12 ms·

Journalist says CBP withheld passport until he agreed he writes ‘propaganda’

121 points by enraged_camel 7y ago

throwaway87394 7y ago
Is anyone else concerned about the changes to the CBP officer population over the last few years? The priorities of the current administration have allowed the organization to rapidly balloon in size. Those of us who have worked at fast growing startups are aware of how quickly the character of an organization can change when it doubles or triples in size too quickly. And then the kind of person who wants to be a CBP officer in this political climate is... possibly worrying? Will the next adminstration try to purge this organization? Will they even be able to? Are we going to be stuck with a dramatically more authoritarian customs organization for the next few decades? I'm moderately concerned. As a meta-addition to this comment, self-censorship is absolutely real here. I normally interact online using my real name, but obviously that seems a little more fraught when there's a real possibility that your comments will be thrown back at you when you interact with a customs officer at an airport. "You clearly don't like customs agents. That probably means you're hiding something" etc.
- sagebird 7y ago
  The concept of class warfare is a popular tool everyone knows of, but there is a nasty new war that is going on- personality warfare. IE- Conservative aggressive males use police jobs, the DHS, and border protection to give jobs to their chums. It’s like welfare for people who lack self control. You could say that the far left has taken over Silicon Valley, but it is not the same, skilled conservative tech people still get jobs, they just need to shut their mouths and blend in when people talk at lunch or whatever. For police departments taken over by assholes, I think they filter more heavily.
  - friendlybus 7y ago
    Arguing which side of the aisle filters more, is not a competition I want to see expanded by complaint. Can we instead reward blending with our mouths & hearts open?
    - sagebird 7y ago
      I agree - I don’t think I’m qualified to say which sides/groups filter more, nor should that be a main focus. It would be great if we could work together harmoniously and professionally without so much group identity bs.
  - DuskStar 7y ago
    > skilled conservative tech people still get jobs, they just need to shut their mouths and blend in when people talk at lunch or whatever. "Skilled colored people get jobs, they just need to keep their mouths shut and respect their betters. Skilled women get jobs, they just need to keep their heads down and endure a bit of sexual harassment." IMO that's what that argument sounds like. Toxic work environments are toxic. And just like you don't take the white dude's word for it that his workplace isn't toxic to women or African Americans, perhaps we shouldn't take the word of the left that their workplaces are not toxic to conservatives.
  - repolfx 7y ago
    Do you actually know such filtering/discrimination takes place? Or is it more that liberal/leftists simply don't apply for CBP jobs in the first place? Unemployment is low - why would people who think borders are evil volunteer to police them? This is one of those times when I don't think discrimination is needed to explain something. I doubt you find many conservatives working for LGBT or climate change charities either, but that wouldn't be for reasons of discrimination.
- yardie 7y ago
  Culture starts at the top. If you have a mean-spirited leader at the head that frame of thought radiates through the rest of organization. The bullies feel empowered to be bolder. Meanwhile the compassionate feel isolated and unsupported. Either they armor up and just do the job silently or they leave. As a person of color I've always self-censored when dealing with the government. You give them just the information they need to know and nothing else. Lying to a federal officer is a felony; jokes, embellishments, or casual chat is simply something you don't do. You don't know who's recording and if it will be used against you later.
  - noobermin 7y ago
    >Culture starts at the top. If you have a mean-spirited leader at the head that frame of thought radiates through the rest of organization. I think it's both. You can swap the head out in a company, but the rank and file can still resist and even have the person at the head removed by political pressure. At some point, the organization itself is completely morphed and needs pruning essentially to change it. If we want to see reform, I think politically the DoHS needs significant reforms bordering on amputation in some cases. It's hard to mildly reform such an organization such that it actually result in significant, lasting change.
- bearcobra 7y ago
