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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat if it was Sean Hannity rather than Jamal Khoshoggi?
What if we were talking about Sean Hannity rather than Jamal Khoshoggi? Would our reaction be the same?
I'm struggling with my conscience on this. After all, Khoshoggi was a journalist, activist, and opponent of Saudi Arabia, -- a country which still dwells somewhere in the dark ages.
Sean Hannity is a propagandist for Fox "news" who nightly spews bullshit
about the greatness of great orange leader.
The question I'm asking is, would we be as outraged if what happened to Khoshoggi, happened to Hannity?
And I'm having a real problem with my own concept of morality.
Knoshoggi was a journalist fighting for a cause.
Hannity is, at best, a biased journalist, fighting for a cause he believes in.
So what if it were Hannity instead of Khoshoggi?
(Full disclosure: My personal belief is that Hannity is a right-wing whore who is working in the service of destroying democracy in America.)
But my opinion aside, is he a journalist? And would journalists around the world be as outraged as they are about Khoshoggi?
I really don't know.
So let me ask again: If this were Hannity and not Khoshoggid, would the worldwide journalism community be demonstrating the same outrage?
JI7
(89,283 posts)you might as well ask if we would be outraged if it happened to ted nugent.
Cyrano
(15,075 posts)So here's the thing. Are we, the majority correct in thinking he's nothing but a propagandist with a microphone?
Or are the millions of Americans, who believe he is a journalist, correct?
I know that most of us here on DU believe he's a man who spews shit nightly.
But can you convince millions of people that he's not a journalist?
JI7
(89,283 posts)DBoon
(22,414 posts)and?
Canoe52
(2,949 posts)CatMor
(6,212 posts)I would be thrilled if it happened to Hannity so would want the worldwide journalism community to feel the same.
onecaliberal
(32,976 posts)tazkcmo
(7,304 posts)His murder would just be one of hundreds that happen on a daily basis.
dalton99a
(81,673 posts)MLAA
(17,360 posts)Would the Magats be upset if it were hannity and impotus ignored it and sided with the Saudis?
yardwork
(61,748 posts)Are you seriously asking if we wouldn't be appalled if a foreign government abducted, murdered, and dismembered Sean Hannity or anybody else?
The main difference is that the Republicans would be appalled along with us.
Cyrano
(15,075 posts)What would their reaction be?
yardwork
(61,748 posts)Yeah, most reasonable people have contempt for Hannity as a journalist.
But the attack itself is horrific aside from the terrible implications against journalism.
nevergiveup
(4,769 posts)H2O Man
(73,668 posts)Like Hannity, Mr. Fudd is a cartoon character popular with a specific segment of the population.
Bettie
(16,139 posts)I'd feel it was horrifying and terrible.
I wouldn't be sad that he was dead.
Turin_C3PO
(14,119 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,509 posts)whole thing is goddamn horrible. And it's not like they're even bothering to do a halfway decent job of covering it up.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)of a man's contribution to society.
And if Trump instructed his administration not to inform properly Hannity that Saudi Arabia was planning his murder (as is our standard procedure), I would consider that, all by itself, cause to remove him from the presidency.
My reaction would be the same. Not the slightest difference. I would admire Hannity (for the first time ever) for making his last contribution the reporting of his own kidnapping, torture and murder.
Cyrano
(15,075 posts)the basic question stands. Is he a journalist?
We all consider Fox "news" to be a joke.
We've also considered most right-wing newspaper columnists to be jokes, propagandists and whores for a cause we hate. Are they considered to be journalists?
Sooo, by that standard, is Hannity a journalist?
LuvLoogie
(7,066 posts)He is a propagandist with a team of shills and liars. And he is a fucking coward. He would never walk into a sketchy situation where he feared for his life.
Use William Krystal or Charles Krauthammer for comparison. That would be more appropriate. Or perhaps a resident alien reporter that speaks out against Scandinavian socialism.
DFW
(54,477 posts)Khoshoggi was a journalist. He investigated, dug up information, and reported his findings as he understood them to be true.
Hannity is a propagandist. He investigates nothing and does not care what is true and what is not. His show spews out propaganda whose intent is purely to entertain and reinforce loyalty from a group of people who already want to hear what he has to offer.
If, as I do, you find true journalists to be useful (full disclosure--my father was one for over fifty years), and propagandists not so, then I see no moral contradiction in having different reactions if the fates of Khoshoggi and Hannity had been reversed.
The Saudis had no more moral right to do what they (obviously) did to Khoshoggi than Trump would have had doing it to Rachel Maddow. As for Hannity, my favorite comparison would be what the Soviets would have done to Göbbels if they had managed to get their hands on him in 1945, but they never did, so one can only speculate.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Stage.
Buckeyeblue
(5,505 posts)As much as I deplore Hannity, I don't advocate for anyone's murder. Once you go there, you can't go back.
Cyrano
(15,075 posts)The murder of anyone, anytime, anywhere is unacceptable.
I believe that Hannity should be shunned by decent society. Not killed. Just ignored and reviled.
MiniMe
(21,722 posts)JHB
(37,163 posts)Beyond that, though, ... in that scenario Hannity would have died by the very sort of abuse of and abusive power that he has spent his carer trying to bring about. Hoist with his own petard.
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)Flagrant violation of international law. Even worse if it is a well known critic.
blm
(113,129 posts)not being a journalist who had to adhere to a journalistic standard if he ever had to go to court to prove his broadcast reporting was accurate.
Dont want anyone murdered, but, dont want propagandists mistaken for journalists either. Hannity contributes every day to stoking the murderous rages of the GOPNazis and Dylan Roofs of this world.
Talitha
(6,635 posts)Hell, I'd have party balloons ALL OVER my lawn!
Turin_C3PO
(14,119 posts)I dont believe hes a journalist in any sense of the word. But I would definitely be angry if a foreign country abducted and executed him. I wouldnt feel the anger in my bones but my brain would be appalled lol.
Oneironaut
(5,538 posts)Say, for example, Hannity reported on something bad Putin did. Putin sends an assassination team to kill Hannity. In what universe is that less outrageous? Not one I want to live in.
It doesnt matter if Hannity is a propagandist. Excusing murder would be massive leap off the cliff into crazyland. All journalists need to be protected.
UTUSN
(70,779 posts)When a mugger pointed a gun at him and said, "Your money or your life!1"
Demonaut
(8,937 posts)but of course we'd outraged
erpowers
(9,350 posts)The reaction would be the same or bigger. The reaction from American journalists might actually be bigger since Sean Hannity is an American. Just about all journalists on the left would join forces with the right and call for Hannity to be either released or those for those who caused him harm to be brought to justice.
Response to Cyrano (Original post)
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