So when will The Free Press come out and endorse Donald Trump? I subscribed to this publication for thought-provoking dissections of woke progressivism, which I appreciated even when I thought they were exaggerated or misleading because they led to meaningful discussions with commenters. I’m now paying to read a MAGA-apologist rag obsess…
So when will The Free Press come out and endorse Donald Trump? I subscribed to this publication for thought-provoking dissections of woke progressivism, which I appreciated even when I thought they were exaggerated or misleading because they led to meaningful discussions with commenters. I’m now paying to read a MAGA-apologist rag obsessed with the old news of campus protests, providing mostly glib, adolescent opinion pieces and unsubstantiated, ideologically-twisted, hysterical “analyses” of often minor issues. Few of my Democratic friends understood why I subscribed. I’m beginning to agree with them. TFP now feels not only not worth the money, but not worth my time. Bari, I really thought you were better than this.
Yeah, it's taken a weird turn in the year + I've been subscribed and not for the better. I'm not sure what to make of the content anymore. It's all over the board, seems super non-serious 50% of the time and misses much of what's happening in the real news.
I expected a continuation of the early TFP days when the hard-hitting expose was welcomed as a foil to the MSM. Now it seems the general leanings of the MSM are creeping in. On watch for subscription cancellation.
They’re trying to do too much too quickly. To make themselves a real media outlet with lots of writers and all the newspaper sections (what next? sports?) Bari started a sort of intelligent, narrowly-focused newsletter and is now clearly trying to build it into a media empire. Apparently that requires packing it with a little of everything. Like you said, so much is unserious. Instead of one long piece you have to pick through a bunch of fluff to see if there’s anything worth your time.
Another factor that’s distorted her original intent, I’m convinced, is that her subscribers ended up being largely Trump supporters/MAGA.* Whenever she publishes something challenging to that orthodoxy, the commentariat gets upset. Since they represent the bulk of her income stream, naturally she must keep them happy. Thus a once orthodoxy-challenging publication has become another tedious echo chamber.
*I used MAGA as a descriptor - it’s basically a political party - not as an insult
So when will The Free Press come out and endorse Donald Trump? I subscribed to this publication for thought-provoking dissections of woke progressivism, which I appreciated even when I thought they were exaggerated or misleading because they led to meaningful discussions with commenters. I’m now paying to read a MAGA-apologist rag obsessed with the old news of campus protests, providing mostly glib, adolescent opinion pieces and unsubstantiated, ideologically-twisted, hysterical “analyses” of often minor issues. Few of my Democratic friends understood why I subscribed. I’m beginning to agree with them. TFP now feels not only not worth the money, but not worth my time. Bari, I really thought you were better than this.
Do you have friends who are not members of the Democrat party?
Yeah, it's taken a weird turn in the year + I've been subscribed and not for the better. I'm not sure what to make of the content anymore. It's all over the board, seems super non-serious 50% of the time and misses much of what's happening in the real news.
I expected a continuation of the early TFP days when the hard-hitting expose was welcomed as a foil to the MSM. Now it seems the general leanings of the MSM are creeping in. On watch for subscription cancellation.
Content "all over the board" might have been one of the objectives.
Are you the TFP defender/apologist?
They’re trying to do too much too quickly. To make themselves a real media outlet with lots of writers and all the newspaper sections (what next? sports?) Bari started a sort of intelligent, narrowly-focused newsletter and is now clearly trying to build it into a media empire. Apparently that requires packing it with a little of everything. Like you said, so much is unserious. Instead of one long piece you have to pick through a bunch of fluff to see if there’s anything worth your time.
Another factor that’s distorted her original intent, I’m convinced, is that her subscribers ended up being largely Trump supporters/MAGA.* Whenever she publishes something challenging to that orthodoxy, the commentariat gets upset. Since they represent the bulk of her income stream, naturally she must keep them happy. Thus a once orthodoxy-challenging publication has become another tedious echo chamber.
*I used MAGA as a descriptor - it’s basically a political party - not as an insult
TFP has become incoherent. Tell me its 1) purpose, 2) intended niche and 3) its differentiating qualities. I can’t answer any of those questions.