  There seems to be a problem generally with a lack of professionalism in many branches of law enforcement. ProPublica’s coverage of sheriffs destroying equipment after losing elections or offices being fired for not shooting suspects offer some striking examples of how disconnected LEO are vs the part of society I occupy
- Rapzid 7y ago
  The poisoning of the wells is my primary concern and that of many others I gather. Ballooning size coupled with installing tow the line, even if it means breaking the law, leadership..
- tmb 7y ago
  Just on the timeframe: there haven’t been any major changes to the CBP population over the last few years, the major reorganization, cultural... adjustments and hiring sprees that inflated and led to our current situation occurred after 9/11 and throughout the aughts. BP specifically went from like 4K in the 90s to 20k by 2010, the damage was done a while ago.
- friendlybus 7y ago
  I am deeply concerned. The 'luke skywalker' liberal attitudes of the past don't work anymore as a rebellious outcome. You can find a lot of videos online from politicians stating their aims and values. Across the west authority is going to be the most important thing in the future politically. You can hear many politicians that were successful during the liberal era say this, like australia's pm john howard. There is something deeply wrong about the authoritarian swing we are experiencing. There's a sizeable chunk of the populace complaining they're being suppressed or oppressed and using the attention they gain to form their own filter bubbles where they oppress and suppress thoughts they don't like. Without a second's thought about the double standard. The west's attitude towards valuing freedom as a goal to be achieved is put under a large question mark. Are we even aiming at that anymore? Where do you go to be free? We seem to be aiming at the right to oppress others. Hm I'm not sure about that. I'm trying to figure it out in the sunlight. It seems the only way to be 'free' in the old sense is to be the king of yourself. Willing to throw away everything you could ever have or gain simply to retain authority over your own being. Is the only place left for "the left" to be in exile? Underground and unseen is the only place left to be free? Dodging the spotlight, jailbreaking and refusing orders. Seems like a shitter world than I'd like.
  - miles 7y ago
    > It seems the only way to be 'free' in the old sense is to be the king of yourself. Willing to throw away everything you could ever have or gain simply to retain authority over your own being. You are channeling Epictetus[0]: That is why [Diogenes] used to say, "From the time that Antisthenes set me free, I have ceased to be a slave." How did Antisthenes set him free? Listen to what Diogenes says. "He taught me what was mine, and what was not mine. Property is not mine; kinsmen, members of my household, friends, reputation, familiar places, converse with men—all these are not my own. 'What, then, is yours? Power to deal with external impressions.' He showed me that I possess this beyond all hindrance and constraint; no one can hamper me; no one can force me to deal with them otherwise than as I will. Who, then, has authority over me? Philip, or Alexander, or Perdiccas, or the Great King? Where can they get it? For the man who is destined to be overpowered by a man must long before that have been overpowered by things." Therefore, the man over whom pleasure has no power, nor evil, nor fame, nor wealth, and who, whenever it seems good to him, can spit his whole paltry body into some oppressor's face and depart from this life—whose slave can he any longer be, whose subject? [0] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ADiscourses_of_Epictetus_volume_2_Oldfather_1928.djvu/217 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ADiscourses_of_Epictetu...
- sixplusone 7y ago
  Maybe. Or it could be confirmation bias, media painting everything rosy under Obama. Personally, 7 years ago I (a Canadian) had much more grief flying into England than this year (or ever) going to the US.
V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago
This is crazy. Ben Watson writes/edits for DefenseOne, which has certainly published a fair bit critical of Trump & his team; but then if you are a member of the reality-based community, and a public writer about stories in the national interest, it would be hard to not do that. Calling him a propagandist harkens back to dark American behaviors of the past rather than aspirational American values. It's also not like he writes for one of the publications that would be considered a particular gadfly to the Trump community, like NYT or Washington Post, so it would be good to investigate how this CBP officer even specifically knew to "call out" Watson.
- smadge 7y ago
