This episode turns away from the now all too obvious nature of mainstream media bias. Instead, we divert our gaze to social media. In this episode we take a look at those cute little stories and memes that everyone seems to repost and we uncover a sinister little plot. It's all about bias and the attempt to manipulate the unsuspecting reader. We then take that bias to whole other level by looking at a book and an article that uses Thomas Jefferson in a way in which would certainly make his red hair stand on end. Join us for what should be an interesting little journey.

This episode begins with the killing of the pastor at the Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas. That is used to illustrate the racist undercurrents in the country, tacitly fueled by the media. Then we contrast this to the way the media reported the Black Lives Movement in 2020. We conclude with a few glancing comments on the Progressive Democratic Squad in the House of Representatives and the President's position that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. All of this woven with the threads of media bias and the divided country. 

Media Reporting, Bias and the Country Divided, Part Six.

This episode takes a look at the recent claims that the US Postal Service cannot handle the impending influx of mail-in ballots and the opposing claim that the postal service has been actively subverting the upcoming election by removing mailboxes and sorting machines in an attempt to make mail-in voting a near impossibility. Could this be true? Let's find out!

This episode takes a look at the latest events in Portland where the mayor addressed a large crowd and winds up getting gassed by Federal troops. What is going on in Portand?! Why and how has the President ordered Federal personnel to Portland? Why is he threatening to send federal troops to Chicago? And what is the media making of all this? Tune in and find out!

We take a look at a claim that the national media is refusing to report on the violence in the Seattle Protest Zone (also known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, aka. CHOP or the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, aka. CHAZ). Is it a conspiracy? Tune in and find out!

A look at how congressional districts are determined. How many people does each member of Congress actually represent? Is it fair? Tune in and find out.

Sources:

United States Statutes at Large. (1910) Fifty-Sixth Congress, Session II.

United States Statutes at Large. (1832 )Twenty-Second Congress, Session I.

Matthews, Dylan. (2018)The case for massively expanding the US House of Representatives. Vox.

Desilver, Drew. (2018) U.S. population keeps growing, but House of Representatives is same size as in Taft era.Pew Research Center.

Ghogomu, Mbiyimoh. (2016)How We Forgot the Founding Fathers’ Advice On This Crucial Part of the Constitution. The Higher Learning.

Annals of Congress. (1792) House of Representatives, 2ndCongress, 1stSession.

Madison, James or Hamilton, Alexander. (1788) The Federalist No. 55.

Chinni, Dante. (2020) New electoral map comes into focus ahead of 2020 census.NBC News.

A look at electoral system and how it came to be and the calls for reform in the wake of the 2016 election. Should the president be be elected by the popular vote? Should we scrap the electoral system? Tune in and find out.

Sources:

Roller, Amanda. (2014) New York Is the Latest State to Reject the Electoral College. The Atlantic.

Nalewicki, Jennifer. (2016) The Electoral College Has Been Divisive Since Day One.Smithsonian Magazine.

Longley, Robert. (2020) Reasons to Keep the Electoral College. ThoughtCo.

Spivak, Joshua. (2019) The US electoral college system is a failure and the founding fathers would agree.Independent.

Brands, H.W. (2016) How Trump Has Proved the Founders Right. Politico.

Madison, James (1823) Letter to George Hay, 23 August 1823. National Archives.

Madison, James (1787) Madison Debates September 4. The Avalon Project.

Blank, Eric (2012) Why the Constitution’s Framers didn’t want us to directly elect the president. MinnPost.

Jefferson, Thomas (1800) Letter to James Monroe 12 January 1800.National Archives.

270towin. Gaming the Electoral College.

Sound byte “London Street Ambience” by InspectorJ

A look at electoral system and how it came to be and the calls for reform in the wake of the 2016 election. Should the president be be elected by the popular vote? Should we scrap the electoral system? Tune in and find out.

Sources:

Roller, Amanda. (2014) New York Is the Latest State to Reject the Electoral College. The Atlantic.

Nalewicki, Jennifer. (2016) The Electoral College Has Been Divisive Since Day One.Smithsonian Magazine.

Longley, Robert. (2020) Reasons to Keep the Electoral College. ThoughtCo.

Spivak, Joshua. (2019) The US electoral college system is a failure and the founding fathers would agree.Independent.

Brands, H.W. (2016) How Trump Has Proved the Founders Right. Politico.

Madison, James (1823) Letter to George Hay, 23 August 1823. National Archives.

Madison, James (1787) Madison Debates September 4. The Avalon Project.

Blank, Eric (2012) Why the Constitution’s Framers didn’t want us to directly elect the president. MinnPost.

Jefferson, Thomas (1800) Letter to James Monroe 12 January 1800.National Archives.

270towin. Gaming the Electoral College.

Sound byte “London Street Ambience” by InspectorJ

A look at media bias and false reporting and how its roots go back to the very beginning of the country. The journey begins with James Franklin, goes through Samuel Adams and ends up with Washington, Adams and Jefferson. It's how the press was used and the impact that it had. 

Sources:

Mansky, Jackie. (2018) The Age-Old Problem of “Fake News” It’s been part of the conversation as far back as the birth of the free press. Smithsonian Magazine.

Adams, John. The Works of John Adams, Vol. 2: Diary, Notes of Debates, Autobiography.

Burns, Eric. (2006) Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism.

ushistory.org. The Electric Ben Franklin.

Massachusets Historical Society. The New England Courant and the Smallpox Innoculation Controversy.

Lepore, Jill. (2007) Party Time. New Yorker Magazine.

Price, Lynn, (2019) “Fake News!”: Newspapers and George Washinton's Second Presidential Administration. Washington Papers.

Jefferson, Thomas. (1793) Notes of Cabinet Meeting on Edmund Charles Genet.

Jefferson, Thomas. (1807) Letter to John Norvell.

Jefferson, Thomas, (1786) Letter to James Currie.

Determining the facts from a news story on mail-in voter fraud.