The Incredible Shrinking Los Angeles Times: What I Learned from the Reporter Reporting on Me

So, I imagine everyone who cares has read the front page article about me and the Beach Cities Republicans in the Los Angeles Times.

Here's the front page from this past weekend, in case you missed it:

This one statement stands out for the powerful point I have made about the media and the power of the individual citizenry:

“Because of his lead on attacking and diminishing establishment media, it’s encouraged more of us to come out,” Schaper said of Trump. “The media narrative isn’t going to be dominant. We get to be the media now.”

Hailey Branson-Potts

Now let me tell you what I learned about the Los Angeles Times during my interviews with Hailey Branson:

1. The newsroom has been diminished so much, that reporters for different assignments are working together in the same room. Hailey's husband also works for the Los Angeles Times, and the work within close proximity of each other.

2. Hailey was following a court room case, then she was assigned to breaking news, along with the extended report about me. Fewer reporters must now stretch themselves thinner and thinner to cover enough stories for the paper. Where has all the staff gone?

BUDGET CUTS!

3. Following any visit to the latimes.com visit, a reader can find ads begging readers to donate to ensure "quality journalism" will still be available. 

They need to put quotation remarks around quality

HA!

Journalists for any media site must recognize that they are open to full scrutiny as much as the subjects which they cover.

By the way, here are two recordings of her interview with me--notice that she did not use any of the information that I shared with her during this 2.5 hour interview (sadly, my camera phone only caught 40 minutes of it. Sorry!)

and

I will be commenting on the accuracy of the LA Times article next.

Before Breitbart, Christian News was "The New Media"

The New Media of Breitbart, Truth Revolt, Levin TV, Daily Caller, have made mince meat of Madam Hillary Clinton's chances at re-election.

They do not deserve the final praise for accomplishing this upending of the liberal Big Three media monopoly.

Before conservatives were scaling the walls of the liberal press, Christian programming like the Christian Broadcasting Network and Hal Lindsey's Report talked about the disturbing undercurrents of globalist corporate interests, plus the searing yet subtle attacks on religious liberty.

Before Breitbart was denouncing the Big Gay Hate Machine attacking individual liberties, Pastors Josh McDowell and Rod Parsley was preaching against the destructive homosexual agenda--and warning of its pernicious silencing effects.

The problem? No one was listening at the time.

Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network was educating the Christian public about the destructive, Satan spirit of lawlessness pervasive in the world. Preachers like him were also denouncing the intolerant political correctness of the left.

What has changed?

News which does not try to preach has found a more ready audience?

I submit that American citizens have finally woken up to the demonic nature of the Obama Administration. What the pastors and church leaders were warning about, has finally fallen on the public.

It's too bad that did not submit their understanding and take an active charge in fighting these scourges while they had begun to flay out at our rights, our foundations, the fundamentals of our Judeo-Christian culture.

Before the conservative "New Media" take all the credit for exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and distorted left-wing agenda of the New York-Los Angeles Media Phalanx, they should tip their has to the men and women of God who reported on the anti-Christian undercurrents of our secularized culture, and who exhorted their audience to do anything they could to alert and awaken their fellow man.

Now, why did Christian networks possess the wisdom and courage to report the stories which most networks avoiding, and to confront the issues which turned off major media networks?

Christians have received the gift of righteousness, and keep receiving it (Romans 5:17)

They have submitted themselves to the greatest King, the one political force who answers all charges and protects his subjects, men and women who He has made fellow-citizens and heirs with His Son.

The righteous are as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1). Because of this righteousness, they both know and believe that no weapon formed against them will ever prosper (Isaiah 54:14-17).

Because we the Body of Christ have yielded to the Highest (and Most Gracious) authority, we have no fear of man. We have the mindset to challenge the world's views and values. There is one Narrative which stands above all others: "In the Beginning, God Created", and then "In the Beginning Was the Word ..."

The apostles told the local authorities took joy in knowing that they suffered for Jesus's sake, and refused to stop preaching the Gospe.

The preacher Martin Luther reminded man that Grace comes from God through Jesus Christ.

The pastors of Great Britain taught the Englishman that Christ not man is King.

And the doctors of the church, throughout the Thirteen Colonies, affirmed for the American people of their godly heritage and the divine origin of their rights.

Fast forward to modern times.

In the Stanley Milgran social science experiments, Christians, men and women of faith, could look at their trainer and tell them "I will not continue to shock this subject."

Preachers, pastors, teachers of the Word, every member of the Body of Christ are not afraid of man or his government.

We are free to challenge what we have learned, and to grow in grace. Jesus Himself told those who doubted him: "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." (John 14:11)

Before there was "The New Media", there was Christ Jesus, His disciples, the Body of Christ, and the great media who harnessed modern means to promote news with a Christian vision!