  I don’t think the CBP officer has any specific knowledge of Watson or DefenseOne, but instead believes that generally journalists are propagandists and “enemies of the people” as Trump would phrase it.
  - V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago
    That's a fair point - I had taken it as a specific political targeting as opposed to part of the whole "the press is the enemy of the people" line of rhetoric. On the other hand, anyone pushing that line probably approves of Fox News, Washington Times, etc. - how would this CBP person have known to let such a person through? I guess maybe with some response back from the individual of "Naw, I work for Fox News - we fight the liberal propaganda!"
  - caseysoftware 7y ago
    There's also very valid criticism that the media only started covering caging children in the last two years when it was a standard and awful practice since at least 2014.. and that story is just one of many. When you portray something as "unprecedented" when it has a long history, you're telling a story with an agenda, not reporting facts. Since CBP is the target of these stories, it makes sense that this officer - and many other targets - consider more and more journalists as simple propagandists. The answer is getting journalists to separate fact from fiction from conjecture and make it clear which is which. Society as a whole benefits from that, regardless of who is President.
clamprecht 7y ago
I recently watched a video of an Argentine-Canadian telling his story of why and how his family left Argentina in 1970, during the military dictatorship. He described how the government employees would treat citizens like garbage, how they looked at you with contempt. The current behavior described in this article reminds me of that. Here's the part of the video mentioned above (Spanish, the English subtitles are okay): https://youtu.be/b6r3wKax2NM?t=1302 https://youtu.be/b6r3wKax2NM?t=1302
saagarjha 7y ago
> He figured he could get stuck for hours if he tried to call in the officer’s supervisor. So he gave in. This is the unfortunate reality of CBP (and the TSA): they can make your life miserable if they’d like to, so most people just accept it in the interest of being able to get out of it quickly and going wherever they need to.
- sneak 7y ago
  I have been repeatedly locked in a room for double-digit hours of time (without food or water) at the US border for exercising my fifth amendment rights. It’s really time these people were held to account for their crimes.
  - jfk13 7y ago
    Repeatedly? Wow. I'd be curious if there is something in particular about you or your behavior that triggers this issue? While I certainly have concerns about how CBP sometimes operates, many of us still manage to travel in and out of the US without encountering problems like this.
    - csense 7y ago
      I'm pretty sure they keep files on everyone. If you cause trouble once, even if you're perfectly within your legal rights, they will put a note in your file. Then you will be harassed every time. They know exactly how much they can inconvenience / intimidate you without breaking the law. The nail that sticks up gets hammered, unfortunately. This is why I never travel outside the US.
      - sneak 7y ago
        They stopped stopping me as a matter of course 3-4 years after I stopped refusing to answer their questions. It must still be in my file. One of these days I should test it again to see if I will get another few years of harassment.
    - sneak 7y ago
jacquesm 7y ago
The whole narrative that the media are the enemy of the people needs to die and soon or we will all regret it. The darkest ages of mankind started out with the governments of the day attacking the media and when that happens you know there is a bunch of stuff going on that can't see the light of day. Fish rots from the head, it's a repeating pattern and the border patrol feeling empowered to do this is a clear sign that should not go ignored.
- throw12091827 7y ago
  I agree mostly, but which newspaper is still objective? In any story I'm familiar with, the only newspapers that do unbiased reporting are the Financial Times and the Neue Zuercher Zeitung. Especially in SJW stories these are the only ones that do not misquote the targets.
  - V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago
    I think a far deeper issue is lack of domain expertise on the part of most journalists, and the field of journalism implying this is fine or that journalists build expertise just through reporting. How many times has there been an unrigorous attempt to "show both sides", or oversimplification, or de facto adoption of charged language like "War on Terror"? The core observation/criticism underlying the "Gell-Mann amnesia effect" to me is what detracts the most from the value of most journalism. This is not to criticize those journalists that really do justice to their subjects, for which we should definitely be thankful.
