Filed under--Kingfishers of the Mainstream Media
Here are the three most common ways that the "news" media makes information safe for Corporate America (the actual rulers of the country):
Here are the three most common ways that the "news" media makes information safe for Corporate America (the actual rulers of the country):
1. Ignore the story completely (a favorite)
2. Dilute daily TV news shows and newspapers with so much junk reporting there's no room for real stories (they've got to put something on the screen)
3. Allow blatant lies on the part of "officials" and bought and sold "experts" to stand without even rudimentary research and analysis (it cost too much, don't you know)
However, occasionally a story gets away from them (think Gary Webb and his Dark Alliance reporting.)
Then somebody actually has to do some work - that work being the attempted destruction of the reputation and career of the news source (usually a lone reporter or a publisher that's not safely "in the loop.")
There's a revolving door between the "news" industry and the PR "professionals" who take on this kind of work.
Catherine Austin Fitts charitably calls them "attack poodles."
"If you can do dirty and secret and still be socially acceptable then crime will always pay in that kind of economy."
"If you can do dirty and secret and still be socially acceptable then crime will always pay in that kind of economy."
In Wikileaks Fight US journalists Take a Pass
Previous posting on The Kingfishers of Alabama's Mainstream NewspapersAssange supporters see U.S. journalists' ambivalence as inviting other government efforts that could lead one day to the prosecution of journalists for doing something that happens fairly routinely now — writing news stories based on leaked government documents.Glenn Greenwald a lawyer and media critic who writes for Salon said he thinks journalists aren't rallying to defend WikiLeaks because it has no building, no ties to the U.S. and doesn't feel obliged to consult with the U.S. government before publishing. The issue, he said, is that American journalists too often befriend the government and seek its approval for their work.
More to come soon on this issue and the Birmingham News new ad campaign which is basically the uncool kid claiming he is cool and "it's all about me."
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Catherine has a very interesting series of vids on YouTube. She makes a lot of sense on some very relevant and compelling issues.
ReplyDeleteControl the messengers in an attempt to control the masses, an old trick that continues to be effective on the terminally see no evll public.
ReplyDeleteThe media have defined themselves as the masters of the universe, right up there with corporate elites in their level of arrogance.
ReplyDelete"The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the the growth of propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." -- Alex Carey.
ReplyDeleteThe Birmingham News is quite full of self congratulations with this campaign of theirs and I am sickened by the blatant bs they are trying to slather all of us with. They are in the tank for business interests first and foremost and we all know it. They spike stories on a regular basis and under report at every twist and turn all the while claiming they are a community based newspaper.
ReplyDeleteYeah right.
The MSM treats Assange like a red-headed stepchild while they write story after story on the documents he's leaked.
ReplyDeleteThey're spineless and good for Greenwald telling it like it is!