Radio Sputnik discussed the issue with Joe Lauria, an author and independent veteran foreign-affairs journalist.

"I think it shows that the American voters are more sophisticated that they are given credit for. They find credible neither Trump, nor the media. And that's very disturbing, but I'm not surprised by this. I think there's been a downward trend in credibility of the media for some years," Lauria said.

According to him, the quality of US media reports has significantly decreased over the last decades. In contrast to 1960-80s, when media outlets laid focus on the investigative journalism and news reporting, the modern media industry has rather turned into "infotainment," with entertainment divisions taking over the news.

"In 1960-80s, within twenty minutes there was more news given on a TV report than is given in 24 hours today by CNN and the others," the journalist said. "TV news has gone into the toilet and that is all driven by profit."

In Lauria's opinion, many media corporations report in a way which is more beneficial for them. They often "leave important facts out," release one-sided information and "people just don't buy it anymore."

Commenting on the recent US media's criticism toward Trump and on how much time it will take US journalists to come to realization that Trump is president and they can do nothing about it, Lauria said:

"Well, I think they'll come to that realization, but I don't think they'll stop criticizing him, and nor should they. I think there is valid criticism in what Trump has done. The point is they didn't criticize Obama enough."

read more:

https://sputniknews.com/us/201702101050562301-americans-media-pro-obama-bias/

Joe Lauria has been a United Nations correspondent for 25 years. This included six and a half years as the Wall Street Journal correspondent based at U.N. Headquarters in New York. Mr. Lauria has covered ever major world crisis that has come before the U.N. over the past quarter century. Among those stories was the fraught diplomacy before the First Gulf War and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq; the 1990s wars that broke up Yugoslavia; the genocide in Rwanda; the destruction of Libya; the coup d'etat in Ukraine and resulting civil war; the devastating conflict in Syria; African coups and the U.N. response to earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters. Mr. Lauria has interviewed numerous presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and ambassadors and questioned many other leaders in press encounters, including Yassir Arafat, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Robert Mugabe, Jacques Chirac, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. He reported numerous exclusives and front- page U.N.-related stories for the WSJ. 

read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/joelauria-871

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEKUIOURVRw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLemeAGDFwc

is it a coincidence that DONALD trump and the actor playing Maxwell SMART share the same first name, DONALD? Follow the twisted mind of Gus the Old, who can spot parallels between Trump's and Smart's luck while both are totally out of understanding any reality nor where the smell of Limburger Cheese is coming from: the post office box on the street in which agent 44 resides. Welcome to reality TV at the White House.

Ah, you know nothing... see toon at top.

Jamie Farr, the actor who plays corporal Max (Maxwell) Klinger in MASH had cameo roles in... Get Smart (Maxwell Smart). 

would you believe...

As many satarists come out of the woodworks, one is inclined to believe that if Donald Trump did not shoot himself in the foot yet, it's only because he is a bad shot.

Late-night hosts took aim at Trump’s failing administration, saying it was “fully engulfed in chaos”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/16/late-night-tv-round...

Where were these great satarists when Obama was bombing anything that moved?...

If you don't understand "Gertrude/Gerard", don't worry... 

See new toon at top...

As it is to many of us on the left, it is obvious to me that Trump is the most dangerous, unqualified, and reckless US President I have ever seen—much less imagined. And while it seems as if he will soon enough seize some opportunity to declare a national security disaster granting himself new unlimited powers, I know no reason to trust the CIA and other intelligence agencies any more than we trust Trump.

This attack on the Executive Branch is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The most historically interesting element of this moment is the rarity of seeing the CIA operating, in real time, not in its usual historical role as a covert arm of the presidency (which Congressman Otis Pike argued was its primary function), but as the sort of rogue elephant that Senator Frank Church and others long ago claimed it is. As members of the Republic, no matter what momentary joy we might feel watching this rogue elephant canter towards our incompetent Commander and Chief, we must not ignore the danger this beast presents to one and all.

We should welcome calls to investigate Trump, Flynn, Bannon, Pence and others within the administration, but we need to also investigate and monitor the CIA for this latest in its long history of attempted coups.

read more:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/02/17/rogue-elephant-rising-the-cia-as-...

On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said the House was “moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry,” unifying ongoing investigations in six congressional committees under the umbrella of an impeachment probe. Citing a July phone call between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pelosi argued that the president abused his authority and broke the law by directing Zelensky to reopen an investigation into the overseas business dealings of former vice president Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. The transcript of the call, however, failed to show any nefarious quid-pro-quo as alleged by Trump's opponents.

While there is dispute over whether Congress still needs to institute a full vote in order to direct the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal probe – as occurred during the Nixon and Clinton impeachment sagas – some Democrats argue no such vote is necessary.

Read more:

https://www.rt.com/usa/469803-trump-backers-critics-impeachment-showdown/

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