Something is happening in the United States. It’s not just the rise of a tyrannical, anti-democratic, narcissist President. It’s a people’s movement in response. It is the rise of a nationwide resistance, led by skilled truth-tellers who defy the tsunami of post-truth bilge and document the death toll and other obscenities.

Some of that resistance is to be found in mainstream US media, some on late-night TV, and still more in the increasingly important world of do-it-yourself blogging and podcasting. All this has made the President very cross indeed, but, despite high-profile attempts, he has failed to silence the resistance.

Three of my favourite American resisters are Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and MS NOW journalist Rachel Maddow. Krugman’s piece in _Pearls and Irritations_ this week tells us the astonishing story of Trump associates manipulating the money markets around the Iran war. If it is still possible to shock, this piece does. In the face of it all, Krugman maintains a sense of humour and reminds us that Trump has called him, a Nobel Laureate, a “Deranged BUM.”

Trump also tried to deflate Maddow’s ballon, saying: “Wow Rachel Maddow has horrible ratings, her show will be off the air soon.” On Robert Reich, who now calls the US Administration the “Regime”, Trump has thus far been silent. Clearly the former Labor Secretary needs to try harder.

In one of my former lives a Cabinet Minister called me hysterical during an ABC radio interview. After my initial surprise that any sitting parliamentarian would think it smart to call a woman hysterical, I took it as a sign I was getting close to the truth. Colleagues presented me with a ‘Hysterical Woman’ t-shirt the next day.

For a publication dedicated to moving away from the mainstream media’s obsession with the US, P&I has been running a lot of US material lately. Mostly that is because Australia maintains a close alliance with the US, and because the ‘Regime’ is taking apart, piece by piece, the fundamental pillars of democracy.

The corrosion of democracy will be a major focus for us this year, and we will be collaborating with colleagues across the spectrum, including the important democracy initiative being launched in May by (P&I Board Member and Conversation at the Crossroads convenor) Joe Camilleri.

Another corrosion is to be found in the extraordinary story reported on Sunday by Antoinette Lattouf and Soaliha Iqbal. It tells of the new media outlet, The Daily Perspective. Established about a month ago, it is entirely run by AI, not just the stories, which are all constructed via a ‘scrape’ from public outlets, but the reporters, whose faces, qualifications, and ethnicities, are also made up. The developer tells us that he built the site as a kind of hobby, for a tiny sum and a week or so of work. At first glance, it looks and reads like the real thing.

Back to the US resistance, my best bit for this week comes from Rachel Maddow. It is hardly sunshine and lollypops, but Maddow’s forensic directness always raises my spirits. She talks of the No King’s Day rallies taking place all across America this week, predicted to be the largest demonstration in human history. I will don my ‘Hysterical Woman’ t-shirt to mark the event.

 

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