We can’t imagine why anybody would want to continue giving money to the Los Angeles Times.
After the better part of the last year or two, since being purchased by the Rightwing Chicago Tribune, the paper has been gutted. It’s become little more than the Fox “News” Channel on newsprint. While that may be an exaggeration, it’s not much of one. We were reminded again of that tonight when we finally took a few minutes’ break from sifting through the avalanche of actual news as available on the Internets, to get a quick look at today’s carbon-based LA Times front page.
Yesterday, as the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal was hitting its most fevered pitch to date, with Gonzales, Rove, et al. being thoroughally sucked into the vortex with all manners of leaked e-mail, documents, statements, calls for resignation, and more flying out…Josh Marshall at TPM filed this hysterical squib:
BREAKING!
And then what do you suppose we find on the front page of today’s LA Times…
Yup. They fell for it. Hook, line, sinker. Happily, no doubt. Mission accomplished.
To make matters worse, not only was there no front page coverage of the scandal — which is sure to claim at least the country’s Attorney General, perhaps a sitting U.S. Senator and Congresswoman, and likely far more and far higher — there was no coverage whatsoever until page 14!
These are the stories you had to sift through before finally finding anything out about the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal in the Chicago Tribune’s LA Times today…
Page 1:
- 9/11 PLANNER CONFESSES TO MANY PLOTS
- DOWNTOWN DRUG GANG IS TOPPLED
- Drifters sure get around
- As a child, Obama crossed a cultural divide in Indonesia
- THEIR ANTIWAR CRIES ARE NO LONGER IN THE WILDERNESS
- Is sumo more act than action?
Page 2:
- THURSDAY BRIEFING (News summaries, no briefing on U.S. Attorney scandal)
Page 3:
- Chiquita to pay fine for deals with militants
- Deal reached on Palestinian government
Page 4:
- A thundering suspicion about sumo (cont’d from front page)
Page 5:
- Blair wins vote on subs
- World in Brief (short world news summaries)
Page 6:
- Iraqi forces backslide on lead role (another interesting buried story)
- Hussein’s sons, grandson reburied
- Canadian philosopher wins $1.5-million Templeton Prize
Page 7:
- Censure dismays priest’s supporters
Page 8:
- Bush promises immigration compromise
- U.S. backs release of N. Korea funds
Page 9:
- Trust of U.S. Arabs is sought
- TMZ gossip hounds want the D.C. dish
- PETA calls for monks’ repentance
- Legislator yanks execution artwork in Texas Capitol
Page 10:
- Liberal lawmakers get place at the table (cont’d from front page)
- Partisan battle in Senate again stalls debate on war
- Man shot dead by NYC police after killing 2 officers, bartender
Page 11:
- Full page ad for HBO documentary
Page 12:
- Friends recall Obama’s life in Indonesia (cont’d from front page)
Page 13:
- Clinton shoots for top of firefighters’ ladder
- Florida girl’s killer receives death penalty
Page 14: >>> DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! <<<
- Gonzales gets rare rebuke from Bush
- Aide called prosecutor ‘real problem’
There ya go! Page 14! And even there, the headlines show Bush taking charge by rebuking Gonzales and a repeat of the Administration horseshit that fired U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, she of the successful Duke Cunningham bribery prosecution, was a ‘real problem.’
Look, we know as well as anyone how difficult it is to find space “at the front of the book” for important stories, but couldn’t either of the two stories on Sumo wrestling have been back-benched for a day or two?
What a disgrace.
Crash and burn bu$$hco,..
These NeoConservative/Corporatist/kleptomaniacs know well that the party is over,.. they can read the writing on the wall. They think if they can keep reality off the headlines,.. the Decider can Commander in Chief – one more time around the block.
Dubai – And Good Luck !!!!
My lord! Even Pravda must have tried harder to hide their real intentions. Usually propagandists try to walk a fine line. Why didn’t they just ignore the story altogether.
Right after confessing to organising 9/11 KSM also confessed to being responsible for both Kennedy assassinations,shooting Martin Luther King,faking the moon landings,sinking the Titanic,kidnapping Shergar,the october surprise,Iran-Contra,the savings and loan scandal,BSE,The 7/7 bombings and drinking all the beer in my fridge.
Okay, GAZ, you left out the Little Big Horn, Pearl Harbor, Apollo 13, Ford’s Theater, Jimmy Hoffa, the Hindenburg, the Grassy Knoll and more.
And he’s going to be tried in a secret court based on secret evidence!
