Lawrence is a dying bread of clear eyed reporters that knew how to leave their politics in a drawer when writing from the field. Sadly, going back to perhaps the invasion of Grenada, the fourth estate has been turned more and more into a propaganda bullhorn for the security state with respect to reporting on state violence.

Not that there wasn’t always a history of distorting news to fit the owners political bent but I think Lawrence is getting at the reporting in the field aspects themselves and less on the word smithing and massaging that happens after reports are turned in.

“ I cannot but relate the dire circumstance Crooke and the Telegraph contributor depict to the accelerating spiral we see in our media and our public space since the Ukraine crisis erupted into open conflict. My head spins, indeed, at the spectacle of media coverage this poor and the extent to which it has stupefied the reading and viewing public.”

So Far As I Can Make Out

I’m always curious why anyone would be an active participant in this process. If not cold hard cash, what do they get out of simping for the establishment? I remember the Liberals criticisms of the invasion and conduct of the war in Iraq. Now Liberals are in the vanguard of cheerleading this current bloody mess. Maybe it’s not about what’s being done but rather who gets to be in charge? Dunno, but this is a PMC led war effort. From behind naturally, with all the plausible deniability that’s such a hallmark of this credentialed class.