  - X6S1x6Okd1st 7y ago
    Few media sources have ever been objective. They are useful even if they have a bias.
  - danso 7y ago
    Objectivity isn't a mandatory requirement for journalism.
    - DuskStar 7y ago
newnewpdro 7y ago
Presumably the CBP officer is wearing a body-cam documenting this admission of propagandist for future use by the administration, should this particular journalist come into the crosshairs of a "Fake News" accusation. Collecting confessions for the future.
mnm1 7y ago
CBP officers are some of the biggest idiots, it seems, not even knowing their own field let alone anything else about the world. I was once asked why my passport didn't have the stamp when returning from Europe. First, it did have a stamp but the idiot officer flipped over that page multiple times before giving up and asking if I have another passport. I told him I did but I did not use it on this trip. He proceeded to tell me that dual citizenship is illegal and told me to get rid of the second passport. Thankfully he did not force his idiotic, wrong position on me. Of course, I told him I would. If course I did not follow his stupid, incorrect demand. These are the types of morons our country puts on the front lines of our defense and as the first impression for foreigners. It's no wonder most of the world hates us although that hate mainly stems from much worse issues. It's ridiculous to hire such idiots in these positions.
- onetimemanytime 7y ago
  Sadly, that "moron" and thousands like him have major power over millions of people; they can deny entry to non-citizens in a heartbeat. Of course you can complain...once you go back to your country. So it pays to say "yes sir, of course sir"
  - mnm1 7y ago
    Yup that's what I did. I'm a citizen and I would never complain. I've lived in an authoritarian country before. I know the drill.
pirocks 7y ago
https://outline.com/ujBNtS https://outline.com/ujBNtS For those who don't feel like consenting to tracking/ are using firefox incognito like me, and can't seem to get past consent page.
genuin43 7y ago
I was watching some Trump press report and he made some completely outrageous claim like that unemployment was at 3.4% or something, the lowest in 10+ years. That is not the normal amount, the normal amount is 7-10%. Since I read the liberal media, surely I would know if there were a historic level of low unemployment level. Maybe the true level is extremely high - 15-20% or something. I have two tasks for you: 1. Task 1. Find the true current unemployment level. This is closely tracked, should take you less than 15 seconds. 2. Compare with the liberal media reporting. Is the tone appropriate? Spoiler below: Spoiler spoiler spoiler The first article I found was "Hiring Slowed in September as Unemployment Rate Fell to a 50-Year Low", in the New York Times. If you did 1 and 2 you would find this is totally inappropriate reporting. I like this example as it's very natural and factual. The unbiased headline would be: unemployment hits 50-year low. The facts are still there, but the actual headline is clearly biased and totally inappropriate. There is no way that can be considered an appropriate headline. It's like imagine if Iran agreed to denuclearize and stop seeking nuclear weapons, and the headline said: "Iran armies, planes and helicopters have the U.S. in sights, but won't be sending nuclear bombs for now". The greatest possible success could be misreported to an absurd level. Or let's say Trump makes vaccines mandatory and signs legislation introducing fines for parents of unvaccinated children, due to child endangerment. This would be an amazing win, but based on my research, the news would report it in an outrageously biased way. Like what's the most biased thing you can think of. Maybe: "Trump still doubts vaccines, even as he makes some mandadory." Just something outrageously biased that takes everything away from the huge win. Go ahead and do the exercise and you will get really clear results. It's a really interesting exercise. If I had time I would look at a Republican (Trump) list of "wins", then do 1 and 2 for each one: find the actual facts or figures, usually quite straightforward. 2. Decide what would be appropriate reporting. See if they are reported appropriately or in an outragrously biased way. (Instead of man lands on moon, some outrageously negative version). (I would assume if you do this exercise you will fine many Republican points are false or exaggerated, hence why it is a 2 part exercise for each point.)
crashcrashcrush 7y ago
A simple observation - I travel mostly under a US passport - I am treated with may more respect in the EU by their border control agents than I am entering the United States.
tekproxy 7y ago
Somewhere something bad happened. Orange man bad.