Brad, you have hit on a very good way to put into perspective the content of peper-press. Seeing everything in the same size type by “headline” or topic makes the overall content clearer. It is like a table of contents in a book—all laid out for you to decide: do I even want to read this book?
Just about the same crap in Richard Mellon Scafe’s PA Tribunes. What a worthless bunch of delusional blowhards! How long do they think an entire country will stay asleep?
Hey Brad, excellent work on the bottom line of “voter fraud fraud.” We know since the rogue-intelligence-friendly MSM isn’t covering it, it was probably one of the main targets along with getting rid of those investigating other ground shaking rebublican corruption!
Hey Blow Your Face Off will see who has the stomach for what, you sicko!
They don’t make up these stories because people think it’s ridiculous.
They do it because conservatives simply believe the stuff. Liberals ascribe to the even more ludicrous and convoluted delusion that the assertions are probably true but are being misused as a distraction.
There is perilously little thought that actually goes on in American politics. Very little common sense. And what little there is, everyone thinks that they are the ones exercising it.
This story is a complete fabrication from top to bottom. As is the entire War On Terror.
But they do this stuff because the US political class believes it. Because it works.
They just discovered that Mars has water in the form of ice at its south pole deep enough to cover the entire planet 36 feet deep !!! He confessed to putting all that water there when he hid bin Laden there!!
How about a no-bid contract for Haliburton … including relocating all the neoCons. Where they must relocate to the south pole of Mars, and the LA Times and the other delusion rags can HQ there too!
And the interesting thing is this thing called reporting. Publications like the NYTimes should perhaps be read (free versions only) because they have the resources to help us find out some things. I say that with much circumspection because the legitimate reporting they produce is rare. Most is state/korporate propaganda (close cousins).
The Independent’s reporting of this story makes the NYTimes look like it is receiving korporate memos from the grave of Joseph Goebbels.
But that’s typical of the Times and other ‘credible’ US news sources. Providing ‘news’ straight from the White House to the public with little or no criticism.
Speaking of odd stories: is this tin-foil hat stuff–
quote
Washington””March 13, 2007″”SPEAKER PELOSI WITHHOLDING 9/11 EVIDENCE INVOLVING BUSH WH””Federal agents have handed over evidence of White House prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks on America to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi which she is withholding from prosecutors according to sources within the government. Democrats have become increasingly disenchanted with Pelosi’s willingness to “take the impeachment of the President off the table.” Agents say that Pelosi could be guilty of obstruction of justice under 18 United States Code 4 if it can be proven that she knowingly failed to release criminal evidence to proper authorities and federal prosecutors—-particularly those U.S. attorneys recently fired by the Bush administration.TomFlocco.com was told by a U.S. intelligence source that “Pelosi has everything on 9/11.” Americans who wish to encourage Mrs. Pelosi to do her job, follow the United States Code of law, and seek accountability and justice regarding 9/11 evidence in her possession may contact her via the following numbers:
Pelosi House office: 202-225-4965 / fax: 202-225-8259
Pelosi Speaker’s office: 202-225-0100 / switchboard: 202-224-3121
http://www.tomflocco.com
end quote
I suspect so. I suspect Tom Flocco works for the LA TImes!
Who the hell even reads the LA Times?
And they wonder why there is a drop in readership!
I dropped my subscription to the LA Times when they brought right-winger Jeff Johnson in to run the paper about 15 months ago. He fired Robert Scheer and brought in 2 neo-cons as op-editorialists (Bush propagandists), Max Boot and Jonah Goldberg (Lucianne’s son–advisor to Linda Tripp). I asked all my friends to drop their subscriptions and most did.
I would get bi-weekly calls to reinstate my subscription and told them I wouldn’t until they got rid of right-winger Johnson. Well, they got rid of Johnson and brought in neo-con David Hillard to replace him. In case you didn’t know, Hillard is Donald Rumsfeld’s close friend and handball partner. That’s who is running the LA Times. Get the picture.
They won’t sell the paper until after the 2008 election. The Repubs want California badly and think the Times will help them, along with ARNOLD on the ballot. Watch it happen.
Drop your subscription if you have one. There is absolutely no reason to pay for propaganda.
Just remember, the LA Times endorsed Republican Bruce McPherson for Secretary of State over Democrat Bowen. They wanted to keep the Diebold machines throughout the state for the 2008 election and McPherson had already certified them. It was the most critical election in 2006— keeping the Secretary of State’s Office away from any Republican.