A.J. Bauer
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ajbauer.bsky.social
A.J. Bauer
@ajbauer.bsky.social
20K followers 890 following 2.7K posts
Researching conservative news and right-wing media. PhD in American Studies from NYU. I teach at but don't speak for the University of Alabama.

News on the Right (http://bit.ly/2YgUcZX).

Pre-order *Making the Liberal Media* (https://shorturl.at/e31nU)!
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ajbauer.bsky.social
A.J. Bauer @ajbauer.bsky.social · Jul 8
Due to production delays, my book is now scheduled to go on sale March 10, 2026.

You can still pre-order now on Amazon! Or other pre-order options will be available starting in December.

www.amazon.com/Making-Liber...
Making the Liberal Media: How Conservatives Built a Movement Against the Press
Amazon.com: Making the Liberal Media: How Conservatives Built a Movement Against the Press: 9780231218368: Bauer, A. J.: Books
www.amazon.com
ajbauer.bsky.social
Alan has four letters, plus two is 6. Dershowitz has ten letters, minus three is 7.

6-7 means “Alan Dershowitz”
November 25, 2025 at 10:08 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
Zohran just fixed Thanksgiving for all his supporters with MAGA relatives.
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
thrasherxy.bsky.social
3 thoughts:

1. Trump could bring himself to publicly congratulate Mamdani when Obama couldn’t

2. Trump, a typical bully, doesn’t go after strong ppl who are good on TV. (Doesn’t go after AOC much, either, for ex.)

3. Never pegged Mamdani for a top! But he clearly is. He topped this one.
premthakker.bsky.social Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 4d
"The better he does, the happier I am," Donald Trump says about Zohran Mamdani as he congratulates him.

Trump speaking with a warm tone towards the new mayor of New York City.
"The better he does, the happier I am," Donald Trump says about Zohran Mamdani as he congratulates him. Trump speaking with a warm tone towards the new mayor of New York City.
November 21, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
maureenjohnsonbooks.com
This is an object lesson in storytelling.
ajbauer.bsky.social A.J. Bauer @ajbauer.bsky.social · 4d
ChatGPT: You Shoulda Called a Mechanic
Chat gpt billboard two people looking at a broken car
November 21, 2025 at 8:23 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
ChatGPT: You Shoulda Called a Mechanic
Chat gpt billboard two people looking at a broken car
November 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
A poignant piece by my wonderful colleague Kelsy Burke on this Transgender Day of Remembrance.

www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Why We Must Remember Brandon Teena
Decades after his death, Brandon’s name was invoked in the Nebraska legislature as a reminder of what led to his murder. This Transgender Day of Remembrance, we must not forget.
www.thenation.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
davey.bsky.social
NEW: For months, my colleagues and I dug into YouTube's conservative airwaves and found a flourishing network of host-read ads on right-leaning podcasts. This phenomenon has enriched hosts, YouTube, and businesses that use ideology to sell. bloom.bg/3Kaio9w
YouTube’s Right-Wing Stars Fuel Boom in Politically Charged Ads By Davey Alba Priyanjana Bengani Leon Yin Ashley Carman Julia Love Rachael Dottle Elena Mejía Technology Big Tech November 20, 2025 On YouTube’s conservative airwaves, podcast hosts tout products that let people buy into the MAGA crowd: Republican Red Winery vintages for toasting the “silent majority;” Black Rifle Coffee for caffeinating gun owners; XX-XY Athletics for workout clothes symbolizing opposition to the “lunacy of the left social agenda.” The popularity of YouTube podcasts among conservatives is driving a boom in small businesses tailoring ads to their millions of listeners, paying hosts like Joe Rogan and Candace Owens to read out promotions in the hope that fans will place orders. The phenomenon has enriched both the hosts and YouTube, supporting further growth of the businesses using ideology to sell. A Bloomberg analysis of host-read ads across nearly 1,000 videos from eight of the platform’s top right-leaning podcasters found that advertisers on the shows routinely tapped into political identity in marketing. At least one host-read ad with a political message appeared in 91% of videos reviewed.
November 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
My I DON'T WANT TO MURDER MY RIVALS t-shirt is raising lots of questions already answered by my t-shirt.
fintwitter.bsky.social FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 5d
*LEAVITT: TRUMP DOES NOT WANT TO EXECUTE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
November 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
byrontau.bsky.social
NEW AP INVESTIGATION: With license plate readers and local law enforcement partnerships, Border Patrol is monitoring American drivers and detaining those exhibiting ‘suspicious’ travel patterns in the U.S. interior. w/
@garanceburke.bsky.social. apnews.com/article/immi...
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.
apnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
davidingram.bsky.social
NEW: Elon Musk's Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia cites Stormfront — a neo-Nazi forum — dozens of times, study finds
An analysis by researchers at Cornell University is the first comprehensive look at Grokipedia since Musk launched his project last month.
www.nbcnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
msjpauly.bsky.social
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes.

