Why Does Mainstream Media Suck So Much? - Dave Smith - #871

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
What's happening people? Welcome back to the show. My guest today is Dave Smith. He's a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and a political commentator. Why do so many Americans distrust the media? In fact, how can anyone trust the media when they've been proven wrong time and time again? And is it possible to salvage this channel of public communication or is it dead in the water? I expect to learn what Dave thinks of the current state of the media, why they refuse to ever admit they're wrong, how much the media will learn from the recent election outcome, Dave's thoughts on users leaving X for Bluesky, the danger of alternative social media echo chambers, what Dave thinks about the Libertarian Party and much more. I've won Whoop for over four years now, since way before they were a partner on the show and it is the only wearable I've ever stuck with because it's the best. It's so innocuous, you don't remember that you've got it on and yet it tracks absolutely everything 24 seven via your wrist. It tracks your heart rate, your sleep, your recovery, all of your workouts, your resting heart rate, heart rate variability, how much you're even breathing throughout the night, puts all of this into an app and spits out very simple, easy to understand and fantastically usable data. It's phenomenal. I'm a massive, massive fan of Whoop and that is why it's the only wearable that I've ever stuck with. And best of all, you can join for free, pay nothing for the brand new Whoop 4 strap. Plus you get your first month for free and there's a 30-day money back guarantee so you can buy it for free, try it for free and if you don't like it after 29 days, they'll give you your money back. Right now you can get all of that by heading to join.whoop.com/modernwisdom. That's join.whoop.com/modernwisdom. This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. If you're still using an old face shaver from three Christmases ago, please join us in the modern world. Manscaped brand new Chairman Pro brings a professional shave directly to your home. It comes with two interchangeable skin safe blade heads, whether you want to go completely clean or leave some stubble. Plus both heads are designed to help reduce razor burn and irritation, so your skin feels smooth and comfortable after every shave. Best of all, it can run for up to 75 minutes on a single charge, and it's waterproof so you can use it in the shower or if you've got a particularly hairy face. Right now you can get 20% off and free shipping worldwide by going to the link in the description below or heading to manscaped.com/modernwisdom and using the code modern wisdom 20 at checkout. That's manscaped.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom 20 at checkout. You might not be tired, you might not need more caffeine, you might just be dehydrated and proper hydration is not just about drinking enough water, it's about having sufficient electrolytes to allow your body to use those fluids. Element contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium and it tastes phenomenal. It is the way I have started my morning every single day for over three years now because it makes me feel amazing. I genuinely can tell the difference when I take it and when I don't. And it's just a beautiful salty refreshing drink first thing in the morning. During the colder months, it is good to mix their chocolate flavour in with some hot water, which tastes pretty much just like hot chocolate, but actually makes me feel less like a man child because it's genuinely good for me and I can feel the difference. Best of all, they're having no questions asked refund policy with an unlimited duration, so you can buy it and try it for as long as you want. And if you don't like it for any reason, they'll give you your money back. Right now, you can get a free sample pack of all eight flavours with your first box by going to the link in the description below or heading to drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom. That's drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom.
But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Dave Smith.
Busy few weeks for you.

**Dave Smith** (4:05)
Yeah, it has been, I'm tired.

**Chris Williamson** (4:07)
Yeah, what do you make of the media's performance this year? What's your assessment of them?

**Dave Smith** (4:14)
Man, it's like, the answer is obvious, but I'm trying to find the words to really, I mean, it's not, you know, I view the corporate media apparatus in not just the United States of America, but in most Western countries as essentially state propaganda. They might as well be state media. There's essentially no difference there. Their job is to cover for powerful people and to spin the narrative that those powerful people wish for the plebs to believe. So I think that's always been true. Like that's not, there's nothing drastically different in this last year as opposed to, you know, 50 years ago or something like that. And if you look at the way, you know, the media lied the United States into Vietnam or something like that, or, you know, this is always what they've been in the business of doing. What's striking to me about the last year is how profoundly stupid the propaganda has become and kind of their inability to adjust to the new facts on the ground. So, you know, something like, just for one example, which I guess I care about because he's a good friend of mine, but, so Tony Hengecliffe, when he speaks at the Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden, if you are at all plugged into like social media, or this world of internet shows that we're a part of, you just kind of know this video has gone viral. I mean, there's, you know, the video of Tony doing his insult comic routine is, you'll see one clip on Twitter that's got three million, another has seven million, another has 600,000, another has that. Now, CNN at the same time is getting like 200,000 views on their daytime show. And this show is telling you that a speaker made a comment at a Trump rally. But everyone who's seen that is also seeing the actual thing. Like, they can literally see that you're lying to me. So like, you gotta step it up here, guys. You gotta adjust. And they just didn't adjust.