Analysis of Primetime MSNBC Programs Finds Sanders Received 'Least' and 'Most Negative' Coverage of Top 2020 Democrats

"MSNBC has close ties to a Democratic establishment that finds the politics of Biden (and even Warren) more palatable than Sanders' 'political revolution.'"

Jake Johnson, staff writer

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/14/analysis-primetime-msnbc-programs-finds-sanders-received-least-and-most-negative

A comprehensive analysis of MSNBC's primetime cable programs published Thursday by In These Times found that Sen. Bernie Sanders received the least frequent and most negative coverage of the top three candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination over a recent two-month period.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), meanwhile, were covered more often and far more favorably by the purportedly liberal network.

The investigation, titled "MSNBC's Bernie Blackout," examined August and September coverage of Sanders, Biden, and Warren on six of the network's major cable shows: The 11th Hour With Brian Williams, All In With Chris Hayes, The Beat With Ari Melber, Hardball With Chris Matthews, The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell, and The Rachel Maddow Show.

"The coverage quickly revealed a pattern," wrote journalist Branko Marcetic, the author of the new analysis. "Over the two months, these six programs focused on Biden, often to the exclusion of Warren and Sanders. Sanders received not only the least total coverage (less than one-third of Biden's), but the most negative."

The analysis, which is the cover story for In These Times magazine's December issue, found:

64% of the 240 episodes examined discussed Biden, 43% discussed Warren, and 36% discussed Sanders;

25% of the episodes only discussed Biden, while just 5% mentioned only Warren and 1% mentioned only Sanders;

Sanders had the highest percentage of negative mentions (20.7%) and the lowest percentage of positive mentions (12.9%);

87% of Sanders' negative mentions came from Matthews' Hardball and Williams' 11th Hour;

Warren had the lowest percentage of negative mentions (7.9%) and the highest percentage of positive mentions (30.6%);

11.3% percent of Biden's mentions were negative.

"While pundits get paid to have opinions, MSNBC's seem to dwell in an alternate reality," wrote Marcetic. "As momentum mounts for longstanding liberal goals like single-payer healthcare and bold climate action, MSNBC's coverage seems devoted, instead, to narrowing the liberal imagination."

"MSNBC has close ties to a Democratic establishment that finds the politics of Biden (and even Warren) more palatable than Sanders' 'political revolution,'" Marcetic noted.

Media critic Adam Johnson pointed out that Marcetic's analysis likely understates MSNBC's negative stance toward Sanders, given that it did not examine "consistently anti-Sanders shows AM Joy and Stephanie Ruhle."

The analysis came amid mounting anecdotal evidence of corporate media networks' biased coverage of Sanders' 2020 presidential bid.

Last month, as Common Dreams reported, the Sanders campaign accused the media of either ignoring the Vermont senator or deliberately misrepresenting poll results to undercut his candidacy. The campaign pointed to a number of particularly egregious examples that went viral on Twitter:

Jeff Cohen, founder of media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) and former MSNBC producer, told Common Dreams in an email Thursday that Sanders "doesn't fit well within" MSNBC's ideological framework. 

"With few exceptions, MSNBC puts forward the views of 'corporate liberalism'—or more accurately: 'liberal corporatism," said Cohen. "It's anti-Trump but rarely is there a focus on corporate greed or exploitation or corporate power. That's no surprise for a for-profit channel that's owned by Comcast (and formerly General Electric) and sponsored day and night by big pharma, health insurance, fossil fuel ads, and the like."

Progressive Media Outlets—Including This One—Decry Facebook's Plan to Act as Gatekeeper of "Trustworthy" News

"Fake news is bad, Zuckerberg acting as the world's ultimate gatekeeper is bad, users deciding which news orgs are 'trustworthy' is bad, Facebook is bad."

Julia Conley, staff writer

Thursday, May 03, 2018

Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/05/03/progressive-media-outlets-including-one-decry-facebooks-plan-act-gatekeeper

Progressive and independent journalists are raising grave concerns this week about Facebook's plan to fashion itself as an arbiter of what news outlets should be deemed "trustworthy"—arguing that the social media giant's new proposal will punish non-corporate news sources and journalists offering left-leaning news analysis that it finds to be "polarizing."

Richard Kim, executive editor of The Nation magazine, was among those reacting critically to the social media giant's announcement on Monday:

So @facebook & Zuckerberg say they will rank news sites based on trustworthiness, with a goal to reduce "polarization" Depending on how it is implemented, could be disastrous for opinion journalism & the key role it plays in democracy. https://t.co/0tvB4m2CpW

— Richard Kim (@RichardKimNYC) May 2, 2018

In his keynote speech at Facebook's annual developer conference on Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the company has already begun surveying its two billion users about the news sources they recognize and rely on the most, to determine which media outlets are "broadly trusted." The results of the data-gathering will determine how widely news outlets are featured on user's news feeds.

"We put [that data] into the system, and it is acting as a boost or a suppression, and we're going to dial up the intensity of that over time," Zuckerberg told media executives after the speech. "We feel like we have a responsibility to further [break] down polarization and find common ground."

The CEO's meeting with the media included representatives from some of the largest news organizations in the country, including the New York Times, BuzzFeed, Atlantic Media, CNN, and News Corp., according to the Huffington Post.

It also follows months of criticism of Facebook after the alleged spread of misinformation on the platform during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"It's not useful if someone's just kind of repeating the same thing and attempting to polarize or drive people to the extremes," Zuckerberg explained to a crowd of developers regarding how the company has begun to decide which news sources are credible.

But while combating the spread of misinformation is a worthy cause, argued some critics, Zuckerberg—CEO of a powerful corporation and one of the world's wealthiest individuals—should not use survey results to support his role as a self-styled "gatekeeper" of trustworthy and untrustworthy news sources.

As Julianne Tveten wrote at In These Times last fall, Facebook began flagging so-called "fake news" after the election, along with other major tech companies like Google, which pledged in April 2017 to "surface more authoritative pages and demote low-quality content" in its search engine results, as Facebook is now doing with its news feed.

"These adjustments, however, haven't stifled propaganda. On the contrary, they may have stifled dissent," Tveten wrote, noting that left-leaning news sources have seen their readership plummet since the companies implemented those changes.

Common Dreams is one non-profit and progressive news outlet that has seen significant drops in traffic since Google and Facebook began changing algorithms and talking openly about their new attempts to control the kind of news content users see. According to internal data and Google Analytics, traffic to Common Dreams from Google searches fell by 34 percent after the powerful search giant unveiled its new search protocol in April 2017.

Monthly Visitors from Google, Compared to Historic Average, Before and After Google Search Protocol Change

"There's a lot we still don't understand about how we're being impacted by the kinds of changes these companies are making, but it's very unsettling to see this kind of power wielded by corporate interests who seem so detached from the mission of sites like ours and the role in general that progressive media and independent journalism play in this society," said Jon Queally, Common Dreams managing editor.

Other critics noted that while corporate outlets like MSNBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times will likely be proclaimed "broadly trusted" in Zuckerberg's data-collection endeavor, these "established" news sources have a rich and dubious history of misleading and damaging reporting.

Facebook's announcement comes as former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and the Heritage Foundation are both working with the company to investigate whether it has harbored liberal biases and advise Facebook on "the best way to work with [conservative] groups moving forward," according to Axios.

While the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is also participating in an audit and working with Facebook to ensure that minority voices are represented on the platform, there was no indication that the impact on left-leaning independent media outlets was also being examined. 

As ThinkProgress reported on Wednesday, "Facebook's bias study, according to Facebook, will not include any liberals...Facebook did not answer questions from ThinkProgress about why liberals were excluded from the process or whether this incentivizes conservatives to continue to make false charges of bias."

The tech giant's decision to work hand-in-hand with right-wingers like Kyl, while failing to afford left-leaning sites a similar opportunity, exposes "how ill-equipped Facebook is to deal with modern conservatism," wrote Libby Watson at Splinter News.

After Gizmodo reported in 2016 on the suppression of conservative media outlets like Breitbart News in Facebook's "trending topics" feature, Watson wrote, the right latched on to the notion that the company was biased against right-wing reporting:

At Mark Zuckerberg's congressional testimony, Ted Cruz brought up the Gizmodo story and then proceeded to rattle off an insane laundry list of persecution fantasy grievances: They "shut down the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day page," blocked "two dozen Catholic pages," and, of course, banned [conservative video bloggers] Diamond and Silk. Imagine. The problem with this criticism is that there is a reason why Breitbart and Newsmax shouldn't feature in any "news" section: They’re not trustworthy or legitimate news sources...

Facebook is still, two years later, struggling to counter baseless and hysterical whining about censorship from the right, to the extent that it's now employing a conservative lobbyist to "investigate" claims of bias at the company.

"The conservative movement has done a remarkable job over the last half century to bellow and bully its way into having its most ridiculous and reality-divorced concerns taken seriously," Watson continued. "It lies about and distorts everything: about tax cuts, about Benghazi and [Hillary Clinton's] emails, about immigration, about healthcare, about Diamond and Silk. The further Facebook descends down the path of letting that screaming white face of faux outrage dictate how they run their platform, the harder it's going to be for them to get away from them."

Chile locked in dispute over who will draft new constitution

AP. November 13, 2019

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean politicians say they have to figure out how to draft a new constitution quickly following another night of violent protests in the South American nation.

