

Let’s be clear: uncritically reporting the White House’s “nothing to see here” stance isn’t journalism — it’s stenography.
Yes, it is journalism. Access journalism specifically, which is still very useful, especially under a hostile government. It can serve as a launch point for investigative journalism (what Masnick is actually calling for here), without drawing fire from those in power.
Like it or not journalists don’t have to prescribe anything specific to fill a role. Sometimes it is enough to let the ruling class feel heard, because no matter how opaque the rhetoric, even deceptive signals carry the truth.
I’m not saying you should believe everything the media or government says, just that the specific lies they choose to tell holds valuable information about their motives, sponsors, allies, etc…
You are asking to be spoon fed the truth. I’m saying that if you learn to refine the truth, propaganda begins to have the opposite of its intended effect.