So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
ajbauer.bsky.social
The blurbs are in!

Thanks to @sidbedingfield.bsky.social, @rickperlstein.bsky.social, and @alicetiara.bsky.social for their generous praise for *Making the Liberal Media* which is due out in March.

Journalists and academics interested in reviewing—hit me up and I'll connect you with my publicist!
Well-written and deeply researched, Making the Liberal Media delivers new and significant insights into how conservative leaders employed the "liberal media" claim to build a movement that came to dominate US politics and policy formation. Bauer is an exceptional storyteller. Sid Bedingfield, author of Newspaper Wars: Civil Rights and White Resistance in South Carolina, 1935-1965 With deep curiosity, creativity, and intellectual skill, A.J. Bauer has unearthed a story about the rise of the right that shifts the paradigm, by placing the habit of criticizing the media at the core of conservative identity. It is full of irony and richness, and utterly convincing. Rick Perlstein, author of Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980 Through meticulous archival research, AJ Bauer shows that “liberal media bias” is not just a slogan, but foundational to modern conservatism. From anti-communism to MAGA, newspapers to Joe Rogan, Making the Liberal Media traces the roots of right-wing media criticism and how it structured and legitimized the modern right. An essential read for understanding how conservative critiques of journalism became a political strategy, an identity marker, and a driver of media innovation. Alice E. Marwick, Director of Research, Data & Society
November 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
publisherswkly.bsky.social
The winner of the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction is ‘One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This’ by Omar El Akkad. #NBAwards
November 20, 2025 at 2:35 AM
ajbauer.bsky.social
One man should not own all the media.
norman rockwell freedom of speech painting
November 19, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
karenattiah.bsky.social
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.

He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
YOU get an Epstein file, and YOU get an Epstein file!
a woman in a red dress is holding a microphone in her hand and raising her fist in the air .
ALT: a woman in a red dress is holding a microphone in her hand and raising her fist in the air .
media.tenor.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
Nightmare blunt rotation.
brianstelter.bsky.social Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 7d
Here's the latest on the BBC, One America News, Seth Meyers, Brendan Carr, Ryan Lizza, NPR, Walter Isaacson, Roblox, "Baby Shark," and more... cnn.it/47M5RlJ
November 18, 2025 at 3:39 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
I won’t support giving money to insurance companies. I will only support giving money to people to give to insurance companies!
Trump truth social post THE ONLY HEALTHCARE I WILL SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH. THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Congress, do not waste your time and energy on anything else. This is the only way to have great Healthcare in America!!! GET IT DONE, NOW. President DJT
November 18, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
thrasherxy.bsky.social
"Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend"

Steven W. Thrasher on Meeting and Collaborating with the Outspoken Founder of the Disability Visibility Project

