Although polls consistently show that most Americans oppose the abrupt demolition of the East Wing of the White House, news organization ownership makes reporting the issue a challenge.
For example, Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, is an East Wing donor. Guess what the editorial board wrote this week, without mentioning that fact? “In defense of the White House ballroom” which shamed opponents as NIMBYs (not in my backyard).
Comcast owns NBC News and MSNBC, but on-air cable personalities have criticized the company for whatever it might have donated.
The only known “donation” is $22 million from YouTube in a court settlement filing. No other individual or corporation that the White House claims as donors have gone on the record. And the White House is now saying some may remain anonymous. (How is this legal?)
Then there are the settlements. Disney (ABC) and Paramount (CBS, wants CNN) settled lawsuits with Donald Trump rather than go to court.
That’s three networks and one (maybe soon two) cable channel, muzzled. The nation’s titular paper, muzzled.
There are two topics that seem to be hot potatoes for all news organizations:
(1) the underground bunker that FDR built and Truman expanded Trump has stated the bunker will be modernized.
(2) the status of the East Wing artifacts. If the artifacts were saved, how could that happen without anyone knowing the East Wing was about to be demolished? If they weren’t, that should be criminal.
So where should you look for news about the East Wing destruction? My recommendation is The Guardian and The Atlantic.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com