Media Truth and Lies
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht
US author & dramatist (1893 - 1964)
How long are we going to continue trusting the big media? How long until we realize that the never-ending flow of news from the TV screens may not contain the full truth? Just how much are they lying about and why?
In the US, we are taught from birth that our society is fully democratic, and that therefore our media is free and truthful. That is the biggest and the cruelest lie, as it holds us back from adjusting to the bias.
All the American broadcast media, and most print media, are owned by a few wealthy individuals. There is an incredible amount of misinformation and misunderstanding there, and we hope that information on this site will help to correct that.
It’s unhealthy for the society when all major sources of news, information, and entertainment are controlled by the same few companies and individuals. Too many trust the media blindly, ignoring the obvious flaws in reporting. Both print and TV news quote each other as information “sources”, even though they are owned and operated by the same corporations. A news report is created, therefore, not to provide information, but to increase the rankings of other similar reports. The public becomes a means to an end.
Big media is promising to become even bigger.
Changes proposed by the FCC to U.S. media ownership restrictions could result in a series of mergers that may impact television, radio, cable, newspapers and the Internet.
Media companies insist that the old rules have failed to keep pace with technology and changes are necessary in order to compete in today's expanding media marketplace. Consumer advocates argue that consolidation will lead to rising prices for cable TV and high-speed Internet access, an erosion of journalism quality, and a decrease in the diversity of media outlets. All of this together could endanger democracy.
Few issues are "more fraught with serious consequences for the American people than the media ownership rules," says FCC commissioner Michael Copps. "There is the potential in the ultimate disposition of this issue to remake our entire media landscape, for better or for worse."
Media mergers mean fewer voices to represent public interest.
What does this mean for the public:
Where is this heading?
Some day a transnational company that knows little and cares less about your community, and whose main allegiance is to its stockholders and advertisers, will own your local daily and weekly newspapers, all your television and radio stations, the cable system, the Internet service provider, several of the national networks that serve you, your local video stores and movie houses, many of the magazines and books you read, and all of the sports teams in your area. That would allow endless cross-promotions of the owner’s interests, and probably very little hard news about anything having negative impact on advertisers or on the company itself. Everything you read or see, every opinion, every image, and every jot of information would arrive through one corporate filter.
To read more about the proposed merger regulations:
www.cjr.org/issues/2002/3/media-hickey.asp
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one."
—A.J. Liebling
Elements of Propaganda
Propaganda can serve to rally people behind a cause, but often at the cost of exaggerating, misrepresenting, or even lying about the issues in order to gain that support.
While the issue of propaganda often is discussed in the context of militarism, war and war-mongering, it is around us in all aspects of life.As the varius examples below will show, common tactics in propaganda often used by either side include:
- Using selective stories that come over as wide-covering and objective.
- Partial facts, or historical context
- Reinforcing reasons and motivations to act due to threats on the security of the individual.
- Narrow sources of “experts” to provide insights in to the situation. (For example, the mainstream media typically interview retired military personnel for many conflict-related issues, or treat official government sources as fact, rather than just one perspective that needs to be verified and researched).
- Demonizing the “enemy” who does not fit the picture of what is “right”.
- Using a narrow range of discourse, whereby judgements are often made while the boundary of discourse itself, or the framework within which the opinions are formed, are often not discussed. The narrow focus then helps to serve the interests of the propagandists.
Advertising agencies often say that the seven deadly sins are the key to selling products. Fear, envy, greed, hatred, and lust: these are the basic tools for effective advertising, and therefore good propaganda. The most powerful motivating emotion is fear, followed closely by greed.
A united, confident society is a threat to the establishment therefore in order for the current government to exist, there is always an ongoing campaign to control all of us. Media instills fear into our daily lives to create obedient robots, waiting for our daily dose of fear to keep us passive and ignorant.
Once a newspaper touches a story, the facts are lost forever, even to the protagonists.
Norman Mailer, "Esquire", June 1960
US journalist & novelist (1923 - )
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