EPISTEMIC BREACH
The Collapse of Albuquerque Journalism
"The newspapers were laconic and noncommittal, and not only because of the paper shortage. It was their task to aid in the total quenching of the German intellect" Inge Scholl - Students against Tyranny - Nazi Resistance of the White Rose 1942
We would not have the breakdown of public safety here locally in Albuquerque, nor the rise of American Fascism nationally – without the complete collapse of local journalism! Local media has been hollowed out for decades with budget cuts and layoffs. This breakdown accelerated with the rise of asocial media, the tech broligarchs, and AI. Feckless politicos on 'both sides' have exacerbated this epistemic disintegration - hiding behind talking points, faxed press releases, and PR stunts that inflame the rabid bases. The blame for this failure rests not just with/ journalists, big tech, or politicos but every single one of us! Everyone is entitled to their FEELINGS, but not their own facts.
"To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights."
On Tyranny - Tim Snyder 2017
As of late winter 2025, Albuquerque publishers and editors of the daily and weeklies have given up! Is it better business to just cater to the echo chambers and safe spaces on the left and right? Is it easier to just doom scroll on X.com than to edit some letters or write an editorial? Is this fear, moral cowardice, or the quisling anticipatory obedience of rising authoritarianism?
"At the heart of our mission is a commitment to fostering an informed citizenry, as we believe this is essential to a vibrant democracy." Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board
The last editorial published by the ABQ Journal (est. 1888) was November 5, 2024! It isn’t as if there's a dearth of current events to write about. They could start with this right here!
“Credibility is our currency. That’s really all we have” Karen Moses ‘Albuquerque Journal’ Editor 10/20/22
"When you see important societal actors — be it university presidents, media outlets, C.E.O.s, mayors, governors — changing their behavior in order to avoid the wrath of the government, that’s a sign we’ve crossed the line into some form of Authoritarianism,” Steven Levitsky #HowDemocraciesDie 3/7/2025
In January of 2025, the new editor of 'The Paper' wrote that they also would be backing away from covering national news stories - unless it involves marijuana or shrooms. New Year, New(s) Paper. abq.news/2025/01/new-year-news-paper/
"Most of the power of Authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adopts in this way teaches power what it can do." Timothy Snyder ‘On Tyranny’
The Daily/Weekly Lobo has been the independent voice of UNM since Circa 1895. Even though the paper has a 'Culture' section, for some reason, they started publishing film reviews from their reporters in the Op/Ed section. The kids are not all right! https://www.dailylobo.com/article/2025/01/opinion-2024-grammy-awards-preview-and-predictions
When I was growing up, there were three different 'Dailies': 'The Albuquerque Journal', 'The Albuquerque Tribune', and 'The Daily Lobo'. These papers covered local news and sports, but more importantly, they featured a critical first-rate opinion Op/Ed section. They held the hard line of 'truth' - instead of massaging the 'FEELINGS' of their readers. They would feature Op/Ed columns and a dynamic debate in the 'letters to the editor' section. The ABQ Journal used to publish one, if not two editorials - every day! These local newspapers also served as a vital check and balance on each other, and we had a healthy, strong civic fabric.
Journalism is not stenography. The local stations overrely on the Associated Press. Why can't they cover national politics through a local lens with original reporting instead of cutting and pasting? In 2016, no local outlet dared to point out that we had a thorough vetting process! Journalists were broadcasting GOP misinformation.
Nearly a decade later, these local stenographers are still cutting and pasting the same stories. If you want to stand out, get more clicks, and higher ratings, why not do local original reporting?
The Associated Press has been under assault by the US Government for a few months. I recently emailed the station managers and news directors at KOB4, KOAT7, KRQE13 to ask if they had any plans to put out a statement supporting the Associated Press. No response.
The moral cowardice of legacy media is the tragedy of our times. These stations are addicted to the clicks and revenue of tech/shark chum like Meta or X.com - but this same economic dependence has ripped apart our shared civic fabric and reality. These are the biggest amplifiers of misinformation in New Mexico!
www.facebook.com/KOBTV www.facebook.com/KOAT7 www.facebook.com/krqenews www.facebook.com/TheAlbuquerqueJournal
"These are times that try men's souls. Tyranny like hell, is not easily conquered." Thomas Paine - American Crisis 1776
We have never needed muckrakers more than now! There is still good local journalism - it's just not enough! There is Searchlight NM, Source New Mexico. City Desk ABQ, KUNM and NM Politics with Joe Monahan. Monahan sometimes gets lost in the 'both sides' horse race political coverage at the expense of our civic fabric - but of the motley crew of local journalism - he puts in hard work and is at top of the class! ABQJ Editor Jay Newton-Small is responsive to feedback and is rebuilding the credibility of the newspaper.
"The USA once boasted an impressive network of regional newspapers. After the financial crash of 2008, the American local press, already weakening was allowed to collapse. Where there are local reporters, journalism concerns events that people see and care about. When local reporters disappear, the news becomes abstract. It becomes a kind of entertainment, rather than a report about the familiar."
The Road to Unfreedom - Russia, Europe, America - Tim Snyder 2018
EPISTEMIC BREACH PART TWO - SPRING 2025
THE DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX