|
Let's be honest here. The media in this country is a disgrace. The problem is that the news media is controlled by large corporations. Now if we were to poll the Board of Directors of say, the top 100 corporations, what percentage of them would be liberal Democrat? I would say a very low percentage. Our news media is controlled by large corporations who have a strong financial stake in the status quo. For example, do you think General Electric (NBC) or Westinghouse (CBS) would financially benefit if there were stricter enforcement of environmental laws? Of course not. It would cost them a lot of money.
The entire argument by the right, that most reporters are liberal is meaningless. It doesn't matter if they are socialists or communists, their bosses, those who own the media (the gatekeepers) are generally conservative Republicans and they are the ones who control the message. (PBS is no different because they are reliant on corporate underwriting - and the Republican congress controls their purse strings.
Beyond the corporate structure of media, there are a lot more troubling aspects. There is the question of outright lying and manipulation. Does anybody watching the coverage of the election, recall seeing any detailed reports on the candidates plan for healthcare or the environment? I am talking about a detailed analysis. Not a fleeting description. What about environmental policy? Has Kerry or Dean's plan for the environment been discussed in any detail - A compare and contrast say between the Democrat's ideas versus Bush? Of course not. We are treated to a horse race mentality - How much money is someone raising, what kind of sweaters are they wearing. It's a discrace.
The key to getting a grasp of this is not only looking at the stories that are covered - but what is not covered. For example, do you know that in England, a government official is on trial for revealing that the US government wire tapped UN Delegates during the lead up to the Security council vote on the Iraq war resolution? It's huge news in London.
Let's look at the "taboo" issues that the media never raises? 9/11 is an example. There are a lot of things about that event that just don't make sense. Any reasonable person would be asking questions or seeking clarification. But the media is silent. What about our history with Saddam - Rummy shaking Saddam's hand in the 80's (after he used chemical weapons) while trying to procure a Bechtel pipeline agreement. Fast forward to the present time - Bechtel is one of the big winners in the Iraqi reconstruction contract sweepstakes. Is it not reasonable to ask questions about this? There are so many things that have been going on that need to be addressed - the media remains silent.
I would argue that we are being manipulated by propaganda and sadly, most of the American public falls for it. In the old Soviet Union, we had PRAVDA. At least the Russian people were smart enough to be skeptical of what was reported. Here so many of us are easily led astray - who is electable. The entire bullshit that happened with Dean - the constant attacks culminating with the Iowa speech - should be a warning to everyone - no matter who you support.
The bottom line is that nothing will change unless we stand up to the media and hold them to task for their misinformation and for things they are not reporting. In my opinion, Independent media is our only hope - Thank God for the internet.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
