Leaning news

What exactly is the market for news? Isn’t news just news? Things happen and you tell people about them. Right?

Maybe. Maybe not.

If you’re Newsmax Broadcasting — or at least its lawyers — their market is “U.S. right-leaning pay TV news.” I know this because it says so in the second Newsmax lawsuit recently filed against Fox Corporation and Fox News Network.

Not news — just biased news for people who don’t want to hear stuff they don’t like.

Is it still news if the reports are “right-leaning"? Should a supposed news outlet be admitting this?

I guess it’s sort of like the market for stinky cheese instead of cheese in general. Still, it seems odd and irony abounds.

For example, this second suit was filed in Wisconsin after the first suit in Florida was dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon — the judge famous for rulings favoring Donald Trump.

Remember that? There have been so many bizarre things happening since then, it’s hard to keep track of every story. She was sort of the judicial version of Fox News/Newsmax. Not justice, but “right-leaning” justice — allegedly.

But maybe Cannon isn’t biased. After all, she ruled in favor of Fox and Trump has sued Fox. Maybe no one told her about Trump hating Fox.

The other obvious irony, of course, is that right leaners like to talk about letting market forces do their thing. Filing a lawsuit, reasonable or not, is not letting market forces do their thing.

The Newsmax suit explains that “the Right-leaning Pay TV News Market is distinct from general news markets due to substantial differences in consumer behavior and preferences.” Fox, allegedly, has pressured distributors to either not carry Newsmax or charge more to distribute Newsmax.

So right-leaning news indeed is not the same as actual “general” news.

Should they be telling their audience that? The rest of us already knew.

**** JOB LIST ****

The American Bar Association recently posted a list of nine “non-legal Jobs you can do with a law degree” on Instagram.

I’m not exactly sure why the ABA decided to post this for their Instagram followers. For that matter, I’m not exactly sure why anyone would think to follow the ABA on Instagram.

Where are the lawyer fashion shots? Why aren’t there pictures of food?

Does the ABA think that anyone so bored that they follow the ABA on Instagram must need job ideas?

I don’t know. What I do know is that this is one strange list.

My list of non-legal jobs you can do with a law degree would be topped by “fast food cook.”

But maybe they were being sloppy with the headline. Maybe the ABA meant jobs in which a legal degree would be helpful — in which case they’re not really “non-legal” jobs since you’re using legal skills.

OK, I’m being picky.

So let’s assume they meant legal jobs that aren’t exactly practicing law in the traditional law firm on in-house counsel sense.

The list is still weird.

Two of the jobs listed are “chief operating officer” and “chief financial officer.” You graduate from law school and you apply right away for those plentiful top executive positions that need to be filled with law degree holders.

Two other choices are vice presidents. No need to work your way up the corporate ladder if you’ve got that law degree.

There’s also “internal recruiter.” As opposed to external recruiter?

My favorite, though, is “content writer.” Writers who don’t produce content don’t need a law degree.