Apoorva Mandavilli is the New York Times’ COVID reporter. “Someday we will stop talking about the lab leak theory and maybe even admit its racist roots. But alas, that day is not yet here,” she tweeted not last year, but just a couple of days ago. The “lab leak theory” has always been the most likely theory for the release of the virus into the world.
Sounds like everyone would be a lot happier if they gave up on the national press. Not sure if they'd be better informed, but the status quo isn't working either.
Congrats on your new radio venture, but I don't see why you can't see the equivalence the MSM sees. I saw the Jews in LA and NY pounding the hell out of the Palestinian's sticks with their yarmulkes and bare heads at times.
"Democrats, who overwhelmingly believe their own fawning press coverage, will never realize what has happened until it is too late." May a merciful God bring that to pass.
I agree 100% with everything you said, Erick. But what really eats at my confidence is that so many Republicans are allowing other distortions of reality (like the "stolen election" or "1/6 was Antifa" or QAnon or the Deep State™, etc.) take root and flourish. I just hope that these denials of reality don't erode or completely erase any of the ground ceded by the Democrats and their allies in the press with their delusions. Can we just at least restore sanity to our politics and public discourse? Even if we can't agree on ideology, can we at least agree on facts and reality? Is that really too much to ask? 🤷🏻♂️
I knew when Covid-19 first started being reported, regardless of how it played out, that the crises would not be wasted by the left. It was absolutely used to defeat Trump. Will there ever be a "Commission on Covid-19" to tell the stories about, nursing home deaths, underlying conditions and fatalities, average age of mortality, contagiousness, masks, lockdowns, school children collateral damage, and other manipulations that were put onto citizens in the name of safety? I wonder if it occurred on the prior president's watch or during a non-election year would we have been "scared" as much? Keep preaching Erick!
Erick you say nothing. All you do is incite. Why point to CNN's failures while Fox News, OAN, talk radio, and others are doing worse and have been doing it longer. I'd like to see you in a live debate with Chris Cuomo. He'd mop the floor with you. We align on the root cause of the pandemic. Clearly China fumbled. And they are clearly careless with deadly consequences. They got lucky the rocket debris didn't fall on humans. We had better get control quickly. But we need some higher authority. There is none. We can't even get aligned locally because cheap theater like yours and Tucker's are more concerned about stirring up dissent to gain ratings ($$$) than coming together as a people. You have a voice. Change!
Are you a new subscriber Rich, or is that your turnip truck driving off in the distance? If you can't see a marked difference between the way EE conducts himself and the way every other entity you mention here conducts themselves, you either haven't been around long or you haven't been paying attention. I have heard him rebut ALL of the right's sacred cows - and I do mean ALL of them - at various times during his radio show or in this column. He has defended CNN when they deserved to be defended, he's skewered Fox when they deserved to be skewered. He had a personal falling out with Trump before he became president yet often stood up for him when Trump was unjustly attacked. He is NOT a flame-thrower looking to make a buck by selling fear, he attacks the divisive rather than creating division himself (this article is a good example of that premise), and despite not agreeing with everything he says, Erick is one of the very few voices I lean on for objectivity. Did you somehow confuse him with Don Lemon??