published by @literaryhub.bsky.social | art by @mollycrabapple.bsky.social lithub.com/remembering-...
Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend
Though we were in frequent conversation for a decade, I only got to meet my friend Alice Wong in person just once. And when I did, I  was a bundle of nerves—and that was before she cussed me out wi…
lithub.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:22 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
What is the sound of one desire desiring?
brunodias.bsky.social Bruno Dias @brunodias.bsky.social · 8d
It needs to be emphasized that this paragraph is about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Like all men but more so, he was a hunter. In a literal sense, he used not a bullet but a bird. It was not about a chase but about a puzzle of logic and skill that amounted to a test of his self-mastery. He was the mouse and the architect of his maze. The giver of his own pleasure and torment. He desired. He desired desiring. He desired being desired. He desired desire itself. I understood this just as I came to understand the range of his kinks and complexes and how they fit within what I thought I understood of his soul.
November 17, 2025 at 7:48 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
Democrats like Buttigieg love to internalize right-wing critiques and then endlessly search their empty souls instead of fighting back.
texastribune.org Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 11d
Speaking at a Texas Tribune Festival on Friday, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg criticized the Democratic Party for failing to reach everyday Americans, arguing that it “got sucked in” to a conversation about identity. #TribFest25
Pete Buttigieg critiques Democrats for focus on identity
The former U.S. transportation secretary said the Democratic Party should focus more on issues gripping the country, such as health care and housing affordability.
www.texastribune.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:43 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
It's almost like media narratives explaining voter turnout at scale are complete bullshit!
msignorile.bsky.social Michelangelo Signorile @msignorile.bsky.social · 8d
Something lost in the reporting on Latino men making double digit shifts away from Trump, to Democrats in New Jersey & Virginia:

Media was full of stories in ‘24, anecdotes (not data), about how Latino men supposedly wouldn’t vote for a woman.

But in both NJ & VA, they shifted to women for gov.
November 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by A.J. Bauer
rickperlstein.bsky.social
This is a fascinating and groundbreaking book revealing "fair and balanced" as a right- wing media strategy going back to the 50s.
ajbauer.bsky.social A.J. Bauer @ajbauer.bsky.social · 8d
The blurbs are in!

Thanks to @sidbedingfield.bsky.social, @rickperlstein.bsky.social, and @alicetiara.bsky.social for their generous praise for *Making the Liberal Media* which is due out in March.

Journalists and academics interested in reviewing—hit me up and I'll connect you with my publicist!
Well-written and deeply researched, Making the Liberal Media delivers new and significant insights into how conservative leaders employed the "liberal media" claim to build a movement that came to dominate US politics and policy formation. Bauer is an exceptional storyteller. Sid Bedingfield, author of Newspaper Wars: Civil Rights and White Resistance in South Carolina, 1935-1965 With deep curiosity, creativity, and intellectual skill, A.J. Bauer has unearthed a story about the rise of the right that shifts the paradigm, by placing the habit of criticizing the media at the core of conservative identity. It is full of irony and richness, and utterly convincing. Rick Perlstein, author of Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980 Through meticulous archival research, AJ Bauer shows that “liberal media bias” is not just a slogan, but foundational to modern conservatism. From anti-communism to MAGA, newspapers to Joe Rogan, Making the Liberal Media traces the roots of right-wing media criticism and how it structured and legitimized the modern right. An essential read for understanding how conservative critiques of journalism became a political strategy, an identity marker, and a driver of media innovation. Alice E. Marwick, Director of Research, Data & Society
November 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
ajbauer.bsky.social
The blurbs are in!

Thanks to @sidbedingfield.bsky.social, @rickperlstein.bsky.social, and @alicetiara.bsky.social for their generous praise for *Making the Liberal Media* which is due out in March.

Journalists and academics interested in reviewing—hit me up and I'll connect you with my publicist!
Well-written and deeply researched, Making the Liberal Media delivers new and significant insights into how conservative leaders employed the "liberal media" claim to build a movement that came to dominate US politics and policy formation. Bauer is an exceptional storyteller. Sid Bedingfield, author of Newspaper Wars: Civil Rights and White Resistance in South Carolina, 1935-1965 With deep curiosity, creativity, and intellectual skill, A.J. Bauer has unearthed a story about the rise of the right that shifts the paradigm, by placing the habit of criticizing the media at the core of conservative identity. It is full of irony and richness, and utterly convincing. Rick Perlstein, author of Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980 Through meticulous archival research, AJ Bauer shows that “liberal media bias” is not just a slogan, but foundational to modern conservatism. From anti-communism to MAGA, newspapers to Joe Rogan, Making the Liberal Media traces the roots of right-wing media criticism and how it structured and legitimized the modern right. An essential read for understanding how conservative critiques of journalism became a political strategy, an identity marker, and a driver of media innovation. Alice E. Marwick, Director of Research, Data & Society
November 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM