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The Decline and Fall of the Wall Street Journal

(Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

MANY AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS have distinguished themselves as clowns in the last decade – too many to list. It only takes one hand to count the right-wing institutions that have not succumbed to Trumpian populism. But the decline of the Wall Street JournalParticularly annoying was the editorial page of , as it had to fall further compared to the Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College or the Claremont Institute.

Of course I understand that magazine Progressives have probably always been teased the wrong way, and perhaps that limits how much they can see the steep decline in the paper’s standards. But it seems clear to me that the paper had some integrity in the pre-Trump era. While the board largely sided with the Republican Party, its editorials did not hesitate to disagree with Republicans on important issues. The magazine for example, was consistently pro-immigration, strongly free-trade oriented, and moderate on social issues such as abortion and gay rights. It was a platform for serious writers and informed opinions. And even today, memories of his old self can still be seen from time to time. But that only highlights the sad corruption of a once great institution.

In the Trump era it was magazine has become if not Pravdathen something like that nation. The nation The sins of the Soviet Union and other communist regimes were reliably glossed over because they viewed anti-communism as a greater threat to the world than communism itself Wall Street Journal has gradually become a parody of itself, arguing that the Democrats are always and forever the greatest threat to the country.

With this guiding principle, there is simply no Republican, no matter how crazy or incompetent they are magazine will not give preference to a democratic opponent. In 2022 the magazine advised his readers in Arizona to vote for Kari Lake as governor, even though Lake had done so called They called for the decertification of the 2020 election, denounced mask-wearing and promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic, promised to prosecute journalists who “defraud the public,” and declared the nation “rotten to its core.” when the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago. The magazine didn’t mention most of this in his endorsement and hilariously claimed that the Arizona election was primarily about school choice.

This week the newspaper returns to that level of analysis with an editorial on the drone fight. Noting that reports of nighttime drone sightings are coming in from across the country, but particularly New Jersey, the magazine explained that it couldn’t be certain what people were seeing – but it was certain that the whole thing was due to a loss of trust in the government.

Noting that “non-crazy people” have reported seeing things moving strangely in the dark, the said magazine quoted Jon Bramnick, a Republican senator from New Jersey, said: “Something has to happen that they can’t tell us because they’re so afraid of what the public will do when they hear what the drones are doing.”

You’d think the newspaper would chide this state senator for being hyperbolic and promoting conspiracy thinking, but no, the editorial says, “That’s how deep the suspicion runs. And when that happens, conspiracy theories are as common as drones.”

And guess who is responsible for this loss of trust?

The Biden administration has squandered its credibility to the point that it is rational not to believe what it says. Remember the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the American mainland? While seeking better relations with Beijing, the administration downplayed its importance, then shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean.

Wow. If you want to point to relations with Beijing as a source of mistrust, the Trump administration offers far worse examples. While he sought a “major trade deal” with Xi Jinping (the terms of which were never Honored by the way), Trump has repeatedly lied and minimized the risk of COVID-19, which has had far more serious consequences on American lives than waiting until the big spy balloon was over the ocean before shooting it down.

Neither magazine I think it’s worth noting that Trump, right on schedule and on brand, is stoking conspiracies about government wrongdoing regarding drones. He popped from: “Can this really happen without our government’s knowledge? I do not believe that! Inform the public, now. Otherwise she’ll shoot!!!”

Divide the bulwark

This is not intended to excuse the breach of trust by President Biden, who repeatedly promised not to pardon his son and then did so, or to mislead the public about the extent of his physical and mental deterioration. But for them magazine Looking at the world of 2024 and concluding that the loss of trust in government is due to Biden, without once mentioning that Trump and his minions are the most prolific spitters imaginable , this is completely unscrupulous. Just in the final weeks of the campaign, Trump falsely claimed that FEMA had intentionally withheld hurricane aid to funnel funds to illegal immigrants, that Congo had emptied its prisons to send convicts to the United States, and that the election 2020 did this stole.

It is Trump, not Biden, who is trying to install a conspiracy theorist as head of the Department of Health and Human Services who is so dangerously out of touch with reality that even the Wall Street Journal led an editorial oppose him.

Trust is crucial for the successful functioning of society. Many social sciences Studies found that countries with high trust have less corruption and greater prosperity than countries with low trust. It makes sense. If you believe that most people are untrustworthy, you will only rely on those within your own family or tribe and will be less likely to engage with outsiders. Trust is a social and economic lubricant. As we have learned, it is also quite easy to undermine when people get their information from online rumors and irresponsible politicians and other actors who foment distrust of their own political goals.

The drone affair is murky and will no doubt be forgotten in a month, if not sooner. But the spectacle of… magazine To chastise the Biden administration without saying a single word about Trump and his enablers (in whose ranks they are) is breathtaking.

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