Media Trumping, and Our Trumped Media

On April 26^th, within minutes of the polls closing in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states, media outlets up and down the Eastern seaboard projected Donald Trump as the big winner. With no votes tallied, no precincts fully accounted for or counted, the news sites, the bloggers, and the heavy anchors at their news desks predicted who would carry the New England states: two old, white New England liberals. Well, make that three: Sanders, along with Clinton and Trump.

Of course, I find it very offensive that the polling sites decide who is going to carry the states before actual votes are tallied. To ally my fears (and to rub in another victory for his guy), one Trump fan told me that these Internet polls draw projections from the exit polling. Yes, exit indeed, as in "watch election integrity, free of media prodding, EXIT out the window.”

For all the conservative efforts to limit the power of the media to shape, read distort, our elections, once again this country is riding a crash course toward conventions and general elections, with the CEOs of NBC, CBS, and ABC crowning the next nominee. Actually, nominees, since Big Media has wanted Hillary as Democratic nominee—and President—for four years. Donald Trump has strengthened their hand. This media pressure is nothing new. President Obama was a media creature. The papers, the nightly newscasters, and especially the Sunday morning talk shows wanted a hyped-up narrative of “the first black President.”

Oprah Winfrey dived right into Election 2008. Besides giving out free cars and high ratings for the American Broadcasting Corporation, the Queen of Day Time TV deigned her blessing to Barack Obama as our next chief executive. She could have selected Hillary Clinton, but the identity politics of the first black President exceeded the left-wing feel-good need to endorse the first woman president.  Perhaps she was thinking of running for the White House herself. She might have the chance, since the current GOP front-runner toyed with her as his next VP. Of course, he will change his mind as quickly as he opposed then welcomed, the hesitated, then opposed an expansion of H-1b visas.

We were off to a great start this election cycle, and now we have the anti-conservative touting himself as the anti-Obama. Look at that face! All that stuff Donald Trump said about abortion, gay marriage, gun control … all that other stuff Donald Trump had done in regards to illegal immigration (hiring illegal aliens, allowing them to continue to work for his firms, within his corporate empire): none of it matters.

The Mainstream Media keeps covering this guy, and the right-wing media seems content to cover for him. Every time he barks, the press asks “How high?” He says the same things over and over, and more people still want to hear it. I actually listen to the Sunday Morning talking heads. How can they keep interviewing this guy? Apparently, more viewers are tuning in. Nielsen’s loving them, I suppose. As for me, I have tuned them out. I rarely catch the nightly news. Before going to bed one night, I watched the Los Angeles news affiliates talk about the GOP front-runner’s latest exploits. Two stories back to back regaled the sleepy LA area audience with Trump’s silly statements or creepy feats. It was YUGE, and it made me sigh: UGH!

Donald Trump got booed at this event! (Credit: Larry Brown)

Ben Shapiro was right. Trump is the master of the media, and HAS trumped the press in the process.

The lying, vain-scream media are an easy target, anyway. The conservatives proved repeatedly that they deserved our revulsion, not our respect. The liberal-laced media elites have been telling us what we need to think, rather than what we want to hear. New Media journalists emerged since then, including The Drudge Report, followed by Breitbart, Truth Revolt, Hot Air.

To their credit, the Heritage Foundation’s new news media affiliate The Daily Signal has done an incredible job writing and promoting pro-liberty and pro-life reforms all over the country, even if conservatives fear the worst in the upcoming general election. And they do so without trying to pick Presidential winners and losers.

The diversity of opinion is a blessed necessity, and the monolithic influence of conservative counter-media efforts is more than welcome. But let’s cut the crap once again (transgendered bathrooms aside). Some conservative forces are just as guilty of pushing the hugely populist, yet questionably principled front-runner. Certain talk radio and major news sites, bent on raising their profile, have created their own sick and twisted version of a media hyped Presidential creation.

Why?

It’s all about the money. Ratings, viewers, advertising. Lather, rinse, repeat. Wash away a constitutional Republic, and replace with populist optimism. Of course, Trump made the media the focal point in this campaign, and manipulated the coverage to his gain. He’s been on TV for years, as a loud-mouth boss looking for the next apprentice. He also knew how to laugh at himself with his cover of the “Green Acres” theme song one year.  Donnie, they may love you, but I still choose Ted Cruz.

There are the chattering classes in Washington, and the cash-in cohorts like consultants, campaign managers, and lobbyists who win big when lawmakers vote in their interest (as opposed to the public interest in line with the national charter). Now we have the conservative media crowds, too. Consultants got rich off the pro-amnesty donor class who wanted Jeb! Now the conservative news outlets are ranking in the dough for cooking Trump’s worth and viability. Trump has been quite a money-maker for them. He says something inflammatory, they get to talk about it—for or against—and millions of their loyal listeners drink it up like kool-aid on a summer day. And the mainstream media hates them for it.

Unfortunately, their drunken need for easy press and solid, consistent media coverage is costing us a healthy discussion on the future of this country, and our much-needed recovery from the aggressive cancer of Obama’s progressivism.