In a world of Bari Weisses, be a Scott Pelley!

The oligarch control of media!

We are living through an intense time of right-wing oligarchs seeking to take control of U.S. news media. Their goal is to use these outlets to peddle propaganda in support of their agenda be it tax cuts, less regulations or a DOJ that allows mergers so less competition. To do that, though, the oligarchs need to not only buy the large media outlets, they also need to then install people who will help them peddle their propaganda—and eliminate any who stand in their way.

That is why Bari Weiss is the head of CBS News and long time 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is out. Weiss is nothing more than a shill for the Ellisons—the oligarchs who own CBS. Pelley in contrast was a person of principal who believed journalists should hold the powerful accountable. Those two views are inherently incompatible.

The latest example of Weiss doing exactly what she was hired to do –namely destroy a fact checking TV show like 60 Minutes that is seen as left leaning—came last week. That is when she fired 60 Minutes Executive producer Tanya Simon—who replaced long time Executive producer Bill Owens after he resigned in protest last year over CBS giving Trump a massive cash settlement/bribe in response to a BS lawsuit.

In addition, Weiss canned two other long-time 60 Minute correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. You may recall, Alfonsi made headlines last year slamming Weiss for pressuring her to make a story about the El Salvador death camps Trump was sending deported people to less objectionable to the Trump regime.

All of this is why on Monday, Pelley told Weiss’s new choice for 60 Minutes Executive producer, Nick Bilton, that Weiss was “murdering 60 Minutes.” Pelley added that Weiss “does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.’” That was leaked to the press no doubt because Pelley wanted fans of 60 Minutes and the general public to know what was up.

The next day Pelley was fired by Weiss. That is when Pelley shared a public statement that went even further. The award-winning journalist spoke of the storied history of 60 Minutes. But then stated point blank, “the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”

Pelley then focused on Weiss and the other executives at CBS, accusing them or wanting to perpetrate a fraud on the American people in the service of their political/economic agenda. Pelley wrote, “New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified.” But he noted, “To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them.”

Pelley’s accusations of Weiss’s interference in the news content at CBS was backed up by both Vega and Alfonsi. Vega released a statement that read in part: “In recent months, my producing teams and I have experienced efforts to insert political bias into our stories.” She continued, “Reporting teams have held back on submitting story pitches about important news topics out of fear of the internal repercussions. Let’s call this what it is: censorship, both imposed and self-driven. It is dangerous for the show and dangerous for democracy.”

Alfonsi’s also commented after her firing, saying this “was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting, and it sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom.” She then added this very telling line: “The wall between editorial independence and corporate interest at CBS is being methodically torn down. Journalists willing to challenge authority are being pushed aside in favor of those who will not.”

Again, all of this is why the Ellison’s picked Weiss. She will transform CBS into the type of outlet an oligarch can see as a good investment—and that is one that peddles a message that helps them make money and/or furthers their ideology.

To that latter point, it’s no coincidence that Benjamin Netanyahu recently appeared on 60 Minutes and was allowed to choose a former Fox News reporter to ask him softball questions. Both Larry Ellison and Weiss are famous for their absolute support of Israel.

Weiss launched her journalism career as a right-wing activist at Columbia University, seeking to censor pro-Palestinian professors. During the Gaza war, her publication “The Free Press” defended the starving of Christian and Muslim Palestinian children by trying to put it in “context.”

In the case of Larry Ellison, he is a “close confidant” to Benjamin Netanyahu—including providing Netanyahu with a place to vacation. And as The Intercept reported, Ellison is a major donor to the Israeli military. In 2017, Ellison “donated $16.6 million to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, what was at the time the nonprofit’s largest single donation ever.”

It’s same reason why Jeff Bezos announced last year that The Washington Post—which he owns--will focus its opinion section on supporting “personal liberties and free markets,” while pieces opposing those views would no longer be published. That is the message Bezos wants his platform to peddle because it’s what he believes. The result was that some Washington Post opinion editors quit—but Bezos was only too happy to replace them with those who will do his bidding.

And with the Ellison’s on the verge of buying CNN, we can expect to see the a message broadcast there that is consistent with the financial and ideological goals of these oligarchs. As an aside the proposed merger should never be allowed given the concentration of media power the Ellison’s will have. But given Trump and Larry Ellison’s are buddies, we knew the merger will be approved. After all that is what happens in a corrupt oligarchy.

Getting back to Pelley, this is not the first time in he took a stand that could’ve resulted him losing his job. Last year he delivered the commencement address at Wake Forest University where in a clip that went viral, he told the students about the threats posed by Trump and the oligarchs. He stated, “In this moment, our sacred rule of law is under attack.” He passionately added, “Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack.”

He continued by explaining the why behind Trump’s actions: “Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power.”

Pelley then flagged the sinister impact of Trump’s efforts: “Insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts.” He added, “The fear to speak, in America. With that done, power can rewrite history with grotesque false narratives.”

He wrapped up his speech explained, “This is an old playbook, my friends. There’s nothing new in this.”

In Pelley’s statement released on Tuesday after he was fired, he struck similar themes, writing, “I depart after 37 years at CBS with one emotion—a heart brimming with gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work, very often at the risk of their own lives.” He then added this wish for the future, “I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again—a day when sanity, competence, and courage return.”

“Sanity, competence, and courage” are exactly what Weiss wants to avoid—same as Trump who surrounds himself with blindly loyal yet horribly incompetent people.

History has seen countless Bari Weisses--what we need more of are Scott Pelley’s. They are the ones who inspire others to stand up for what is right!

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