Eve is here. I especially like posts that examine media coverage of important news stories. The reluctance of many news organizations to report key details about Mangione’s alleged assassination, including withholding his short manifesto, shows how their class and financial interests distort reporting.
This topic is a little off topic. Many people in the power structure don’t want Mangione to get any more attention than he already has, so the last thing they want is for him to go to trial. However, Mr. Mangione has the funds to hire good legal representation and it seems highly unlikely that he will reach a plea deal. I hope he has good food.
However, assuming the day Mangione stands in court, and if my understanding is correct that his first bullet hit Brian Thompson in the calf, Mangione did not intend to kill him, but rather shot him in the kneecap to inflict the same pain. You may try to claim that you have inflicted it. That he and his mother were suffering. Even if a jury were to agree, he would still likely be convicted of first-degree manslaughter. New York state sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 5 to 25 years.
If he still suffers from regular back pain, a bed or chair in prison will only make it worse.
Written by Thomas Neuberger. Originally published on God’s Spies
CEOs are leaving, and only one of them is leaving.
Bake a cake with the ingredients you got
—Jesse Wells
From one point of view, the media’s behavior in the Luigi Mangione case is strange. According to journalist Ken Klippenstein (video here), New York Times management said they did not want to publish the photo of Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. .
From Krippenstein’s Substack:
NY Times doesn’t want to see shooter’s face
An internal message from the New York Times regarding a report on suspected gunman Luigi Mangione was leaked to me, revealing its contents. Management said on Tuesday that “the news value and public service of publishing his face is diminishing” and instructed staff to “reduce” their use of such photos.
The opposite is true: “News value is declining.” As Krippenstein and the Breaking Points hosts point out (see video linked above), today’s major print media outlets are obsessed with traffic. This order causes them to (figuratively) cut his throat in order to curse his face.
The back of Luigi Mangione’s head. Photo: Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times
Mr. Klippenstein also noted that the Times, as well as all other media outlets carrying Mr. Mangione’s “manifesto,” have refused to publish much of it. The full text can be read on Krippenstein’s website. Actually, this is just an explanatory note. But why is he the only one announcing it?
3 reasons
There are three reasons for this strange behavior, both regarding his photographs and his “manifesto,” each more useful and important than the last.
The so-called copycat problem
The first top layer of reasoning is the open fear of inspiring an imitator, someone greedy and weak-willed enough to imitate the act. This is called the fanboy factor.
“I don’t think I can reveal everything yet, but[”] Editor Andrea Kanapel added: “Because we don’t provide loudspeakers.”
However, this has never stopped the media in the past. Many killer “manifestos” have been printed over the years, including Dylann Roof and Ted Kaczynski’s Times. Additionally, this document was widely distributed privately to both media and non-media members. Obviously, the fear of imitation is not so strong.
The Times’ justification, according to Chat, is that the photos and words could have the effect of “amplifying the crime and inspiring others,” as reporter Andy Newman put it. In addition to the New York Times’ exaggerated view of its ability to amplify crime, which virtually everyone is already talking about, the internal chat sheds light on another, perhaps even bigger, reason for the media to avoid disclosing information. are […]
Is it captured by an intelligence source or a dedicated security partner?
Krippenstein suspects there’s a deeper reason. It’s “a fear of antagonizing the sources you rely on to get the scoop.”
Journalists clearly need sources from the police and other “security” forces, who are in a position to extract concessions. “By donning the ‘public safety’ hat, the mainstream media is effectively representing an arm of the national security state,” Krippenstein writes.
Although he underestimates their current joy in this role, the observation is spot on. Since the summer of 2016 and the Trump-Russia allegations surfaced, major media outlets have happily agreed to believe that it is their duty to support the national security state in all its ways, for good or for ill. Ta.
Why not do that here? After nearly 10 years of practice, it has become a well-trodden path.
class war is back
But the deeper reason that Krippenstein doesn’t mention is actually the most obvious. It’s so obvious that everyone except the media is pointing it out.
The billionaire class, the maybe 1,000 people who run the country, plus a bunch of CEOs, have been squeezing money out of this country since at least the Reagan administration, and we’re willing, if not eager participants. I have allowed that.
Cow being milked (source)
Man Being Milked (From “The Matrix”)
However, the constant pursuit of advantage took its toll. Since President Obama promised us hope and change…
…And although we were unable to accomplish this, this country became what it was before the revolution. Indeed, both sides of Mr. Sanders’ campaign showed that the hunger for relief is felt not just on the right but across the country.
Bernie Sanders rally, Minnesota, 2019
2016 Democratic Primary Crowd Comparison
For a variety of reasons, this dissatisfaction has led to a Trump presidency two out of three times, much to the joy of many on the right, but most to the delight of leftists and silent, apathetic centrists (voters and non-voters alike). The same is true. ”I feel well served.
Okay, that’s a euphemism. The people are angry. Medical care, in particular, is a death trap for many people, who often do not get their money back after paying and then die. UHC in particular is the apex predator of the industry.
And Thompson is, let’s be honest, a perfect example of the CEO class that kills people for profit through active denial of care. His compensation is estimated at $10 million annually, and the company’s 2025 financial outlook is “very profitable.” [includes] “Expected revenue exceeds $450 billion.”
People watch people die and rich people grow fat. How else to explain the massive outpouring of support for Mangione’s actions? It’s hard to find articles documenting it, but the phenomenon itself is rampant on Twitter and TikTok. And it’s not just the kids. Doctors and patients agree.
Find out for yourself. People honor Mangione and literally dance on Thompson’s grave.