Police said Wednesday they had documented 348 serious incidents, including looting and attacks on police stations, from Tuesday into the early morning.

Twenty people have died since mostly peaceful demonstrations about inequality and other issues broke out on Oct. 18. Chileans are demanding a range of reforms and an overhaul of their dictatorship-era constitution.

The sticking point is who drafts the new document. President Sebastián Piñera’s plan relies on current legislators but the opposition says citizens need more input. Members of the National Renewal Party, part of the ruling coalition, and the Christian Democratic Party agree “there isn’t much time” to reach an agreement.

How Chileans are reclaiming public areas, rebuilding amid unrest

Charis McGowan. Al Jazeera. November 13, 2019

Santiago, Chile - As the smell of tear gas lingered in the air, the remains of the previous night's barricades still blocking the roads, bookseller Daniel Gonzalez sat with dozens of other Chileans in Santiago's central park, Parque Forestal, on a recent Sunday afternoon.

"We are sharing opinions and ideas, as we don't want to go back to where we came from before," Gonzalez told Al Jazeera as he and his neighbours discussed a way forward in the country, which is experiencing its worst unrest in decades.

For three weeks, Chileans have taken to the streets, protesting against rising inequality and demanding the resignation of President Sebastian Pinera. More than 20 people have died in the unrest, including several killed by police or military officials. Looting, vandalism and arson have also caused billions of dollars of damage to businesses and crippled parts of the capital's public transport system.

Against this backdrop, however, small gatherings like the one in the Parque Forestal have popped up, with residents seeking to constructively build upon the unity seen on the streets.

Some of these meetings focus on set topics: From support groups on mental health and human rights, to lectures on political reforms. Gonzalez's group shared lunch and talked about general issues. They also planned workshops to analyse, understand and propose policies, to collect their ideas and submit them to local council members.

One of Gonzalez's neighbours, Pablo Venegas, said he believes that reclaiming public areas to create platforms of discussion is important.

"These spaces disappeared during the dictatorship," Venegas said, referring to the 17-year military dictatorship of Agusto Pinochet, which ended in 1990.

"Now, we have to take them back," he told Al Jazeera. "As a community, this is the time we need to come together and participate in these types of activities. This is an opportunity to rebuild."

The Parque Forestal group now has more than 100 members, who meet every Sunday. They also have a WhatsApp group used to alert each other of disturbances, and to announce plans to attend protests together.

While the Parque Forestal group deliberately formed to reflect and progress on the protests, other communities grew out of sheer necessity.

Patrols and carpools
Residents in the La Florida district of Santiago felt helpless as they watched the San Jose de Estrella metro burn for two consecutive nights last month.

The residents said the military, who had been deployed as part of a now-lifted state of emergency, failed to adequately respond to the fires.

"They weren't doing their job. We were left alone," said Alejandra Meza, a 48-year-old teacher who lives in the area.

Meza and her neighbours decided to take it upon themselves to guard the area.

They spent the first week of protests defying curfew and patrolling the streets at night to protect local shops from vandalism.

Having grown up during the Pinochet dictatorship, Meza said she was unsettled by the military presence and curfew obligation. She said she found security in the presence of her neighbours, who supported the protesters, despite the initial violence.

Even though the nightly patrols are no longer needed, Meza and her neighbours continue to meet.

"Without this movement, we wouldn't have achieved this," she said, adding that the neighbours never spoke to each other before the protests. "This is the best thing that's come out of it, we have become less individualistic and we are taking the time to care and look out for one another."

Meza said her community has already arranged a carpool to help those who are affected by the closure of the San Jose de Estrella metro station, which is not expected to reopen until next year.

Back in the city's centre, Gonzalez, the bookseller, walked a few blocks to set up his stall after the Parque Forestal meeting.

He crossed a busy junction with caution - all the traffic lights have been destroyed during the unrest. Broken glass and rubble from barricades have been swept into the curbs.

The street where he works is a central point for clashes between protesters and police, which has prevented him from working. He has only recently been able to set up his stall, but he must stay alert in case of further disturbances.

It has been a difficult time for Gonzalez, but he remains positive about the changes taking place.

"If the future generations do not have to live with the same problems that we have had, it will all be worth it," he said.

Xi Sees BRICS as Way to Boost China’s Presence in Latin America

EFE. November 12, 2019

BRASILIA – Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday before the start of the BRICS summit that he hopes the event will contribute to strengthening his country’s ties with Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We want to promote a relationship of mutual trust, a relationship for common development, together with all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said during a joint press conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, host of the gathering of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).

Brazil, Xi said, is the platform for the expansion of links between BRICS and the entire Latin American region.

Outcomes that benefit all parties are “always the objective” of Beijing’s international initiatives, he said, hailing the current “extraordinary” relations enjoyed by China and Brazil, which he described as “the principal emerging markets in today’s world.”

