Reason #37: The Corporate Media - Seeing No Evil, Hearing No Evil, Speaking No Evil
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson.
I can only imagine Thomas Jefferson’s reaction to a TV news broadcast these days. How do you think he would feel about the carpet-bomb coverage of Anna Nichole Smith’s death or Paris Hilton’s trip to jail? Over the course of a week in June of 2007, Paris Hilton’s legal troubles took up the same amount of ink and airtime as the war in Iraq. Eventually, the ditzy heiress and her DUI even eclipsed Iraq in the public eye: towards the end of the week, Paris stories accounted for a full 21 percent of all cable news coverage!
How did journalism get so hijacked? The same way our political system did. Five mammoth corporations - General Electric (NBC), Time Warner (CNN), Disney (ABC), Viacom (CBS), and News Corp. (FOX) - control nearly all of our airwaves now. For these businesses, news has nothing to do with civic responsibility. It’s about profit, pure and simple. Like every other show on the schedule, news must produce ratings and rake in advertising money or else.
What happens when news becomes just another entertainment product, with the same mandatory rate of return? It’s not hard to answer that question. Turn on any one of the big news channels, either on cable or network television. What are they talking about? The national debt? I doubt it. The latest cost estimates for the Iraq War, now at $3 trillion? That might get a slight mention. But if Brittany Spears shaves her head or has a public meltdown, it’s a national sensation. Diversion, not discourse, is the name of the game.
This fluff-first programming suits our political leaders just fine. So long as they don’t get caught, say, playing kissy face with an intern in the West Wing or spending thousands of dollars on hookers, the glare of the scandal-obsessed media spotlight rarely lands on them. And if no one’s watching and reporting on their actions, they’re free to grab what they can.
HI PUDDY CATS :
The Corporate Media owned by large multinational companies. General Electric is just one example where by law, notwithstanding their ownership of NBC, part of the Fourth Estate. Has a fiduciary duty to, from all it’s divisions to earn shareholders the most money they can legally. I use the word legally very loosely.
Ruport Murdoch, owns Fox,the Wall Street Journal,the New York Post and a raft of other media outlets. In print, radio cable and TV.
Corporate interests, Neo-Nazis and Proto Facists, all together help keep the news focused on Paris Hilton,new crap on Anna Nicole Smith’s death, Dancing With the Stars, Wife Swap,American Idol and other non-entertainging, cost cheap and intelligence vacuming crap.
These same interests fund Proto-Fascist think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation. That spew out hate, falsehoods and war mongering. When these interests find it nessasary, they send out political operatives to do the dirty work.
These same corporate interest that own the media prevented Bush and his regime from being brought down. Such as Nixon was for far lesser sins. In the days when the media ( The Fourth Estate ) was independant of corporate influence and grifters.
The corporate media and other companies fund Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Ingram and other right wing Know Nothings.
Fascist, right wing radio survives so well because of a serious commitment by certain corporations and individuals.There is no such commitment from wealthy progressive and patriotic companies and individuals, that abound in the USA. But there should be such a commitment from them. Meet the enemy on the field of battle. Don’t just curl up in your fifth house. Give one house up. Then with your Brothers and Sisters in Arms buy media like there is no tommorow.
Michael Moore makes good socially responsible, generally honest and eye opening movies.He also has a blog. So do do other very rich constitutionalists and progressives that support a Democratic Republic. But they have turned their backs for two decades on media ownership and think tanks. So it is no wonder that Progressive Radio and those that support a Democratic Republic, have no or a very weak media voice on a day to day basis.
Get it together folks because if you don’t, you will not own any media. You will not own anything at some point. It is a cost and Patriotic Duty of well-heeled Progressives and Patriots to find commonality. Then off to shopping for media and floating some real think tanks to counter the poison of right wingers.
GET IT…..GOOD…THEN GET IT
Natural allies, progressives,patriots and angry Americans have turned their backs on owning media. That is why media alternatives to the Nazi rants of Limbaugh, Hannity and CO. are far and few between. This must change.
LUV YA, WILDCAT