Well fellow Covid-19 survivors, we've made it to Thanksgiving week. It's time to think about the people we are grateful for.
My own lists starts with the journalists I've worked with my whole adult life. I love these guys even when they piss me off. And I need to explain why.
First, no less an icon than Carl Bernstein decided to name the Republican senators who privately hold Trump and his actions in contempt but will never speak out publicly against him. Obviously, this was an extreme step for a journalist to take, and I'm not sure what to make of it, because it's not entirely clear whether Carl broke a promise of confidentiality by doing this.
My kind of journalists don't break a promise like that.
But this is an example of how Trump's actions have strained journalistic ethics like no previous president ever has. He has forced prominent journalists into calling him a liar among other things. We've not witnessed this before.
And it's not like Trump is the only victim, ultimately, of Trumpism.
Before his rise, the public approval ratings for journalists were already at a low ebb. Now a massive slice of the population openly rejects what we do as "fake news" while they embrace baseless conspiracy theories that contaminate their minds like brain cancer.
Trump has successfully exploited these deep suspicions of the press, some of which, honestly, are legitimate reactions to perceived biases and self-righteous attitudes.
That's why I've frequently criticized the national television commentators who by exercising their First Amendment rights nevertheless confuse the viewing public about whether they are real journalists or just opinionated members of the elite.
You can't be both.
The journalists I represent are very different people from those folks. My kind of reporters dig out and publish stories that reveal injustice, unfairness and abuses of power. They often doubt themselves and question their own motives as they do this work.
Their types of stories require patience, persistence, courage, empathy, a commitment to get at the truth of complex matters and the will to take on entrenched interests that otherwise would prevent these facts from seeing the light of day.
The reporters who do these stories are my heroes, the people I defend fiercely when writing about journalism as I know it. They are the women and men who ask hard questions to seek the answers we all need to know.
They don't earn the big bucks, they are rarely famous, and they may or may not look pretty on TV. But they do the hard work and they all look just fine to me.
This Thanksgiving, please think about them and all that they do. When a would-be tyrant rises in our midst, they are our last line of defense, in little ways and big, here and there across the land, speaking truth to power.
When it comes to authoritarianism, they are most definitely standing in the way.
So please give thanks for the journalists in your life.
***
On to the news parade.
* GSA Says Biden Transition Can Proceed Formally (CNN)
* 164 business leaders urge Trump to begin presidential transition for the sake of the country (WashPo)
* GOP national security experts call on Trump to concede (WashPo)
* President-elect Joe Biden has selected Antony Blinken, one of his closest and longest-serving foreign policy advisers, for the position. Biden is also planning to announce Linda Thomas-Greenfield as his nominee for ambassador to the United Nations. (WashPo)
* John Kerry will lead the incoming administration’s effort to combat climate change. (AP)
* G.M. Drops Its Support for Trump Climate Rollbacks and Aligns With Biden -- General Motors said it would no longer back President Trump’s effort to strip California of the power to set fuel economy standards. (NYT)
* Trump soon will be unable to hide from the women accusing him of sexual assault. (Mother Jones)
* The US economy is about to shrink, JPMorgan warns. (CNN)
* The epidemic situation has rebounded again, and the Hong Kong goverment is actively preparing for another war. (尖沙咀寸头仔)
* Now the U.S. Has Lots of Ventilators, but Too Few Specialists to Operate Them -- A burst of production solved the dire shortage that defined the first wave of the coronavirus. But the surplus may not be enough to prevent large numbers of deaths. (NYT)
* In First for SF, District Attorney Chesa Boudin Charges Former Police Officer With Homicide (KQED)
* AstraZeneca vaccine up to 90% effective and easily transportable, says company (WashPo)
* Journalist Carl Bernstein called out Republicans in the Senate for remaining silent as Trump attempts to overthrow the results of the election via lawsuits based on false claims. Bernstein identified 21 lawmakers who he said have “expressed extreme contempt for Trump & his fitness to be POTUS” behind the scenes. (HuffPost)
* The 21 GOP Senators who have privately expressed their disdain for Trump are: Portman, Alexander, Sasse, Blunt, Collins, Murkowski, Cornyn, Thune, Romney, Braun, Young, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, Rubio, Grassley, Burr, Toomey, McSally, Moran, Roberts, Shelby. (Carl Bernstein/Twitter)
* California’s unemployment debacle has been fueled by the Bank of America, through an exclusive contract. Since 2010, the bank has delivered benefits through prepaid debit cards. Now, recipients say their payments have been entangled in big errors and security lapses. [CalMatters]
* A survey of 2,445 American men has revealed the impact of social distancing on men’s health since the start of the pandemic. While men are often stereotyped as less inclined to discuss their feelings (with 1 in 10 having experienced feelings of depression and anxiety on a daily basis, yet less than half (41%) have sought help from a mental health professional), it appears that the absence of meet-ups with their friends has had a significant impact on their general well-being. Over half of those polled in California (53%) revealed they have often felt depressed as a result of having limited contact with friends since the start of the pandemic. (cherrydigitalcontent.com)
* BREAKING: In a last ditch effort to win the election, Donald Trump has announced he is changing his name to Joe Biden. (Alex Cole/Twitter)
***
"If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything." -- (author disputed)
And then there's the country music version...
Everyone that knew him knew which side that he'd be on
He never was a hero, or this county's shinin' light
But you could always find him standing up
For what he thought was right
He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
If Daddy had done more givin' in or a little more backing down
But we always had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do today you'll have to sleep with tonight
-30-
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