The view from nowhere is a myth that helps authoritarians

In a genuinely disgraceful capitation, Axios fried a reporter for noting that a press release promoting Ron DeSantis’s “Roundtable Exposing the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Scam in Higher Education” was propaganda. And it did so at the direct behest of the administration itself:

Media companies refuse to back their reporters against coordinated right-wing attacks. It’s cowardly and incredibly short-sighted. https://t.co/tizDDz9aZn— sarah kelly (@thesarahkelly) March 15, 2023

The message being sent to Axios’s reporters by their bosses could not be more clear, and it’s not a pro-journalism one.

Needless to say, DeSantis’s #1 superfan is very pleased:

Glenn casually celebrating the firing of a journalist for insulting a governor, with an RT by the governor’s spokeswoman. pic.twitter.com/sN0rv1t5Xe— Jonathan M. Katz may or may not be notable (@KatzOnEarth) March 15, 2023

Before he became a sub silentio Trump supporter in 2015-6, Glenn used to mock the “view from nowhere” norms of mainstream journalism. Now he pretends to believe that expressing even the most anodyne criticism of the actions of a (Republican) public official should be a fireable offense. Essentially, the view of Glenn and his allies is that preferring liberalism to reactionary authoritarianism means you’re taking marching orders from Jaime Harrison, but preferring reactionary authoritarianism to liberalism is the pinnacle of journalistic integritude.