Matt Taibbi On Mainstream Media: "Until We Get Back To The Basics, We Don't Deserve To Be Trusted."

This is the opening statement made by journalist Matt Taibbi at The Munk Debates.Show more

The Munk Debates:

Mainstream Media

"Be it resolved, don't trust mainstream media."

Public trust in mainstream media is at an all-time low. Critics point to coverage of COVID-19, the 2020 election, and the Ottawa trucker protest as proof that legacy outlets like the New York Times, The Globe and Mail and CNN can no longer be relied upon to provide unbiased reporting. Activist journalists are using pen and paper to push political agendas while their bosses lean into the profitability of polarization. Mainstream media's defenders argue that their institutions offer an invaluable public service that alternative outlets are either incapable or uninterested in providing: careful fact-based reporting on important issues and holding the powerful to account. In a brave new world of "fake news" and "drive by" journalism, traditional news organizations are essential to democracy and a bulwark against corruption, misinformation and the private interests of the powerful.

This debate took place in Toronto on Wednesday, November 30th, 2022. Journalist Matt Taibbi and author Douglas Murray took on New Yorker contributor Malcolm Gladwell and columnist Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times. Taibbi and Murray argued for the proposition (that mainstream media COULD NOT BE TRUSTED). They won with the largest swing in the event's history, moving from a 48%-52% voter deficit to a 67%-33% win.

Watch the complete debate here:

https://rumble.com/v1yuzvf-the-munk-debates-mainstream-media-be-it-resolved-dont-trust-mainstream-medi.html

https://vimeo.com/munkdebates/review/775853977/85003a644c

https://munkdebates.com/debates/mainstream-media

Transcript from the Munk Debates: "Be It Resolved: Don't Trust Mainstream Media"

https://taibbi.substack.com/p/transcript-from-the-munk-debates

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Matt Taibbi

"Intellectual diversity that was normal in a newsroom once upon a time is vanishing. There's an expectation now among younger reporters to be a team player devoted to pursuing the same ideological framework."

Matt Taibbi is an award-winning investigative reporter and one of America's more recognizable literary voices.

Taibbi grew up admiring Russian writers, which led him to spend most of his early adult life in the former Soviet Union. After studying in Leningrad and graduating from Bard College in 1991, he worked as a freelance reporter for a number of years in and around Russia, including a period in Uzbekistan. In 1996 he moved to Mongolia and played in the Mongolian Basketball Association, where he was known as the "Mongolian Rodman." Taibbi eventually resettled in Moscow, where he co-founded an English-language newspaper called the eXile, a satirical biweekly known for investigative journalism and practical jokes.

Taibbi returned to the U.S. in 2002 and soon began work at Rolling Stone, where he won the National Magazine Award for commentary. He is best known for his coverage of four presidential campaigns and the 2008 financial crisis.

He has written ten books, including four New York Times bestsellers: The Great Derangement, Griftopia, The Divide, and Insane Clown President. His latest book about media division, Hate Inc., has been hailed by everyone from Joe Rogan to Publishers Weekly.

In 2020 he moved full time to the subscription platform Substack, where he is one of the most popular independent columnists in the country, with tens of thousands of subscribers:

https://taibbi.substack.com/