Notices by Dan Gillmor (dangillmor@mastodon.social), page 5

Huge "pharmacy benefit manager" -- part of a cartel that is stealing uncounted billions from all of us via rigged healthcare market -- is ripping off taxpayers via the Pentagon.

No doubt the Trumpists are in favor, but you should be incensed.

Fine reporting by The Lever: https://www.levernews.com/how-a-pharma-giant-is-looting-the-pentagon/

The New York Times still hasn't corrected its BS headline about what it calls a De Blasio "Impersonator" -- a man who has the almost-same name as the former NYC mayor and was quoted in another newspaper's story.

The entire episode exemplifies journalistic malpractice, in two cities.
1/6

Should the not-former-mayor De Blasio (spelled slighly differently from the mayor's name) have warned the London paper's reporter? Arguably. But he figured the paper would do, you know, actual reporting and move on.

3/6

As the news site Semafor explained, the "impersonator" did not instigate the call leading to a Times of London debacle. He never claimed to be the former mayor. He just answered the questions asked by a (lazy?) reporter for the Times of London.

Semafor's story: https://www.semafor.com/article/10/29/2025/british-newspaper-spoke-to-the-wrong-deblasio-not-an-imposter

2/6

In any event, contrary to the NY Times' scolding headline and story, the interviewee was NOT an impersonator or imposter -- at least not as most people would understand those words. He wasn't instigating the fraud on readers. The newspaper did that to itself, and its readers.
4/6

Once the error was embarrassingly public, the Times of London did what it had to do: It pulled down the story. Needless to say, as you might expect from an arrogant Murdoch family property, it dumped on the man its reporter mistook for the former mayor, trying to deflect responsibility.
5/6

The New York Times, meanwhile, published a super-snarky story with a headline that is at best grossly misleading (I think it's obviously false given what Semafor reported). The story, with the BS headline, is still there. One label that perpetually, and accurately, applies to the NYT: arrogant.

6/6

If you are a California voter, I implore you to back Proposition 50, a hopefully temporary measure to block the Trump-Republican scheme to rig U.S. House districts for perpetual GOP control.

They declared war on democracy. Vote Yes. A no vote gives them what they want.

https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/quick-reference-guide/50.htm

Here's one Democrat who's not afraid of his own shadow -- calling out America's Gestapo (aka Ice) for its attacks, which are going to escalate massively, on our nation:

Most Democrats -- and basically ALL of Big Media -- are too cowardly to yell about what is happening.

https://bsky.app/profile/senchrislarson.bsky.social/post/3m3pl3257322m

When someone says of Trump's fascist moves, "It is a shocking situation to be in that I don’t think anybody anticipated a year ago,” I want to scream in frustration.

THIS WAS PREDICTABLE IN EVERY WAY. HE BRAGGED ABOUT WHAT HE WOULD DO.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-ice-secret-police-civil-rights-unaccountable

Indiana University's fascist-leaning leadership fired the student media advisor and zapped the student newspaper because it dared to do actual journalism. The students have published it anyway, here:

https://issuu.com/idsnews/docs/indiana_daily_student_homecoming_eedition_-_thursd

And please spread the news these scumbag administrators censored.

Trump's insane tariffs are wiping out countless small businesses. His apparatchiks and big-business pals don't mind -- that's plainly one of their goals.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/17/how-much-trump-tariffs-are-costing-small-businesses.html

Some of the most prominent "Young Republicans" are fascists and overt racists, with violent plans for people they despise.

And they're really unhappy that their group chat just leaked.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146

A reminder that John Oliver and his equally brilliant staff are doing IMO the best political/economic video commentary, based on superb reporting and presentation.

This week is about the Bari Weiss and the sad state of Big Journalism/Media:

https://youtu.be/gieTx_P6INQ

We always understood that Marc Benioff's mentor, Larry Ellison, is a sleazy right-winger.

But it comes as somewhat of a surprise -- and a sad one -- to learn that Benioff, who for years portrayed himself as a liberal, is just another Trumpist billionaire.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/us/marc-benioff-san-francisco-guard.html

The Trump Action Tracker is brilliant already, keeping track of the regime's bad acts. The UI could use a few improvement, and I'd urge several more categories (or emphasis of sub-categories), but I'm blown away now. https://www.trumpactiontracker.info

I now assume that the avalanche of "journalism" "covering" Amazon "deals" on "Prime Days" is almost entirely a revenue generator for the "news" organizations, via commission links.

I canceled Amazon Prime. Consider doing the same.

Trump, the Ellison family and their cynical -- but rich -- acolyte, Weiss, are spitting on the graves of Murrow and Cronkite. They're neutering the remaining honorable journalists.

CBS was never perfect. But it once stood for integrity. That's done.

It's CBS "News" now.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/free-press-founder-bari-weiss-named-editor-cbs-news-after-deal-with-paramount-2025-10-06/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@campuscodi/115321288232713778

Corporate PR becomes even more stupid.

The word "democracy" has been poisoned by people who love dictatorship. BIg Journalism poisoned its own well. We need to talk up "local/community news and information" if we want people to care about saving both.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/dont-dwell-on-democracy-and-other-new-findings-about-how-to-market-local-news/