Why business journalism doesn’t tell the truth

The Fine Print founder and publisher Karl Bode writes about the problem facing business journalism.

Bode writes, “I’ve always been fascinated by the way corporate business journalism isn’t really journalism in any coherent sense of the word. As a telecom beat reporter I spent years watching major outlets write stories about U.S. internet access (or the lack thereof) where they couldn’t admit the whole industry was dominated by corruption-coddled monopolies devoted to destroying all competition.

“They weren’t allowed to. Despite being factual, it was deemed editorially impolite.

“This sort of journalism doesn’t really care about real consumers, labor, technology, or even whether the technology even works. Its focus is propping up extraction class narratives surrounding unchecked wealth accumulation. It’s lazy fanfiction for MBAs who want to pretend to be informed without the pesky weight of ethical or even logistical realities.

“It would take any of these journalists half an hour to get an eager and objective academic or subject-matter expert on the phone to discuss what’s actually happening. But they’re hired and conditioned by rich, white, predominately male media ownership to avoid upsetting wealth and power.”

Read more here.