fraud Hoax" because I like symmetry. I also "MyPillowGate."

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Al Gore insisted he won the election long after all the votes were counted. Was that a lie or a Big Lie? The head of the Democrat J6 committee said Bush’s election was illegitimate. Lie or Big Lie? Hillary still claims the 2016 was stolen from her. Lie or Big Lie? Democrats keep calling J6 an armed insurrection. Lie or Big Lie?

Licht is concerned with optics not with doing real fact based journalism. Did he revoke the CNN ban keeping skeptics of the Green Energy Cult off the air?

Darkisland said...

"owns" may not be the right word for Malone above. He does own significant amounts of the companies.

But controls is probably the better word.

And now sits on CNN's board.

John LGBTQ Henry

Ralph L said...

Althouse, you have an extra "staff to" in the post title.

Iman said...

Tater! We hardly knew ye…

Achilles said...

D.D. Driver said...

report that they had counted 100,000s of votes overnight

Here's a question no one can answer. We know who voted. There is a list. The list is a public record here in Wisconsin. We don't know how you voted but we know you voted. Why not go and sample the "100,000" of voters in the precincts that counted their votes late?



Well, how stupid can you make yourself look?

https://electionfraud20.org/canvassing/

Private Citizens spent thousands of their own hours unpaid doing this work.

I know you believe Joe Biden got more votes than Barrack Obama.

It just makes you look stupid to keep repeating your dumb shit. You are just making yourself look stupid defending the 2020 election every time you post.

NCMoss said...

Because hitler was a singular horror/event in history any comparisons to it are by definition hyperbole as were the J6 comparisons to Pearl Harbor and the Civil War. That said, the media lies (about trump specifically) are about creating and maintaining narratives they can leverage at any time and hang around the neck of any republican they deem as a threat. It's like cancel culture, there only has to be proximity and therefore a candidate like DeSantis will forever be known as "trump's successor" or something to that effect.

Levi Starks said...

The lie is no bigger than the 4 year long Russians stole the 2016 election for Trump lie.
The big lie that allowed Democrats to hold the nation hostage during a 4 year investigation and 2 failed attempts to remove a sitting president. The Big Lie that most hard core Democrats still believe.

Balfegor said...

Re: D. D. Driver:

If there was massive voter fraud it would be the easiest thing in the world to prove. And yet nobody can do can do it!

It really depends what the fraud was. If it was the vote counting machines literally changing vote totals (the Dominion claims from 2020, like the Diebold claims from 2000), I think you're right, since they should all be generating an easily auditable trail. If it were the old-style fraud, like what was used in Illinois in the 80s (e.g. running ballots through the vote counting machines over nd over), that should also be easily detectable. More modern forms of vote fraud (e.g. falsification of absentee voter applications) are a lot harder to investigate, let alone prove, but on the other hand the impact tends to be measured in the tens and twenties, not the ten thousands or twenty thousands. A recent ballot stuffing case out of Philadelphia has similar orders of magnitude.
Absent a well-coordinated conspiracy, you'd be looking at maybe a thousand votes in a state picked up here and there -- short of "massive" -- not the tens of thousands in at least three states Trump would have needed to call the election result into doubt. It would certainly be possible to coordinate such a conspiracy, but without the power to subpoena records of communications and without cooperating witnesses, it would be impossible to prove. There's a reason election fraud cases usually come out years after the elections affected (e.g. the Philadelphia case didn't come out until 2020, but covered fraud going back to 2014, six years earlier; one guilty plea didn't come until this month, eight years after the earliest misconduct). But at least so far the election fraud cases coming out of 2020 haven't been that big.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

“If there was massive voter fraud it would be the easiest…”

Massive? In a country that decides elections by tiny percentages (see special election in TX last Tuesday). It does not need to be “massive” or “widespread” to affect the margins. Illegally sending mail in ballots while waiving normal safeguards obviously isn’t enough in your opinion.

Why don’t you honest liberals simply state clearly for the record how much fraud we should be forced to tolerate?

D.D. Driver said...

@Achilles

That's AWESOME. Any day now Trump can refile his Georgia lawsuit, wink wink! He's got all this AMAZING evidence generated by crackpots and losers and they publish it ONLINE so we know we can trust it without skepticism.

This is what it looks like when Trump's witness take the stand. It's hilarious. I would love to see more of it. There is not enough popcorn in the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYQm9H7tWI8

Show me a credible witness who is not a bloviating loser and I'll take you seriously. It's been two years. By now we certainly should have a roster of thousand of fake voters. This is not hard to prove if it happened. The reason you don't have a list of 100,000s of fake voters is because no such thing exists.

hombre said...

"If there was massive voter fraud it would be the easiest thing in the world to prove. And yet nobody can do can do it!"

It is interesting to juxtapose this with Biden's assertion that Democrats "choose truth over facts."

Given the malleability of lefty "truth" it is fair to say that nothing can be "proved" that does not serve them politically. It is, however, factually accurate to assert that a great deal of evidence has been adduced of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election that has not, and cannot, be disproved, only disbelieved.