121 points by enraged_camel 7y ago

Is anyone else concerned about the changes to the CBP officer population over the last few years? The priorities of the current administration have allowed the organization to rapidly balloon in size. Those of us who have worked at fast growing startups are aware of how quickly the character of an organization can change when it doubles or triples in size too quickly. And then the kind of person who wants to be a CBP officer in this political climate is... possibly worrying? Will the next adminstration try to purge this organization? Will they even be able to? Are we going to be stuck with a dramatically more authoritarian customs organization for the next few decades? I'm moderately concerned. As a meta-addition to this comment, self-censorship is absolutely real here. I normally interact online using my real name, but obviously that seems a little more fraught when there's a real possibility that your comments will be thrown back at you when you interact with a customs officer at an airport. "You clearly don't like customs agents. That probably means you're hiding something" etc.

sagebird 7y ago
The concept of class warfare is a popular tool everyone knows of, but there is a nasty new war that is going on- personality warfare. IE- Conservative aggressive males use police jobs, the DHS, and border protection to give jobs to their chums. It’s like welfare for people who lack self control. You could say that the far left has taken over Silicon Valley, but it is not the same, skilled conservative tech people still get jobs, they just need to shut their mouths and blend in when people talk at lunch or whatever. For police departments taken over by assholes, I think they filter more heavily.
- friendlybus 7y ago
  Arguing which side of the aisle filters more, is not a competition I want to see expanded by complaint. Can we instead reward blending with our mouths & hearts open?
  - sagebird 7y ago
    I agree - I don’t think I’m qualified to say which sides/groups filter more, nor should that be a main focus. It would be great if we could work together harmoniously and professionally without so much group identity bs.
- DuskStar 7y ago
  > skilled conservative tech people still get jobs, they just need to shut their mouths and blend in when people talk at lunch or whatever. "Skilled colored people get jobs, they just need to keep their mouths shut and respect their betters. Skilled women get jobs, they just need to keep their heads down and endure a bit of sexual harassment." IMO that's what that argument sounds like. Toxic work environments are toxic. And just like you don't take the white dude's word for it that his workplace isn't toxic to women or African Americans, perhaps we shouldn't take the word of the left that their workplaces are not toxic to conservatives.
- repolfx 7y ago
  Do you actually know such filtering/discrimination takes place? Or is it more that liberal/leftists simply don't apply for CBP jobs in the first place? Unemployment is low - why would people who think borders are evil volunteer to police them? This is one of those times when I don't think discrimination is needed to explain something. I doubt you find many conservatives working for LGBT or climate change charities either, but that wouldn't be for reasons of discrimination.
yardie 7y ago
Culture starts at the top. If you have a mean-spirited leader at the head that frame of thought radiates through the rest of organization. The bullies feel empowered to be bolder. Meanwhile the compassionate feel isolated and unsupported. Either they armor up and just do the job silently or they leave. As a person of color I've always self-censored when dealing with the government. You give them just the information they need to know and nothing else. Lying to a federal officer is a felony; jokes, embellishments, or casual chat is simply something you don't do. You don't know who's recording and if it will be used against you later.
- noobermin 7y ago
  >Culture starts at the top. If you have a mean-spirited leader at the head that frame of thought radiates through the rest of organization. I think it's both. You can swap the head out in a company, but the rank and file can still resist and even have the person at the head removed by political pressure. At some point, the organization itself is completely morphed and needs pruning essentially to change it. If we want to see reform, I think politically the DoHS needs significant reforms bordering on amputation in some cases. It's hard to mildly reform such an organization such that it actually result in significant, lasting change.
bearcobra 7y ago