Amusing, Tucker, thanks for engaging. My chief objection to Erick’s column, was his final, 7th paragraph. Final as in, his conclusion. The first 6 paragraphs I happened to have no objection too. But he concludes, with the first sentence stating, as if it were fact, “The press has always leaned left.” That statement simply isn’t true. Maybe you have to be in your 60’s like me to remember. But then you might also need a fair and clear perspective. What can be thought of as the elite media today, is the result of them having to evolve into a defensive battlefield posture as a result of the absolute undeniable right-wing bomb throwing from Fox News and conservative AM radio. Before Erick there was Rush, Boortz (for us Georgia folk), and Hannity. Boortz especially, hitting his consonants and his whiney characterizations of the side he was ridiculing that day. Cherry picking stories and cases from the most radical fringe so the headlines could make their listeners salivate with what was it, hate? It was when he criticized Michelle Obama for having some physical fitness initiative targeted towards children that I began to question his ulterior motive. What in the holy hell could be wrong with someone in the public view, a first lady, encouraging children to get up and move? It was that point I realized, he was a racist. And though I had been beckoned to listen by some of the same headlines as the rest of his sheep, it was at that point I started listening to he and the others with another perspective. A questioning perspective. Erick is following in some of the same footsteps. Not nearly as entertaining as Boortz, but a bit more skilled in the subtleties. Yeah, you’re right Erick goes after both sides. But he always comes down on one side. The strong side. The side of the wealthy and powerful. The top quintile. You can’t be subtle when its “always”. Always is an easy pattern to pick up. What I wish Erick would do, is show a bit more compassion for the lower quintiles in our society. Capitalism works but sometimes it works too well. If we don’t tilt some advantages to the (most populist) quintiles in our society we’re going to create a different kind of society than the one we all really want, love, and would go to war to protect. A society where (100% of) people who work hard and do their jobs well can support a family of four and have a three-bedroom house and fewer pressures in their life (healthcare, retirement) so they can focus on raising the next generation and get positive assistance from the pooled resources of other parents to create a high-quality public education. No, I must stand behind my first comment, my conclusion. Erick should be doing better. We all know neither the Rs or the Ds are 100% right 100% of the time. But somehow we can’t get a third party to come down in the middle and get some positive things done and do them right. That’s what I wish Erick would support. Encourage his followers towards reasonable governing. Reasonable = for the good of the whole of society. He has the platform. He’s smart enough. He’s got integrity and credibility (for now). But he needs to stop the hate speech. C’mon Erick, this is a challenge!
Agreed. This article looks like it was a direct link from foxnews.com. You know Erick has to throw some red meat to his main subscriber base every now and then. Cant blame him for that. He cant be unbiased and pragmatic all of the time. Gotta keep the big party bosses happy. The times he shows those flashes of reality is the reason i subscribe. Maybe the next article will be better. Whats the old saying before you worry about the splinter in my eye, remove the tree from yours.
" I can only pray you are correct. However by 2022 it may be too late to turn the tide of hatred, fistacuffs, and gun violence growing across the country."
"The press has always leaned left. But in recent years, the press has given up the veneer of objectivity while still demanding it serve as gatekeepers to truth." Let me engage in some USA Today revision:
"The Fourth Estate has always leaned slightly left of center. But in recent years, the press has embraced a new definition of objectivity, retelling the stories of the day while serving as gatekeepers to their truths.
Biden killed the investigation into the origin of the Wuhan Flu just to now start it up again. Clearly, there is something there or there is no way he would have let this see the light of day. The democrats love to tie criticism of the CCP as racists when we all know that is one of the most evil regimes of modern times. Beijing Biden may have no choice to deal with them.
In a utopian outcome, the Democrats would see their deranged folly, own it, and change. Americans, with two strong pro-American political parties, would benefit greatly. It is not too much of a stretch to also believe the world at large would benefit; a strong, independent United States is the best friend our allies could hope for.
BUT, the Wokes own the weak-minded, who unashamedly pander for their money and approval. Sadly this is today's Democrat Party. All Americans, who want the freedom to choose schools for their children, would like to see legitimate debate return to college campuses, and wish to break free from the grip of business and job killing federal policies, need to wake up, go to the ballot box, and vote the Wokes out of office.
Were that to happen, would the Republican Party have the guts and will of Trump to cull the gross inefficiencies out of Washington, and do so in a manner long on grace and short on vitriol? It seems we can't silence the people who hate American independence (and who refuse to move overseas), but can we create a nation that is so obviously better, the haters of our country will find few converts?
THAT'S the question, Jerry. Will the Republicans grow a pair and rid the country of this cancer of wokeness? I seriously doubt it...it is exactly why we appreciated the toughness of Trump. If I hear 'my friend across the aisle' one more time I think I will scream!
This is funny. The toughness of Trump. Is the person across the aisle your enemy? Is thats what we have devolved to? This post has more likes than any other and is the most divisive. Coincidence? Everyone that disagrees with you is your enemy?
Information warfare is quite powerful. The Democrats clearly won the early rounds - see the summer of 2020. The battle seems to be a touch more balanced. What happens from here forward will tell the story.
Sounds like everyone would be a lot happier if they gave up on the national press. Not sure if they'd be better informed, but the status quo isn't working either.
No matter where covid originated, it was 100% our responsibility and how we responded to it once it hit our shores.
Congrats on your new radio venture, but I don't see why you can't see the equivalence the MSM sees. I saw the Jews in LA and NY pounding the hell out of the Palestinian's sticks with their yarmulkes and bare heads at times.
"Democrats, who overwhelmingly believe their own fawning press coverage, will never realize what has happened until it is too late." May a merciful God bring that to pass.
I agree 100% with everything you said, Erick. But what really eats at my confidence is that so many Republicans are allowing other distortions of reality (like the "stolen election" or "1/6 was Antifa" or QAnon or the Deep State™, etc.) take root and flourish. I just hope that these denials of reality don't erode or completely erase any of the ground ceded by the Democrats and their allies in the press with their delusions. Can we just at least restore sanity to our politics and public discourse? Even if we can't agree on ideology, can we at least agree on facts and reality? Is that really too much to ask? 🤷🏻♂️
Right there with you
I knew when Covid-19 first started being reported, regardless of how it played out, that the crises would not be wasted by the left. It was absolutely used to defeat Trump. Will there ever be a "Commission on Covid-19" to tell the stories about, nursing home deaths, underlying conditions and fatalities, average age of mortality, contagiousness, masks, lockdowns, school children collateral damage, and other manipulations that were put onto citizens in the name of safety? I wonder if it occurred on the prior president's watch or during a non-election year would we have been "scared" as much? Keep preaching Erick!
Erick you say nothing. All you do is incite. Why point to CNN's failures while Fox News, OAN, talk radio, and others are doing worse and have been doing it longer. I'd like to see you in a live debate with Chris Cuomo. He'd mop the floor with you. We align on the root cause of the pandemic. Clearly China fumbled. And they are clearly careless with deadly consequences. They got lucky the rocket debris didn't fall on humans. We had better get control quickly. But we need some higher authority. There is none. We can't even get aligned locally because cheap theater like yours and Tucker's are more concerned about stirring up dissent to gain ratings ($$$) than coming together as a people. You have a voice. Change!
Are you a new subscriber Rich, or is that your turnip truck driving off in the distance? If you can't see a marked difference between the way EE conducts himself and the way every other entity you mention here conducts themselves, you either haven't been around long or you haven't been paying attention. I have heard him rebut ALL of the right's sacred cows - and I do mean ALL of them - at various times during his radio show or in this column. He has defended CNN when they deserved to be defended, he's skewered Fox when they deserved to be skewered. He had a personal falling out with Trump before he became president yet often stood up for him when Trump was unjustly attacked. He is NOT a flame-thrower looking to make a buck by selling fear, he attacks the divisive rather than creating division himself (this article is a good example of that premise), and despite not agreeing with everything he says, Erick is one of the very few voices I lean on for objectivity. Did you somehow confuse him with Don Lemon??
Amusing, Tucker, thanks for engaging. My chief objection to Erick’s column, was his final, 7th paragraph. Final as in, his conclusion. The first 6 paragraphs I happened to have no objection too. But he concludes, with the first sentence stating, as if it were fact, “The press has always leaned left.” That statement simply isn’t true. Maybe you have to be in your 60’s like me to remember. But then you might also need a fair and clear perspective. What can be thought of as the elite media today, is the result of them having to evolve into a defensive battlefield posture as a result of the absolute undeniable right-wing bomb throwing from Fox News and conservative AM radio. Before Erick there was Rush, Boortz (for us Georgia folk), and Hannity. Boortz especially, hitting his consonants and his whiney characterizations of the side he was ridiculing that day. Cherry picking stories and cases from the most radical fringe so the headlines could make their listeners salivate with what was it, hate? It was when he criticized Michelle Obama for having some physical fitness initiative targeted towards children that I began to question his ulterior motive. What in the holy hell could be wrong with someone in the public view, a first lady, encouraging children to get up and move? It was that point I realized, he was a racist. And though I had been beckoned to listen by some of the same headlines as the rest of his sheep, it was at that point I started listening to he and the others with another perspective. A questioning perspective. Erick is following in some of the same footsteps. Not nearly as entertaining as Boortz, but a bit more skilled in the subtleties. Yeah, you’re right Erick goes after both sides. But he always comes down on one side. The strong side. The side of the wealthy and powerful. The top quintile. You can’t be subtle when its “always”. Always is an easy pattern to pick up. What I wish Erick would do, is show a bit more compassion for the lower quintiles in our society. Capitalism works but sometimes it works too well. If we don’t tilt some advantages to the (most populist) quintiles in our society we’re going to create a different kind of society than the one we all really want, love, and would go to war to protect. A society where (100% of) people who work hard and do their jobs well can support a family of four and have a three-bedroom house and fewer pressures in their life (healthcare, retirement) so they can focus on raising the next generation and get positive assistance from the pooled resources of other parents to create a high-quality public education. No, I must stand behind my first comment, my conclusion. Erick should be doing better. We all know neither the Rs or the Ds are 100% right 100% of the time. But somehow we can’t get a third party to come down in the middle and get some positive things done and do them right. That’s what I wish Erick would support. Encourage his followers towards reasonable governing. Reasonable = for the good of the whole of society. He has the platform. He’s smart enough. He’s got integrity and credibility (for now). But he needs to stop the hate speech. C’mon Erick, this is a challenge!