Bolsonaro pointed out that Xi’s attendance at the summit in Brasilia comes just weeks after his own visit to China, a nation with which his government “wants to expand and diversify relations.”

The far-right Brazilian leader, who took office in January, had seemed cool to the idea of BRICS during his campaign, insisting that Latin America’s largest economy should open itself to the world in a non-ideological, pragmatic way.

Brazil intends to treat China “with the due affection, respect and consideration,” Bolsonaro said, as both the Brazilian and Chinese people have “much to gain” from the bilateral relationship.

Xi and Bolsonaro oversaw the signing of accords on cooperation in the areas of services, investment, transportation and traditional medicine.

The two men were set to participate later Wednesday in the closing ceremony of a BRICS business conference, joined by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The formal meeting of the BRICS heads of government will take place Thursday. While the focus is expected to be on economic and trade issues, the leaders are also likely to discuss global political events.

China to Announce Billion-Dollar Investment in Brazilian Port of Sao Luis: Sources

Reuters. November 13, 2019

BRASILIA — China will make a billion-dollar investment in the Brazilian port of Sao Luis via China Communications Construction Company, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the announcement will be made at the summit of leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the so-called BRICS group of emerging nations, who are meeting in the Brazilian capital for a two-day summit.

The deal will be part of the largest foreign direct investment into Brazil this year, one of the sources said, without revealing any figures.

Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Wednesday that Brazil is seeking closer integration with China, its largest trading partner, involving not only trade but also investments.

"We had a giant trade agenda, but not so much investment flows. (Now) investment flows are increasing too," one of the sources said.

A third source said the deal will be a "greenfield" operation, with the Chinese investment aimed at expanding the port and operations. It will not involve the purchase of a local company, but may involve equity stakes changing hands, the source said, also on condition of anonymity.

The cornerstone of the port of Sao Luis was laid in March last year. At the time, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported that CCCC led the project with a 51% equity stake in the venture, alongside Brazil's WPR, construction group WTorre, and investment firm Lyon Capital.

Located in the northern state of Maranhao, the port of Sao Luis serves the central, northern and northeastern areas of Brazil, and is connected by the Norte-Sul/Carajas railway. According to one source, CCCC's investment will include spending on the railway.

Girl, 5, Is 6th Child Killed by Stray Bullet in Rio de Janeiro This Year

Ernesto Londoño and Lis Moriconi. New York Times. November 13, 2019

RIO DE JANEIRO — A 5-year-old girl who died Wednesday morning in Rio de Janeiro was the sixth child in the city slain this year after being struck by a stray bullet.

Ketellen Umbelino de Oliveira Gomes was walking to school with her mother on Tuesday when she was shot in the leg in the Realengo district of western Rio de Janeiro, according to police officials and witnesses.

Investigators believe she was caught in the crossfire of one of the gun battles waged routinely in the city by drug trafficking gangs vying for control of neighborhoods.

As her mother rushed her to a nearby clinic, Ketellen reportedly tried to comfort her.

“Even as she lay on the floor, she said: ‘Mom, don’t cry, don’t, Mom,’” a relative, Daise da Costa, told reporters.

The killing comes as police in Rio de Janeiro have intensified operations against drug gangs in the city, a crackdown that has left hundreds of people dead and scrambled turf wars among heavily armed gangs.

Since the beginning of the year, at least 21 children have been struck by stray bullets in Rio de Janeiro, according to Fogo Cruzado, or Crossfire, an organization that monitors violence in the city. Eleven of them were hit during police operations.

Ketellen is the youngest of the six fatal victims. The other five children killed this year ranged in age from 8 to 12.

Rio de Janeiro’s governor, Wilson Witzel, said he asked the police to carry out a “rigorous investigation of this crime and the others.”

Mr. Witzel, a former federal judge who has presidential aspirations and an acrimonious relationship with President Jair Bolsonaro, blamed the federal government for the bloodshed.

“Impeding the entry of drugs and weapons to the country is the responsibility of the federal government,” he said in a statement on Twitter. “The failure to combat, at the federal level, the trafficking of drugs and weapons, ends up fueling this insane war playing out in the states.”

Investigators believe the target of the shooting was another minor, Davi Gabriel Martins do Nascimento, 17, who was standing nearby. He was also fatally shot. Witnesses told police that two men walked out of a car around noon on Tuesday, took aim at the teenager and opened fire.

Ketellen underwent surgery overnight. She died Wednesday after losing too much blood.

Her father, Augusto de Oliveira, an unemployed painter, told reporters on Wednesday that the family was devastated.

“The feeling we’re left with is to go grab the jerk that did this and do the same thing to him,” he told reporters. “My daughter was only 5-years-old.”