Does the media understand that there is a crisis in their profession?

[kentuck]

They seem to be confused as to what role they are supposed to play in our democracy? They seem to have forgotten everything they were taught in journalism school and before. Their new role is to do whatever is in the best interest of their corporate master? Watchdog? What's that? You mean we are to assume that those in power may use their power and greed to further their personal interests and that we should watch them at all times? Can we not simply take a neutral role? Or take one side over the other, according to the political Party we may favor?

Do they not understand that our democracy is dependent upon them? Without a free, independent, and open press, we cannot survive. Simply because the people they are supposed to be "watching" will use their power and connections to dispel of any notion of democracy that we may be taking for granted.

[kaitykaity]

1. I like the saw about their supposed objectivity, how they present things.

Bush says earth is flat, Democrats disagree.

Or something like that. I can never get it quite
right, but it goes to the heart of the crisis.

[mandyky]

2. I think they are happily unaware

From a market perspective alone, I cannot for the life of me figure out why either CNN or MSNBC does not move left - they be the FOX of the Dems and progressives. I guess they are so scared of losing access to the WH, pentagon, and state dept. that they would rather bend over backwards being fake media than being their constitutionally mandated role - a check on the executive branch and the central govt.

[Ezlivin]

3. Because they are owned

Like you, I am amazed that sheer market forces don't make the MSM move left.

The only reason I can come up with has to do with ownership. The reporters are "owned" by the CEOs of the corporations that, in turn, own the media.

Journalism is thus limited to topics that don't harm the corporation's bottom line or reputation. Since it appears that most of the "evil" that occurs flows from corporations, the only news left is the status of Michael Jackson's sex life.

[Wright Patman]

4. Corporations

have a fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder value. There is nothing in there about "democracy" or any other such esoterica. It's all about the bottom line.

One can debate whether covering up for the BFEE will do that for this handful of companies "managing" the news for us, but that is obviously what their executives believe for now.

And I think I read where the Congress and SEC have made it much more difficult to bring "shareholder derivative" lawsuits which might bring into question this hypothesis.

[mattclearing]

5. The publishing barrier has been destroyed.

Now anyone can publish. The only thing they have going is their legitimacy, built with decades of reliable reporting (edit to note, yes, this is sarcasm).

Bloggers and messageboards are developing their own basis for legitimacy.

This is a challenge, both because it means their inadequacies will be scrutinized, and there will be people to report what they don't, to emphasize stories that they bury.

So yeah, they are aware. That is why they have introduced their own bloggers...they are trying to give us MSM bloggers to discredit indy bloggers.

The problem is that indy bloggers have already developed a core audience and a basis for credibility.

Needless to say, the Internet is a great equalizer, and anyone with an agenda of bullshit should be very afraid, on both sides of the aisle, and in the media.

[SodoffBush]

6. Why not grab the bulldog by the....horn...and get yourself a WH press pass

while the gettin' is easy.

I have.



And a WH party pass, too. Sensual Sunday here I come!

[Dr Fate]

7. No they have a pretty cute excuse- "We must be doing something right"

"The Right wingers accuse us of being too liberal, the Left-wingers accuse us of being pro-Bush- so we must be doing something right..."

They are still in the excuse making stage of denial...

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

8. Media and Free Press are two...

different things, they do not seem to go hand in hand because of a little thing called profit.

[kentuck]

10. But the media usually reports what is in the press....

Maybe late, but they do report it if it is big enough of a story. So the press cannot escape scrutiny. They are in the same "media" boat, in my opinion.

[flyarm]

9. they dont give a rats crap..they work on

keeping their job..as any media person knows..they can be replaced tommorrow by someone cheeper snd unqualified and wont be missed a it...they are money whores..they have mortgages and expensive car payments..they can be bought cheep..gannon / gukert is perfect example..everyone in the briefing room knew the guy was a fraud..and who outed him?? not the media boys and girls!!

fly

[Catchawave]

11. I hope they understand there's a crisis....

Why methinks "journalists" are now falling by way of the "used car salesman" as far as credibility.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Leslie Stahl, for one, seemed to be genuinely upset

about the current state of the media on Bill Maher the other night. She probably knows more than she's telling.

[Al-CIAda]

13. My letter to all media today-

"Gannongate" -Fake journalist, paid propaganda, and the decay of the 4th estate. I am absolutely shocked that this scandal has gotten so little attention. "Gannon" is obviously at the least a plant to smear at the White House's will, and quite possibly much, much, more. Its the active subversion of the 4th estate. When an administration controls ALL branches of government, and then undermines, fabricates, and deceives the citizenry through paid propaganda and outright lies, well, when is the word tyranny appropriate? With a $50 two day course in propaganda as the extent of his 'journalism' training, a 'Washington Bureau Chief Correspondent" who has more training as a professional HOOKER than reporter has smeared, steered debate, and crafted the dialogue on apparent instruction by the White House!

The security and prostitution aspects of Mr."Gannon" are equally as troubling. For an administration that claims the things it professes, it is in direct contradiction to its actions.

Can you imagine if this treason were a Democratic White House? The press and republicans would burn them at the stake.

Its amazing...astonishing! I have lost all faith in any of the major news outlets to tell the truth about anything. I guess I will have to get my news about America from the foreign press!

[pretzel4gore]

14. blackmail?

Using the simplest terms, does anyone think that the media walked into a trap helping the bush/gop steal the 2k election (almost as a consequence of the racial/sexist/class biases that developed during the years after bush 1('92) until bush 2 (2k) which included cold blooded psych/media operations like the oj simpson case (which followed the famous anita hill/clarence thomas case during bush1) and the entire clinton/lewisnsky/whitewater media operations that set stage for bush 2 to steal the 2k election....the mass media isn't a single entity, but it did in toto, help bush get to where he was on sept 10th/01....the wtc disaster was necessary for the busheviks to survive the revelations that bush simply never won the 2k election, no matter how they lie and lie....obviously, 911 was more then just a psych operation on the american people; it has effectively forced the media to remain allied with the busheviks regardless of what happens...iraq was phony as all get out and only reason the 'war' went off was the media assisted mainly by lying, then exposing the lies, then lying some more, expose,lie,expose...all for single purpose to prevent a quiet examination of events by non biased press...the busheviks stole the '04 election openly, and have introduced fascism as permanent government, w/out worry? Isn't it strange?
If one reads 'up from conservativism' by michael lind, or 'blinded by the right' by dave brock, the poisoning of the 'free press' as an independent force in western politics has been carried out using a set of plans well known and easily examined...and this is w/out refering to PNAC or so on....