There seems to be a problem generally with a lack of professionalism in many branches of law enforcement. ProPublica’s coverage of sheriffs destroying equipment after losing elections or offices being fired for not shooting suspects offer some striking examples of how disconnected LEO are vs the part of society I occupy
Rapzid 7y ago
The poisoning of the wells is my primary concern and that of many others I gather. Ballooning size coupled with installing tow the line, even if it means breaking the law, leadership..
tmb 7y ago
Just on the timeframe: there haven’t been any major changes to the CBP population over the last few years, the major reorganization, cultural... adjustments and hiring sprees that inflated and led to our current situation occurred after 9/11 and throughout the aughts. BP specifically went from like 4K in the 90s to 20k by 2010, the damage was done a while ago.
friendlybus 7y ago
I am deeply concerned. The 'luke skywalker' liberal attitudes of the past don't work anymore as a rebellious outcome. You can find a lot of videos online from politicians stating their aims and values. Across the west authority is going to be the most important thing in the future politically. You can hear many politicians that were successful during the liberal era say this, like australia's pm john howard. There is something deeply wrong about the authoritarian swing we are experiencing. There's a sizeable chunk of the populace complaining they're being suppressed or oppressed and using the attention they gain to form their own filter bubbles where they oppress and suppress thoughts they don't like. Without a second's thought about the double standard. The west's attitude towards valuing freedom as a goal to be achieved is put under a large question mark. Are we even aiming at that anymore? Where do you go to be free? We seem to be aiming at the right to oppress others. Hm I'm not sure about that. I'm trying to figure it out in the sunlight. It seems the only way to be 'free' in the old sense is to be the king of yourself. Willing to throw away everything you could ever have or gain simply to retain authority over your own being. Is the only place left for "the left" to be in exile? Underground and unseen is the only place left to be free? Dodging the spotlight, jailbreaking and refusing orders. Seems like a shitter world than I'd like.
- miles 7y ago
  > It seems the only way to be 'free' in the old sense is to be the king of yourself. Willing to throw away everything you could ever have or gain simply to retain authority over your own being. You are channeling Epictetus[0]: That is why [Diogenes] used to say, "From the time that Antisthenes set me free, I have ceased to be a slave." How did Antisthenes set him free? Listen to what Diogenes says. "He taught me what was mine, and what was not mine. Property is not mine; kinsmen, members of my household, friends, reputation, familiar places, converse with men—all these are not my own. 'What, then, is yours? Power to deal with external impressions.' He showed me that I possess this beyond all hindrance and constraint; no one can hamper me; no one can force me to deal with them otherwise than as I will. Who, then, has authority over me? Philip, or Alexander, or Perdiccas, or the Great King? Where can they get it? For the man who is destined to be overpowered by a man must long before that have been overpowered by things." Therefore, the man over whom pleasure has no power, nor evil, nor fame, nor wealth, and who, whenever it seems good to him, can spit his whole paltry body into some oppressor's face and depart from this life—whose slave can he any longer be, whose subject? [0] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ADiscourses_of_Epictetus_volume_2_Oldfather_1928.djvu/217 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ADiscourses_of_Epictetu...
sixplusone 7y ago
Maybe. Or it could be confirmation bias, media painting everything rosy under Obama. Personally, 7 years ago I (a Canadian) had much more grief flying into England than this year (or ever) going to the US.

V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago

This is crazy. Ben Watson writes/edits for DefenseOne, which has certainly published a fair bit critical of Trump & his team; but then if you are a member of the reality-based community, and a public writer about stories in the national interest, it would be hard to not do that. Calling him a propagandist harkens back to dark American behaviors of the past rather than aspirational American values. It's also not like he writes for one of the publications that would be considered a particular gadfly to the Trump community, like NYT or Washington Post, so it would be good to investigate how this CBP officer even specifically knew to "call out" Watson.

