lamestream media
- noun
- /ˈleɪmˌstrim ˈmiːdiə/
- Offensive
- The criticism of the lamestream media often centers around its perceived lack of originality and bias.
Examples
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Furthermore, it simply shows that we on the right are still way, way too caught up in our own image with regard to the lamestream media and the left.
Blog text (15) -
Starting with Obama, who is trying to brainwash the citizens of our country through the lamestream media.
Blog text (15) -
Many people believe that the lamestream media fails to present unbiased coverage of political events.
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In discussions about current events, he frequently dismisses the lamestream media as unreliable and sensationalist.
Synonyms
Organizations like newspapers and TV that report and share news
Mainstream news media seen as biased, dull, and not trustworthy
Traditional news sources like newspapers, radio, and television
A news outlet people see as boring, unoriginal and not trustworthy
How Mainstream
- Offensive
- Literature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is transparently built from 'lame' + 'mainstream' (a derogatory blend) combined with 'media', so its insulting target — mainstream news outlets perceived as poor or biased — is directly inferable from the parts. A B1 learner who knows 'lame', 'mainstream', and 'media' would readily understand the pejorative meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase lamestream media comes from combining lame and mainstream as a sharp joke. It creates a picture of big news outlets as weak, boring, or biased, so people use it to say the media is 'untrustworthy' or 'unoriginal'.