The Column

The Column by Adam Johnson, with contributions from Sarah Lazare, analyzes media and political landscapes, focusing on the ideological functions of U.S. media, hypocrisy in political rhetoric, the impact of neoliberal policies on vulnerable populations, and the lack of critical coverage on societal and environmental issues.

Media Critique Political Analysis Neoliberalism War and Conflict Homelessness Healthcare Policy Labor Rights Environmental Issues Corporate Exploitation Social Justice

The hottest Substack posts of The Column

And their main takeaways

Anderson Cooper’s Feigned Indignation at the Idea the U.S. Commits War Crime Shows Primary Ideological Function of U.S. Media

1749 implied HN points • 19 Jul 23
🌍 World Politics War Crimes US Hegemony International relations
  1. U.S. media tends to uphold the idea that the U.S. has noble intentions despite evidence of war crimes.
  2. The distinction between murder and manslaughter when evaluating U.S. actions in wars may not be morally significant.
  3. U.S. sanctions and actions can deliberately harm civilians despite claims of good intentions.
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The Cruel Irrationality of Our ‘Deserved vs. Undeserved Poor’ Moral Framework in Two Paragraphs

1081 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Homelessness Capitalism
  1. America's moral framework divides poor into 'deserved' and 'undeserved,' hindering solutions like giving homes to the homeless.
  2. Means-testing and moral judgments in welfare create unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacles for those in need.
  3. The concept of 'deserved vs. undeserved' poor is rooted in history, aimed at keeping wages low and maintaining a population in poverty.

MSNBC, Sunday Morning News Shows Completely Ignore Ohio Chemical Derailment

1100 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Political Debate Environmental Issues
  1. MSNBC and other Sunday morning news shows are not covering the Ohio chemical train derailment from a political standpoint
  2. The corporate media has covered the derailment as straight news, but with little critique of government and railway claims
  3. The lack of political scrutiny on the Ohio derailment highlights a trend of de-politicization in media coverage of environmental disasters

To NYT’s Peter Baker, Acknowledging Trans People’s Existence Is “Activism,” Openly Advocating for Perpetual U.S. Occupation of Afghanistan Isn’t

963 implied HN points • 22 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Activism Journalism Bias Trans rights
  1. The definition of 'activism' can vary depending on the political stance.
  2. Elite reporters struggle to define the line between journalism and activism, relying on a vague 'vibe' instead of clear principles.
  3. Despite claiming impartiality, some journalists display clear ideological bias in their reporting.