Taibbi's "America This Week" Critiques Collegiate Conformity, Public Media Funding, and Journalistic Misdirection

New York, NY – Journalist Matt Taibbi's latest "America This Week" commentary, published on July 17, 2025, through his Substack platform Racket News, delves into a trio of contemporary societal concerns: the alleged implementation of "conformism tests" in colleges, a recent vote impacting public media funding, and instances of journalists falling for misdirection. Taibbi's piece, titled "The Reverse Struggle Session, and NPR's Greatest Hits," offers a critical perspective on these developments.

In his social media post, Taibbi highlighted key themes from the article, stating, > "Colleges implement conformism tests, funding for public media loses a vote, and journalists fall for a misdirection scam in 'Scoop'." This tweet points to his ongoing critique of institutional pressures and media integrity.

The notion of "conformism tests" in higher education, as discussed by Taibbi, appears to resonate with broader concerns about ideological pressures within academic institutions. While not literal standardized tests, discussions in educational circles often revolve around how academic environments, including debates over standardized testing and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, can inadvertently or intentionally foster conformity to certain viewpoints. Critics argue that such pressures can stifle intellectual diversity and independent thought, potentially leading to an environment where students and faculty feel compelled to align with prevailing ideologies to succeed.

Regarding public media, the reference to "funding for public media loses a vote" likely pertains to ongoing legislative debates surrounding financial support for entities like National Public Radio (NPR) or the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Funding for these organizations has been a perennial point of contention in U.S. politics, with debates often intensifying around budget cycles. Such votes can significantly impact the operational capacity and programming of public media outlets, reflecting differing views on the role and necessity of government-supported broadcasting.

The mention of "journalists fall for a misdirection scam in 'Scoop'" suggests a commentary on recent incidents or a general trend in journalistic practices. Given Taibbi's background in investigative journalism and media criticism, this likely refers to instances where news outlets or individual journalists have been misled by deceptive narratives or sources, or have uncritically adopted official or popular narratives without sufficient scrutiny. This theme aligns with his broader work on media bias and the challenges of maintaining objective reporting in a complex information landscape. Taibbi's "America This Week" series, co-hosted with Walter Kirn, frequently explores such topics, aiming to provide an alternative analysis to mainstream media narratives.