I'd love to see that debate too, but I don't think it would end the way you propose. It would be an intellectual Bambi vs. Godzilla match.
Agreed. This article looks like it was a direct link from foxnews.com. You know Erick has to throw some red meat to his main subscriber base every now and then. Cant blame him for that. He cant be unbiased and pragmatic all of the time. Gotta keep the big party bosses happy. The times he shows those flashes of reality is the reason i subscribe. Maybe the next article will be better. Whats the old saying before you worry about the splinter in my eye, remove the tree from yours.
“Old saying”?????
Yeah Matthew 7:5 Republicans dont have a monopoly on the bible. Did you know what book the scripture came from? Probably not
" I can only pray you are correct. However by 2022 it may be too late to turn the tide of hatred, fistacuffs, and gun violence growing across the country."
Pat
"The press has always leaned left. But in recent years, the press has given up the veneer of objectivity while still demanding it serve as gatekeepers to truth." Let me engage in some USA Today revision:
"The Fourth Estate has always leaned slightly left of center. But in recent years, the press has embraced a new definition of objectivity, retelling the stories of the day while serving as gatekeepers to their truths.
Biden killed the investigation into the origin of the Wuhan Flu just to now start it up again. Clearly, there is something there or there is no way he would have let this see the light of day. The democrats love to tie criticism of the CCP as racists when we all know that is one of the most evil regimes of modern times. Beijing Biden may have no choice to deal with them.
In a utopian outcome, the Democrats would see their deranged folly, own it, and change. Americans, with two strong pro-American political parties, would benefit greatly. It is not too much of a stretch to also believe the world at large would benefit; a strong, independent United States is the best friend our allies could hope for.
BUT, the Wokes own the weak-minded, who unashamedly pander for their money and approval. Sadly this is today's Democrat Party. All Americans, who want the freedom to choose schools for their children, would like to see legitimate debate return to college campuses, and wish to break free from the grip of business and job killing federal policies, need to wake up, go to the ballot box, and vote the Wokes out of office.
Were that to happen, would the Republican Party have the guts and will of Trump to cull the gross inefficiencies out of Washington, and do so in a manner long on grace and short on vitriol? It seems we can't silence the people who hate American independence (and who refuse to move overseas), but can we create a nation that is so obviously better, the haters of our country will find few converts?
THAT'S the question, Jerry. Will the Republicans grow a pair and rid the country of this cancer of wokeness? I seriously doubt it...it is exactly why we appreciated the toughness of Trump. If I hear 'my friend across the aisle' one more time I think I will scream!
This is funny. The toughness of Trump. Is the person across the aisle your enemy? Is thats what we have devolved to? This post has more likes than any other and is the most divisive. Coincidence? Everyone that disagrees with you is your enemy?
Existentially true. Once again, "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Information warfare is quite powerful. The Democrats clearly won the early rounds - see the summer of 2020. The battle seems to be a touch more balanced. What happens from here forward will tell the story.
Love to hate, well strongly dislike the 'press'. Thank God for Erick.