Judd Legum Profile picture
Aug 6, 2019 6 tweets 2 min read Read on X
1. You may be wondering WTF is happening at the New York Times.

Let me explain in plain English.
2. Google and Facebook are destroying the journalism industry. The legacy publications that have survived are under pressure to appeal to the widest possible audience.

When the NYT plays "both sides," it's not about journalism. It's about the business model.
3. The NYT does some amazing journalism but, in a lot of cases, it's poorly positioned to challenge people in power. It needs ACCESS to powerful people for its reporting. And it needs to be a comfortable place for powerful corporations to advertise.
4. The NYT times is happy to suck up your anti-Trump dollars with these "truth" t-shirts. But, as any Times reporter will tell you, they do not oppose Trump. It's a scam perpetrated by their marketing department.
5. Unfortunately, journalism that is aligned with power, rather than opposed to it, is becoming the norm. Local independent outlets are being bought up by huge corporations. Coverage is being neutered and homogenized.

usatoday.com/story/money/20…
6. If you are looking for an alternative model that is focused on taking on power, check out my newsletter, Popular Information. Our scoops come from primary source documents and ordinary people.

No ads, no wealthy donors, no BS.

You can subscribe at popular.info

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More from @JuddLegum

Nov 5
1. @elonmusk has every right to support Trump but he has become one of the most malign forces in politics

He has used his control of this platform to spread lies, many deeply rooted in racism, to millions of people

It is likely the most expensive disinformation campaign ever
2. Musk spent 9-figures financing a Super PAC, America PAC, to support Trump

American PAC created political ad that repeatedly called Kamala Harris the c-word.

Despite some reporting to the contrary, the ad was never taken down.

facebook.com/theamericapac/…Image
3. America PAC also used Musk's extreme wealth to manipulate people, giving them the impression that they could "win" $1 million by signing a petition when it was not a lottery and the people who received the money were predetermined
Read 5 tweets
Nov 4
1. Trump is not a policy wonk and is not eager to talk about what specific policies he would pursue if he returns to the White House.

But in the closing hours of the campaign things are coming into focus.

Follow this thread for details

🧵
2. One point of contention is Project 2025, the 922-page blueprint written by members of the first Trump administration under the auspices of Heritage.

Trump has said he "has no idea who is behind it."

We now have proof this was a blatant lie

popular.info/p/the-conseque…
3. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, told the Financial Times that he is "personally close" with Trump and talks to him "often." Roberts says that "based on conversations with President Trump and his associates… some large percentage of these recommendations will be in the mix for implementation."

ft.com/content/8488e9…
Read 9 tweets
Oct 30
1. @JeffBezos has made CHOICES

He chose to buy the @washingtonpost

He chose, despite his conflicts, to intervene in the paper's editorial decisions & spike an endorsement of Harris

Bezos claims people who care about journalism have no choice but to accept his decisions — and trust his benevolent leadership
2. The only alternative giving him a pass, according to Bezos, is to rely on "off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts and other unverified news sources."

Bezos is wrong.

popular.info/p/jeff-bezos-i…
3. The Post employs amazing journalists

But it is possible to do meaningful journalism without being under the thumb of a conflicted billionaire

Independent outlets like @ProPublica, @404mediaco, @MarshallProj, the @TexasTribune, @MotherJones, the @TheProspect, @BulwarkOnline and, yes, Popular Information do it every day
Read 5 tweets
Oct 29
1. @ElonMusk is spending 9-figures to elect Trump, appears alongside Trump at rallies, and his Super PAC is coordinating w/the Trump campaign

Musk just produced the most misogynistic ad in the history of politics

Coverage of the ad has ranged from muted to non-existent Image
2. "America really can't afford a 'C-Word' in the White House right now," America PAC posted, adding a laughing emoji. "Kamala Harris is a ‘C word,’" the narrator of the ad says. "You heard that right. A big ole ‘C word.’"

popular.info/p/the-most-mis…
3. The "joke" of the ad is that Harris is a "communist." Of course, Harris is not a communist. And the ad makes no effort to show she is a communist. The line is only included as a pretext to repeatedly use a crass, misogynistic slur against Harris. Image
Read 13 tweets
Oct 28
1. @JeffBezos did not become the second-richest person in the world because of his dedication to journalist integrity

He did it by prioritizing the bottom line

And, even though he owns the @washingtonpost, wealth maximization continues to be his priority

🧵
2. How important is the @washingtonpost to Bezos? He paid $250 million for it in 2013

That's half of what he paid for his superyacht, Koru

He also spent $75M on Abeona, a 246-foot yacht that follows around his other yacht w/a helipad and other toys

popular.info/p/the-billiona…
@washingtonpost 3. Bezos overruled his editorial staff and canceled plans for the paper to endorse Kamala Harris

Why?

He's not talking but Bezos' wealth is tied up in @amazon and @blueorigin -- companies whose success is inextricably linked to the federal government Image
Read 9 tweets
Oct 24
1. Three GOP state senators in North Carolina have demanded an investigation of state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs

They claim that Riggs has "blatantly violated" the Code of Judicial Conduct

Riggs' transgression? She mentioned reproductive rights in a campaign ad. Image
2. In a TV ad, Riggs says that "women should be in charge of our own reproductive health care"

She notes that the GOP nominee for Governor, Mark Robinson, supported a total abortion ban and her opponent "could decide if [Robinson's] ban becomes law"

popular.info/p/republican-l…
3. In a letter to colleagues announcing their request for an investigation, the Republican Senators claim that the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct "prohibits any judicial candidate, regardless of the office they seek, from taking a position on any issue that may appear before the court."

This is false.

The North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct states that judges "should abstain from public comment about the merits of a pending proceeding in any state or federal court dealing with a case or controversy arising in North Carolina." Riggs’ ad does not comment on any pending court proceeding.
Read 7 tweets

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