smadge 7y ago
I don’t think the CBP officer has any specific knowledge of Watson or DefenseOne, but instead believes that generally journalists are propagandists and “enemies of the people” as Trump would phrase it.
- V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago
  That's a fair point - I had taken it as a specific political targeting as opposed to part of the whole "the press is the enemy of the people" line of rhetoric. On the other hand, anyone pushing that line probably approves of Fox News, Washington Times, etc. - how would this CBP person have known to let such a person through? I guess maybe with some response back from the individual of "Naw, I work for Fox News - we fight the liberal propaganda!"
- caseysoftware 7y ago
  There's also very valid criticism that the media only started covering caging children in the last two years when it was a standard and awful practice since at least 2014.. and that story is just one of many. When you portray something as "unprecedented" when it has a long history, you're telling a story with an agenda, not reporting facts. Since CBP is the target of these stories, it makes sense that this officer - and many other targets - consider more and more journalists as simple propagandists. The answer is getting journalists to separate fact from fiction from conjecture and make it clear which is which. Society as a whole benefits from that, regardless of who is President.

clamprecht 7y ago

I recently watched a video of an Argentine-Canadian telling his story of why and how his family left Argentina in 1970, during the military dictatorship. He described how the government employees would treat citizens like garbage, how they looked at you with contempt. The current behavior described in this article reminds me of that. Here's the part of the video mentioned above (Spanish, the English subtitles are okay): https://youtu.be/b6r3wKax2NM?t=1302 https://youtu.be/b6r3wKax2NM?t=1302

saagarjha 7y ago

> He figured he could get stuck for hours if he tried to call in the officer’s supervisor. So he gave in. This is the unfortunate reality of CBP (and the TSA): they can make your life miserable if they’d like to, so most people just accept it in the interest of being able to get out of it quickly and going wherever they need to.

sneak 7y ago
I have been repeatedly locked in a room for double-digit hours of time (without food or water) at the US border for exercising my fifth amendment rights. It’s really time these people were held to account for their crimes.
- jfk13 7y ago
  Repeatedly? Wow. I'd be curious if there is something in particular about you or your behavior that triggers this issue? While I certainly have concerns about how CBP sometimes operates, many of us still manage to travel in and out of the US without encountering problems like this.
  - csense 7y ago
    I'm pretty sure they keep files on everyone. If you cause trouble once, even if you're perfectly within your legal rights, they will put a note in your file. Then you will be harassed every time. They know exactly how much they can inconvenience / intimidate you without breaking the law. The nail that sticks up gets hammered, unfortunately. This is why I never travel outside the US.
    - sneak 7y ago
      They stopped stopping me as a matter of course 3-4 years after I stopped refusing to answer their questions. It must still be in my file. One of these days I should test it again to see if I will get another few years of harassment.
  - sneak 7y ago

jacquesm 7y ago

The whole narrative that the media are the enemy of the people needs to die and soon or we will all regret it. The darkest ages of mankind started out with the governments of the day attacking the media and when that happens you know there is a bunch of stuff going on that can't see the light of day. Fish rots from the head, it's a repeating pattern and the border patrol feeling empowered to do this is a clear sign that should not go ignored.

throw12091827 7y ago
I agree mostly, but which newspaper is still objective? In any story I'm familiar with, the only newspapers that do unbiased reporting are the Financial Times and the Neue Zuercher Zeitung. Especially in SJW stories these are the only ones that do not misquote the targets.
- V_Terranova_Jr 7y ago
  I think a far deeper issue is lack of domain expertise on the part of most journalists, and the field of journalism implying this is fine or that journalists build expertise just through reporting. How many times has there been an unrigorous attempt to "show both sides", or oversimplification, or de facto adoption of charged language like "War on Terror"? The core observation/criticism underlying the "Gell-Mann amnesia effect" to me is what detracts the most from the value of most journalism. This is not to criticize those journalists that really do justice to their subjects, for which we should definitely be thankful.
- X6S1x6Okd1st 7y ago
  Few media sources have ever been objective. They are useful even if they have a bias.
- danso 7y ago
  Objectivity isn't a mandatory requirement for journalism.
  - DuskStar 7y ago

newnewpdro 7y ago

Presumably the CBP officer is wearing a body-cam documenting this admission of propagandist for future use by the administration, should this particular journalist come into the crosshairs of a "Fake News" accusation. Collecting confessions for the future.

