Journalism

by Gary Mintchell | Dec 3, 2024 | Commentary, News

I devoured newspapers from about age 12 until early middle age. I quit watching any TV news by 1990. It wasn’t a liberal/conservative thing. It was a reporting/hype thing. Too much idle speculation and opinion. Too little reporting.

My news for the past many years has been carefully curated RSS feeds plus two relatively new email sources—Axios and Morning Brew.

Last night, my evening edition of Axios entered my inbox. In it, Axios co-founder and publisher Jim VandeHei expanded upon remarks he had earlier made to the National Press Club. I support his point of view. I’ve occasionally written to him about a rare click-bait headline. 

Read his entire essay here. I’ve included a snip to give you the flavor.

Trust in journalism fell far and fast. Elon Musk and millions more argue it is — and should be — buried forever, Jim writes.

They say anyone with unrestrained speech — anyone on X — can easily replace a discredited media. “You are the media now,” Musk repeatedly tells his 206 million followers.

Why it matters: My response, in a speech at the National Press Club that went shockingly viral, was: “Bullshit!” I argued that an America without clinical, fair, deep and fearless reporting will perish.

Absent reporting, which I define as the pursuit of fact-based truth without fear or favoritism, you’d have: more opioid deaths … more kids sexually abused in churches … more welfare fraud in Mississippi … more lawlessness in rural Alaska … more Harvey Weinsteins preying on young women … more corruption … more misinformation.

Reality check: You’re right to dunk on biased, sloppy, lazy coverage. I hate it, too: It undercuts the hard work of every on-the-level reporter working their beats — whether at the White House or in my hometown of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

But we need to distinguish between “the media” and honest reporting. I try to avoid junk food — not all food. I’d starve.

📖 The backstory: Angry emails I received after the speech show how many lump all parts of “the media” together, sweeping in anyone who’s paid to talk or type or report. I read every one. To say a lot of people on X hate “the media” is a gross understatement. My inbox confirms this emphatically.

Axios is very much not the legacy media, which has done plenty to undermine its own credibility. I have helped build two media companies — Politico and Axios — based on my own frustrations with legacy media. Journalists too often write for each other or awards committees. They’re too slow to own up to mistakes, and too quick to pop off on social media in ways that betray bias or righteousness.

So 18 years ago, I left The Washington Post to help start Politico — aiming to build a more direct, authentic relationship between readers and reporters. Eight years ago, I left Politico to help start Axios, grounded in an “audience first” mentality. We’ll never have an opinion section. And our audience “Bill of Rights” promises: “We will go the extra mile to earn your trust. All employees are asked to refrain from taking/advocating for public positions on political topics.”

A Second Trump Presidency and Manufacturing

by Gary Mintchell | Nov 22, 2024 | Commentary, News

I wrote this article for an Italian automation magazine—Automazione Oggi (Automation Today). I’ve written a monthly column called News from America for 12 or 13 years. After a change in Presidents, they are curious about the new administration’s impact on manufacturing and international trade. 

I studied electronics and engineering and worked in engineering for most of my career. But I also did a year of graduate school in political science. This allows me to explore both sides of my brain.

Americans use a descriptive phrase for people, especially men—the “alpha male.” This person needs to assert dominance. After asserting dominance, he values loyalty above all else. We know from his first presidency that Trump needs to feel that he is the alpha male.

We also know from his first presidency that he says many things, most of which he made up at the moment. What he’ll actually follow up on is anybody’s guess. We can see from his first Cabinet appointments that he is rewarding those who have been loyal to him. 

Then we have the “dance of the billionaires.” Beginning with Elon Musk. To a lesser degree Jeff Bezos. Following the election, we’ve seen a trail of billionaires and corporate CEOs kissing the ring. All assume that Trump is easily manipulated through flattery. All have an agenda. All could possibly be fooled.

Trump favors tariffs. He does not seem to understand all the ramifications of tariffs. It appears that he thinks they are an alpha male tool to “make America great again” by stopping the flow of money to other countries, especially China. Tariffs have, however, a double edge. (See below.)

Musk hopes to sell Trump on tariffs for electric vehicles. Such tariffs would reduce competition for his Tesla manufacturing company allowing him to raise prices. This would generate more profits. 

Musk also sells rockets to the government. He wants to increase that business. Enter Jeff Bezos who also wants to sell more rockets to the US government. Therefore, he quashed his newspaper’s endorsement of Harris. He also hurried to congratulate Trump and kiss his ring.

Tech CEOs such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Alphabet’s (Google) Sundar Pinchai, and Meta’s (Facebook) Mark Zuckerberg hope that Trump will fight for them against the European Union. That is a complicated dance worth watching.

Meanwhile, some of Trump’s early appointees have voiced opinions favorable to breaking up these large companies. Since that attitude does not reflect Trump’s outlook, this will be another dance worth watching. Trump does tire of people easily.

Since tariffs seem to be Trump’s favorite stick, I looked at the effects from his first term. The tariffs implemented during 2017-2021 had mixed and complex effects on U.S. manufacturing:

Positive Effects:

1. Some U.S. steel and aluminum producers benefited from reduced foreign competition
2. Created some jobs in specific protected industries
3. Led to some companies relocating production to the U.S. to avoid tariffs

Negative Effects:

1. Higher input costs for manufacturers using steel/aluminum, particularly affecting:

• Auto manufacturing
• Construction equipment
• Appliance makers

2. Retaliatory tariffs from other countries hurt U.S. exports, especially:

• Agricultural products
• Industrial machinery
• Consumer goods

3. Supply chain disruptions as companies scrambled to find new suppliers

Economic Impact:

• Studies found the tariffs cost U.S. companies and consumers billions through higher prices
• The Federal Reserve estimated the tariffs led to a net loss of manufacturing jobs due to higher input costs
• Some manufacturers absorbed the higher costs, reducing their profit margins
• Others passed costs to consumers through higher prices

The first Trump presidency was marked by daily chaos. Media had to love him, since there was always a daily hot news item to draw people’s attention. I expect more of the same. And I expect that in manufacturing some will win and some will lose—pretty much like always.