Monica Kwasnik

It *is* different than cable. I misunderstood @eric-hainline.bsky.social initially, but now I recognize his point. Cable doesn't use the scarce public airwaves; 5G does. ISPs license the spectrum for 5G much like broadcasters license it for TV/radio, but they're not subject to the same regulations.

Not just that the airwaves are public but also that they’re limited. That differs from other infrastructure.

Separate issues. The CBS situation is about FCC regulation. What you posted about Fox News was about a libel case. The “bonafide news” standard does not apply to Fox News because it’s not broadcast on the airwaves.

Fox News is on cable though.

Wow. I thought that was a painting. Lovely photo.

Ronan Farrow is a good narrator. I’ll have to try that one.

I sometimes choose an audiobook by looking up a narrator I like. David Pittu, for instance. He managed to make all 32 hours of “The Goldfinch” a delight, so I’ll listen to practically anything he reads.

Justin Timberlake: “Ah, yeah! Fo’ shiz, fo’ shiz! Ginuwine!” 🤣 Michelle Williams did that bit justice, fo’ shiz!

It’s funny you say that because I think of sweet potatoes as baby food.

You’re absolutely right. It’s just so interesting when someone can’t stand a food you LOVE, and vice versa.

Even steamed carrots are a bit too sweet for my taste. I’m OK with them. But when I eat a carrot only to discover it was cooked with sugar … 😫 Why would someone do that to a poor carrot?!

Oh, I think I misunderstood the plantain reference. I like sweet bananas but not plantains. But I don’t like my potatoes sweet. 🤷‍♀️

I have, and it’s still too sweet for me. I LOVE baked russets, and I dislike plantains. So I guess that tracks.

Ooh! I planted seeds in the fall. I don’t know if they’ve germinated though because there are so many weeds coming up. I can’t tell what’s what.

On the nose.

I never worked in broadcast news but always sensed that the firewall between news and advertising was flimsier in broadcast than in newspapers. Regardless, journalists always imagined it was stronger than it actually was. But now, it’s hard to make the case that it exists at all.

Hmm. There’s a good chance I’ve never tried it. I have always assumed it would taste similar to the sugary, marshmallowy orange casserole I always avoid on Thanksgiving. But I love pumpkin pie, so I might love sweet potato pie. Next time I have the opportunity, I’ll try it!

Are people anti-sweet potato now? I thought I was one of only a few who didn’t like them. I have tried — really tried — because they’re so nutritious. They’re OK if I use enough savory ingredients to cut the sweetness.

Yep. Even in newspapers, it only worked because (a) news and advertising were largely separate thanks to codes of ethics and (b) ads generated big profits, allowing the companies to reinvest in journalism. Without big profits, the commercial model doesn’t work. But we act like it’s our only choice.

The problem isn’t the small indy publishers though. It’s the concentration of major media corporations. When a handful of big companies control the flow of information — and charge for it — it defies the spirit of press freedom even if, technically, it doesn’t subvert the 1st Amendment.

😔

Oh God! No!!!

I agree. Although, using advertising to subsidize news wasn’t inherently bad. It worked for newspapers. Sort of. Newspapers practically monopolized the market for print advertising, so they were able to squeeze out huge profits. When advertising dried up, they put that burden on the audience.

There are some, but not enough. It’s disheartening to see the effectiveness of news companies’ “journalism isn’t free” propaganda, especially among journalists themselves, who make peanuts and fear layoffs while their outlets’ shareholders rake in $ — and journalists at nonpaywalled sites get paid.

Anything that is “indispensable in a democracy” should not be contingent on individuals’ willingness (or ability) to fork over money to for-profit companies.

I’m telling you I don’t understand your comment. But rather than clarify its meaning, you continue to put a label on it. So congratulations. You got the last word in this “conversation” because I can’t respond to something that doesn’t make sense.

I don’t understand your rhetoric then. I was asking you to clarify your comment.

What are you asking?

Memoirs, absolutely. Novels are less reliable. I’ve suffered through a couple of author-read novels, but I just went out and purchased a hard copy of the latest one I tried to listen to because the author’s narration was unbearable. Didn’t make it through the first chapter.

Why did she “invoke” Somalia? It was her response to an interview in which Trump criticized Somali immigrants and their “fake congresswoman,” i.e. HER!

Her statement wasn’t condoning the death penalty, just emphasizing the seriousness of the criminal behavior Trump is covering up.

No, SCOTUS ruled that states didn’t have the authority to disqualify a candidate for insurrection. That didn’t erase the conclusions of judges in Colorado and elsewhere that he did, in fact, engage in insurrection.

Official acts that aren’t part of the core presidential duties. Definitely open to interpretation. But his defamatory statements in 2019 about E. Jean Carroll, for example, were clearly not official acts even though he was president at the time. She sued him and won.