The degraded state of the American mainstream media was in full view last night on MSNBC’s The Eleventh Hour, hosted by serial fabulist Brian Williams.  Tucker Carlson of Fox News often makes snide remarks about the sheer stupidity of the talking heads that populate cable news, and since he has spent decades working in the business, with a resume that that includes stints at MSNBC and CNN, he may well know whereof he speaks.

But after all, Americans expect vapidity form the TV news readers. Think Ron Burgundy.

However, the New York Times still retains vestiges of its former prestige, even as it has become nothing but a propaganda organ dedicated to the destruction of the Trump presidency. Its editorial employees are expected to be able to compose grammatical sentences, and the members of its editorial board formerly were regarded as thought and opinion leaders for the entire profession of journalism.

No longer.

Anyone who passed primary school math should be able to spot the mind-blowing innumeracy as host Williams and his guest Mara Gay of the New York Times editorial board discussed a tweet from Mekita Rivas, a writer who is a contributor to the feminist journal Bustle. The tweet maintained, "Bloomberg spent $500 million on ads. The U.S. Population, 327 million. He could have given each American $1 million and have had lunch money left over."

"It’s an incredible way of putting it," Williams said.

"It’s an incredible way of putting it," Gay said. "It’s true. It’s disturbing."

I don’t mean to insult readers’ intelligence by pointing out that the math actually works out to a buck fifty-three per person, so they’re all  only off by a factor of less than a million.

But keep in mind the number of people at MSNBC that uncritically accepted the tweet and decided that it was worth featuring on the show. Producers, graphic artists, production assistants, and other members of the staff all accepted it, and so did Williams and the person that the New York Times believes is sufficiently intelligent as to be given the honor of shaping public opinion in the name of the Gray Lady.

I know that it is hard to believe, so watch this clip and bemoan the state of elite journalism.