Some supporters of the current administration have accused the intelligence agencies of attempting to wage a deep state coup against the President. Meanwhile, some critics of this “Loser President” open embrace such activity.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept explains what the deep state is and critiques the idea and implications of a deep state coup, warning that such a development signals the end of democracy.
Have you chosen a political issue on which you have decided to focus? There is plenty to do. Consider this.
The new presidential administration plans to cut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by $800 million. Ken Kimmel, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists has stated that “the inevitable consequence of budget cuts of that magnitude would be a reversal of about the last 50 years of improvements in air quality, improvements in water quality and greater safety from chemicals that cause disease in people”. Read the full story.
The George Washington Bridge in heavy smog, photographed during the early 1970s before many of today’s clean air protections were put in place. (Photo from the US National Archives/Flickr).
Here are more climate change stories.
Trust in “news” as well as other sources of “truth” is a developing topic here at seekingGood. When does conviction stand in the way of objectivity, or does it? Can it be that not taking a stand endangers objectivity, rendering us complicit in a lie? When does a habit of normalizing acquiescence result in notions of “truth” we might abhor under other circumstances? Sound complicated? It is. (If nuance is your cup of tea, here is a story for you).
Lewis Wallace, a former journalist for Marketplace, attempted to draw attention to these issues—and was fired. The first video presents a brief overview of Mr. Wallace’s situation.
(Photo: Facebook)This second video presents a more in-depth description, as well as Mr. Wallace reading the blog post that created the stir.
We should all ponder the pitfalls of neutrality as we attempt to find Good in this new Public Space of contemporary life. Want more on these issues of media reliability? Explore these stories.
If you would like something specific to do this week, take a look at Jen Hofmann’s Action list for the week–January 29th-Feb 4th. The are specific things you can do, email and phone call scripts (in case you do not know what to say) and some news. You might also want to subscribe to her weekly list directly.
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Seeking Good 