The Washington Post's Toxic Wasteland Opinion Section

 

It should come as no surprise to you that Fox "News" has some bedfellows (but, no, it's not Newsmax or OAN).

The invaluable Dan Froomkin of Press Watch takes a look at the Washington Post's editorial board and its "disinformation- spewing" right-wing op/ ed columnists.  Here's a snippet:

You might think it would be impossible to move further and even more disastrously right when your stable includes the likes of Thiessen, Olsen, Abernathy, Parker, Hugh Hewitt, Megan McArdle, and George F. Will.

But [Post editorial page editor David] Shipley’s marquee move thus far has been to hire two more derivative right-wingers as weekly columnists: Jim Geraghty and Ramesh Ponnuru, both of whom will also continue to serve as editors of the National Review.

Geraghty is a Ron DeSantis stan. In a column for the Post before getting his permanent gig, he wrote about DeSantis that “plenty of Americans across the partisan divide would have good reason to root for him.” Why? Because “he fights for policies, not to prosecute vendettas.” Like so much of the Post opinion offerings, that is laugh-out-loud funny.

Ponnuru was an early, fact-unencumbered culture warrior, who has written that Democrats support “killing unborn children at any stage of pregnancy.”

They join a cast of disinformation-spewers who add nothing to the national discourse.

This, remember, is the newspaper with the "Democracy Dies in Darkness" line under its front page header.  The darkness descending here is palpable.

In normal times, unlike the one we're living in, having an opinion page serve as a forum for ideas from across the political spectrum would be par for the course.  We're old enough to remember Walter Lippmann and Joseph Alsop sharing space on the Post's op/ed page.  But, with a 24- hour right- wing media ecosystem dedicated to pushing lies, conspiracies, and democracy- undermining narratives, what we don't need is more of the same on the pages of one of our national newspapers.  But, for corporate media like Fox "News" and Jeff Bezos' Post, it's always going to be about the "green," not "red and blue."

Here's what Froomkin believes should be the case:

Post Opinion should be the go-to for people who believe government can make things better.

That would entail publishing essays that explore solutions, and that expose the bad faith of  people and institutions that stand in the way of progress.

Yes, that would include conservative voices – but smart ones, original ones, with integrity, committed to verifiable facts.

In times like these, when there’s an obligation to expose readers to the lies and fantasies that are a major part of the national discourse, Post Opinions could do that too, but with full transparency, so readers don’t grant lies the credibility of the Post brand.

Froomkin goes on to give thumbnail sketches of the right- wing disinformation-spewers, and why their presence on the pages of the Post is harmful to our democracy.  

One more example of the Post's promoting damaging, false narratives:  here's their sole editorial cartoon today from right- winger Mike Beckom, a deceitful pots- calling- the- kettle- black "both sides" defense of the rat hole that is Fox "News":

There is an organization fast becoming a disgrace, and Froomkin gives you a good picture of which one it is.

(Image:  proposed new tag line for the Post)