12.05.06
For the People?
Or: The Media belongs to Washington, Washington belongs to the Media
A must read piece from Theresa Niels-Hayden called “Why I Blog” that is filled with examples of why large media outlets cannot be trusted by anyone in this country. The first several examples show that the media tells you what they want you to know, so you will make the decisions they want you to make. Some are ‘liberal’ decisions and some are ‘conservative’ decisions.
Americans used to be fairly informed while doing fairly little. News services were trustworthy, so reading the paper or watching the evening news was enough. To be equally informed now requires significantly more effort. Multiple stories need to be heard on the same subject from a variety of sources. Consequently, we’re less informed and more manipulated. Managing media perception is a huge part of any politician’s job, and it makes sense, because the media makes kings as it wishes. It’s no longer a conduit of information, but rather an advocacy group of its own.