The Media with Joe Biden

Published in Perfil
(Argentina) on 16 November 2020
by Jaime Duran Barba (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lucas Armocida. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden received the open support of the media, except for Fox News and The New York Post, both owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Biden's triumph was also the triumph of the American media and freedom of press, which had struggled with Donald Trump ever since the 2016 campaign, when they expressed their support for Hillary Clinton. This situation was accentuated in 2020 when all the important media showed open support for Biden, with the exception of Fox News, The New York Post (both owned by Rupert Murdoch) and some others. However, many have abandoned Trump this week and acknowledged Biden’s victory.

During his term, the current president of the United States constantly attacked the freedom of press and mocked journalists and the media. Although it did not reach the levels of some reactionary groups in Latin America or the former Soviet Union, Trump supporters would have loved it if Trump had created a state office in charge of deciding what is and is not true, or an Office for the Strategic Coordination of National Thought to guide the political, cultural and ideological activities of Americans and to prevent them from deviating into progressive behaviors.

With an egocentric view of the world, Trump did not tolerate that people disagree with him. He mistreated his collaborators, fired the secretary of defense for abiding by the Constitution and called Anthony Fauci, the most prominent American epidemiologist, a “disaster.” Trump is an authoritarian at home and in politics. He can get along with Recep Erdogan, participate in an international drama with Kim Jong Un and maintain friendly relations with other authoritarian leaders in Brazil, Russia and Ukraine. On the other hand, Democrats like institutions; their administration will be based on principles, and they will demand respect for democratic traditions and the freedom of press.

The freedom of press and the freedom of thought are at the core of the Digital Revolution, which promotes the freedom of individuals to imagine and create with complete autonomy. The epicenter of this revolution can be found in universities. These produce a huge amount of scientific and technical knowledge, which is then applied to reality to create wealth and welfare. Trump suffered major defeats in the cities where universities are stronger. For example, in California (where we can find Silicon Valley and Stanford University) and Massachusetts, Trump obtained less than half as many votes as Biden.

American universities, unlike ours, do not debate 19th-century doctrines or activist ideologies. These institutions use the scientific method to unravel reality, arrive at practical conclusions and change the world. Their debates are about improving and modernizing traditional industries, integrating the use of renewable energies, robotics and other elements of the Digital Revolution. The implementation of such innovations and the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution entail infinite possibilities for progress, the end of poverty and scientific advancement.

In our countries, on the other hand, some politicians dream of contaminating the environment by bringing 19th-century factories back to life. They believe that big contemporary issues, such as life on the planet, discrimination and civil rights, belong to the realm of fiction. Instead of finding solutions, our politicians are more interested in keeping the poor in their state of poverty. This way, they can continue using them as an electoral base.

The most reactionary groups seem to want to go back to the Middle Ages: They want to stop the market and let the poor live happily in the countryside until kingdom come. The last attempt at this kind of dystopia had to be paid with the lives of 25% of Cambodia’s population. Some countries progress, while others go backward.


Los grandes medios con Joe Biden

El periodismo apoyó abiertamente al candidato demócrata, con la excepción de Fox News y The New York Post, ambos de Robert Murdock.

El triunfo de Biden fue también es de los medios de comunicación de los Estados Uni-dos, y de la libertad de prensa. Trump los enfrentó desde la campaña del 2016, cuando apoyaron masivamente a Hillary Clinton. En 2020 esto de acentuó: todos los medios importantes apoyaron abiertamente a Biden, con la excepción de Fox News y The New York Post (ambos de Robert Murdock), y unos pocos más que esta semana anunciaron que reconocían el triunfo de Biden y abandonaron a Trump.

El actual presidente atacó permanentemente la libertad de prensa, y se burló de periodis-tas y medios de comunicación. No llegó a las exageraciones de algunos reaccionarios de América Latina o de la ex Unión Soviética, pero al White Power le habría gustado que instale una oficina estatal que declare lo que es verdad y lo que es mentira para los me-dios, y que cree una Secretaría de Coordinación Estratégica para el Pensamiento Nacio-nal, que oriente la labor intelectual política, cultural e ideológica de los norteamericanos para que no caigan en desviaciones progresistas.

En su visión ególatra del mundo, Trump no admitía discrepancias. Trataba mal a sus colaboradores, canceló al ministro de defensa por cumplir con la constitución, y le dijo “idiota” a Anthony Fauci el mayor epidemiólogo del país. Autoritario en casa y en la polí-tica, Trump podía llevarse bien con Recep Erdogan, hacer un reality show con Kim Jong-Un, y tener buen trato con los líderes autoritarios de Brasil, Rusia y Ucrania. Los demó-cratas son institucionales. Su gobierno mantendrá principios, exigirá respeto a la liber-tad de prensa y a las normas democráticas.

La libertad de prensa y de pensamiento está en el corazón de la tercera revolución indus-trial que promueve la independencia de los individuos para imaginar y crear con total autonomía. El epicentro de la revolución está en universidades que producen una canti-dad descomunal de conocimientos técnicos y científicos que se aplican en la realidad pa-ra producir riqueza y bienestar. Trump fue derrotado ampliamente en las ciudades, en las que las universidades tienen más peso. En California, en donde está Silicon Valley y la universidad de Stanford, y en Massachusetts, sacó menos de la mitad de los votos de Biden.

Las universidades norteamericanas no se dedican a discutir doctrinas del siglo XIX y creencias militantes. Son instituciones que usan el método científico para desentrañar la realidad, llegar a conclusiones prácticas y cambiar el mundo. Se discute acerca de cómo mejorar y modernizar la industria tradicional, integrando el uso de energías renovables, la robótica y otros elementos que llegaron con la tercera revolución industrial. Su insta-lación y la aparición de la cuarta revolución suponen una posibilidad infinita de progre-so, el fin de la pobreza y el avance de la ciencia.

En nuestros países algunos políticos sueñan con contaminar el ambiente resucitando fábricas del siglo pasado, creen que los grandes temas del momento como la vida en el planeta, la no discriminación, los derechos civiles, son novelerías. Están más interesados en cuidar a los pobres para que sigan siendo su base política.

Los más reaccionarios quieren volver a la Edad Media, evitar el consumo, que los pobres sean felices viviendo en el campo mientras llega el reino de los cielos. La última distopía de este tipo costó la vida al 25% de la población de Camboya. Unos países progresan y otros ponen reversa.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

United Kingdom: We’re Becoming Inured to Trump’s Outbursts – But When He Goes Quiet, We Need To Be Worried

Spain: Not a Good Time for Solidarity

Canada: Canada’s Retaliatory Tariffs Hurt Canadians

India: Peace Nobel for Trump: It’s Too Long a Stretch

Canada: Canada Must Match the Tax Incentives in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

Topics

Indonesia: Trump Needs a Copy Editor

Indonesia: Trump’s Chaos Strategy Is Hurting His Allies, Not Just His Rivals

Sri Lanka: Epstein Files, Mossad and Kompromat Diplomacy

Sri Lanka: Is America Moving towards the Far Right?

Turkey: Musk versus the Machine: Disrupting the 2-Party System

Canada: How To Avoid ICE? Follow the Rules

Canada: Trump Doesn’t Hold All the Cards on International Trade

Ireland: The Irish Times View on Trump and Ukraine: a Step in the Right Direction

Related Articles

Argentina: Trump Is Laying His Cards Down

Argentina: The US-China Microprocessor War

Argentina: Help for Trump in 2024

Argentina: Understanding a 2nd Cold War