The big lie is not that there was fraud. It is that there wasn't.

Achilles said...

D.D. Driver said...

@Achilles

That's AWESOME. Any day now Trump can refile his Georgia lawsuit, wink wink! He's got all this AMAZING evidence generated by crackpots and losers and they publish it ONLINE so we know we can trust it without skepticism.


Every time you post one of your stupid questions we answer it.

You never admit you are wrong. You just double down on your next stupid demand.

You are not smarter than Trump.

You are just another loser who pretends to be smarter than he is.

Keep looking stupid for us though defending the 2020 elections.

D.D. Driver said...

Massive? In a country that decides elections by tiny percentages (see special election in TX last Tuesday). It does not need to be “massive” or “widespread” to affect the margins

Thousands. There should be a list of thousands of fake voters. Easy to prove. Finding voter fraud of this scale would be fucking easy. If you don't understand why, you don't understand how elections work.

Isn't it odd that after a year we don't even have a single suspect (other than "Biden" and the "Chicoms"). Isn't that weird? There must be dozens of operatives (maybe hundreds) pulling off this massive heist. And yet there is not a single suspect that I've heard of.

The democrats are idiots. Like genuine fucking idiots. Our president drools and shits himself, and yet the deadenders are convinced these guys genius masterminds. Like Keizer Soze. Poof! Without a trace. It's pretty fucking funny when you step back and think about it for two seconds.

hombre said...

Driver wrote: "By now we certainly should have a roster of thousand (sic.) of fake voters."

You're kidding, right. Lists of thousands of illegal registrations have come from numerous states including Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, etc. Votes have no names attached after the fact so such a roster cannot be compiled. Surely you know that.

D.D. Driver said...

More modern forms of vote fraud (e.g. falsification of absentee voter applications) are a lot harder to investigate, let alone prove, but on the other hand the impact tends to be measured in the tens and twenties, not the ten thousands or twenty thousands.

Finally, someone who gets it! Yes! This is what I am talking about. This type of fraud happens! People also double vote. This the "real" kind of fraud that happens in every election. But its not going to flip the election. The "real" fraud goes both ways as well. Republications with vacation homes get popped for double voting too. It's not a one way street. But I do not believe without more evidence that this type of fraud can flip an election. You would need *thousands* of co-conspirators. How is that going to stay secret?

It requires way too much suspension of disbelief.

It would certainly be possible to coordinate such a conspiracy, but without the power to subpoena records of communications and without cooperating witnesses, it would be impossible to prove.

If we are talking about (now) tens of thousands of co-conspirators, are we really thinking we can't find a dozen that are willing to sing? Again, I'm skeptical.

Ballot stuffing is easy to keep secret because it doesn't require dozens and dozens or conspirators, but its easy and snot to sus out by comparing vote counts with poll lists. The "modern" types (falsifying absentee ballots, double voting, etc.) would be easy and snot to discover because there are so many participants. And, have you ever seen a democratic operative? These are not "smart" and "disciplined" people. The notion that thousands of smelly hack sack enthusiast pulled of the crime of the millennium is really fucking funny.

rcocean said...

The real "big lie", is that the Nazis invented the big lie.

It was the Soviets and Lenin who pioneered it, and perfected it. THeir entire revolution and later the USSR was built on "the big lie". Its not the Nazis who pretended to be a "People's Republic". Or had a Constitution full of fake rights that didn't actually exist.

Anyway, we've seen the "Big lie" at work in the USA. The election was stolen from Trump and his supporters, or at least there's good reason to believe that. Instead of auditing the votes and showing them wrong, the MSM and Establishment (including Romney and Sasse), days after the election, starting chanting that Trump's claims vote irregularities were 'big lies' and "false". every attempt to get an audit of the votes was shot down. And the chant continues.

rcocean said...

The election was stolen by relatively small number of votes in a handful of states. There was no requriement for massive fraud or a grand conspiracy.

Ampersand said...

The current focus on the 2020 election is a big negative for this country. It plays into Trump's egomania. He really perceives himself as the Main Character, and he doesn't deserve to be that. It also distracts us from addressing the urgent problems we face today.

Had Trump won, we would have had an actual insurrection on our hands. And we never would have gotten to know just how dishonest, incompetent, and intellectually vacuous the GerontoDemocratic Party truly is.

There was no "good" outcome that was possible in 2020. Only a choice between two very bad outcomes. If we're very lucky, there may be a possibility of a good outcome on the table in 2024.

Michael K said...

I started scrolling past DD Driver's comments a while ago.

Who knew that Goebbels was advising the Democrats ? "The Big Lie" is almost a trademark to be copyrighted. There is no article in the LA Times about Trump or Republicans that does not include it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

So DD is unable to specify how much is too much fraud.

We know for certain the amount is greater than zero because despite democrat blustering people do get charged every election. If 40,000 votes are able to swing a national election like y’all said in 2016 then how many fraudulent votes must we tolerate?