mnm1 7y ago

CBP officers are some of the biggest idiots, it seems, not even knowing their own field let alone anything else about the world. I was once asked why my passport didn't have the stamp when returning from Europe. First, it did have a stamp but the idiot officer flipped over that page multiple times before giving up and asking if I have another passport. I told him I did but I did not use it on this trip. He proceeded to tell me that dual citizenship is illegal and told me to get rid of the second passport. Thankfully he did not force his idiotic, wrong position on me. Of course, I told him I would. If course I did not follow his stupid, incorrect demand. These are the types of morons our country puts on the front lines of our defense and as the first impression for foreigners. It's no wonder most of the world hates us although that hate mainly stems from much worse issues. It's ridiculous to hire such idiots in these positions.

onetimemanytime 7y ago
Sadly, that "moron" and thousands like him have major power over millions of people; they can deny entry to non-citizens in a heartbeat. Of course you can complain...once you go back to your country. So it pays to say "yes sir, of course sir"
- mnm1 7y ago
  Yup that's what I did. I'm a citizen and I would never complain. I've lived in an authoritarian country before. I know the drill.

pirocks 7y ago

https://outline.com/ujBNtS https://outline.com/ujBNtS For those who don't feel like consenting to tracking/ are using firefox incognito like me, and can't seem to get past consent page.

genuin43 7y ago

I was watching some Trump press report and he made some completely outrageous claim like that unemployment was at 3.4% or something, the lowest in 10+ years. That is not the normal amount, the normal amount is 7-10%. Since I read the liberal media, surely I would know if there were a historic level of low unemployment level. Maybe the true level is extremely high - 15-20% or something. I have two tasks for you: 1. Task 1. Find the true current unemployment level. This is closely tracked, should take you less than 15 seconds. 2. Compare with the liberal media reporting. Is the tone appropriate? Spoiler below: Spoiler spoiler spoiler The first article I found was "Hiring Slowed in September as Unemployment Rate Fell to a 50-Year Low", in the New York Times. If you did 1 and 2 you would find this is totally inappropriate reporting. I like this example as it's very natural and factual. The unbiased headline would be: unemployment hits 50-year low. The facts are still there, but the actual headline is clearly biased and totally inappropriate. There is no way that can be considered an appropriate headline. It's like imagine if Iran agreed to denuclearize and stop seeking nuclear weapons, and the headline said: "Iran armies, planes and helicopters have the U.S. in sights, but won't be sending nuclear bombs for now". The greatest possible success could be misreported to an absurd level. Or let's say Trump makes vaccines mandatory and signs legislation introducing fines for parents of unvaccinated children, due to child endangerment. This would be an amazing win, but based on my research, the news would report it in an outrageously biased way. Like what's the most biased thing you can think of. Maybe: "Trump still doubts vaccines, even as he makes some mandadory." Just something outrageously biased that takes everything away from the huge win. Go ahead and do the exercise and you will get really clear results. It's a really interesting exercise. If I had time I would look at a Republican (Trump) list of "wins", then do 1 and 2 for each one: find the actual facts or figures, usually quite straightforward. 2. Decide what would be appropriate reporting. See if they are reported appropriately or in an outragrously biased way. (Instead of man lands on moon, some outrageously negative version). (I would assume if you do this exercise you will fine many Republican points are false or exaggerated, hence why it is a 2 part exercise for each point.)

crashcrashcrush 7y ago

A simple observation - I travel mostly under a US passport - I am treated with may more respect in the EU by their border control agents than I am entering the United States.

tekproxy 7y ago

Somewhere something bad happened. Orange man bad.