Achilles said...

D.D. Driver said...

Thousands. There should be a list of thousands of fake voters. Easy to prove.


How many courts have allowed evidence, including thousands of sworn affidavits, to be presented in court? Why would politically appointed Judges protect the politicians that appointed them?

What happens to information posted online like those canvasses I listed for you? It gets censored?

People who censor and block transparency have never been the good guys.

It is shocking that there are people like you stupid enough to support this.

Michael K said...

Blogger Ampersand said...

The current focus on the 2020 election is a big negative for this country. It plays into Trump's egomania.


I kind of agree but draw the line at "egomania." He is obsessed with it, true. When he changed his endorsement of Mo Brooks in Alabama to the opponent because Brooks said "It is time to move on," I decided that Trump is probably better retired. Mo Brooks should be the incumbent but McConnell blocked his funding in 2018 and the corrupt appointed Senator lost the primary. The result was electing a Democrat.

pious agnostic said...

So, has anyone watched "2000 Mules"?

Dave Begley said...

pious:

I've watched it and it convinced me. I've also read some of the commentary that criticized it and it wasn't convincing.

If we really had law enforcement in this country, they'd investigate.

Howard said...

More lipstick on the wrong end

John henry said...

3 more mini data points on how cnn is evolving under new ownership :

This exchange happened last night on don lemons show talking about the 1/6 demonstration. Mudd is a former (right) Cia operative and currently a CNN counterterrorism expert:

"Is it clear to you that Trump was also willing to accept violence to stay in power?” Lemon asked, to which Mudd responded, “Heck no.”

And this

I now can't find it but saw an article about Anderson pooper, lemon and 3-4 other CNN "names" refusing to stop using "big lie"

They my be thinking lichter is not the boss of us. They may be surprised when they get spanked. Might be an excuse to fire them. Goodbye CNN, hello Bumfook Iowa and the 5am farm report.

Hey CNN, I think Megan Kelly's time in the penalty box is about over. She is killing it with her podcast. Give her Poopers job. Glenn Beck might be willing to come back. Perhaps not, he has a pretty good thing going with the blaze.


And this

In fact, it’s[Cheney's politicking] so bad that even CNN turned on the RINO rep and started reporting the bad news about her, even going so far as to say that “no sensible person” would bet on her winning the primary race.

John LGBTQ Henry

John henry said...

I wonder if Joe Rogan could clean up his language and drug use enough for a CNN prime time slot.

Or maybe a1am slot where he could just be Joe rogan. Cult following.

Cvmon guys and gals, who else should the new CNN put in its lineup

John LGBTQ Henry

John henry said...

Someone mentioned Hitler being responsible for "big lie" in his 1923 "mein kampf" someone else mentioned Lenin.

I'd like to nominate an American as the earliest user of the concept. Not sure if he used the name:

Edward Bernays is credited with inventing public relations. In 1915 or so he became Wilson's minister of truthiness charged with convincing the American public that us involvement in the European fracas was a good thing.

He used the big lie to convince the public to re-elect Woodrow "he kept us out of war" Wilson. Then Wilson got reelected and dragged us into the war a month after inauguration. He used the big lie to stifle anyone questioning the goodness of our involvement.

60,000 us fathers, brothers, sons murdered in 5 months in Wilson's "big lie"

John LGBTQ Henry

Michael K said...

CNN has to clean house to regain any respect. And then it will take a few years.

Jim at said...

thereby weakening the objectivity of the network....

Best laugh I've had all week. Thanks.

gilbar said...

John henry said...
Edward Bernays is credited with inventing public relations. In 1915 or so he became Wilson's minister of truthiness
He used the big lie to convince the public to re-elect Woodrow "he kept us out of war" Wilson.

How about Wilson's Committee on Public Information ??
Chris Hedges describes the CPI’s work as “a relentless campaign of manipulation of public opinion thinly disguised as journalism,” including manufactured German atrocities and war crimes.

Among those who participated in the CPI's work were:
Edward Bernays, a pioneer in public relations and later theorist of the importance of propaganda to democratic governance.
Carl R. Byoir (1886 – 1957), like Bernays, a founding father of public relations in America.

And, Don't Forget!
The Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 attempted to punish enemy activity and extended to the punishment expressions of doubt about America's role in the war.
The Sedition Act criminalized any expression of opinion that used "disloyal, profane, scurrilous or abusive language" about the U.S. government, flag or armed forces. Government police action, private vigilante groups, and public war hysteria compromised the civil liberties of many Americans who disagreed with Wilson's policies.

The private American Protective League, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was one of many private associations that sprang up to support the war and at the same time identify slackers, spies, draft dodgers and anti-war organizations.

walter said...

Screeching staff in response to this minimal request for terminology redirect.
Shut 'er down.

Iman said...

Just say “NO!”, Readering.

tolkein said...

If they want to be neutral, how about "Trump's unproven election fraud claims"?