If the media tells us what to think, who tells them?
The answer to this question is not simple. There is no secret society of overlords or cabal of merciless tyrants. No single tightly knit group can be trotted out to take the blame.
The problem, though, exists. Everybody understands this, right?
No one claiming to pay attention would suggest that the news we get is not filtered and biased according to some very specific agendas.
That is what I thought. But apparently not. People with whom I talk keep patiently explaining that there is no great insidious plot to control public opinion.
I'm just taking this stuff a little bit too far.
Well. Ignoring for a moment the straw man of "great insidious plot", let's talk a short walk through some of the more documented instances of news agency "self-censorship".
Follow me...
The biggie here is CNN, Ted Turner's all propaganda network. The most famous memos date back to late 2001, when CNN wanted to make darn sure its reporters knew what side they were on.
There are plenty of examples elsewhere, too. On an October 10, 2002 conference call with national security adviser Condoleeza Rice, executives from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN reportedly acceded to her "suggestion" that any future taped statements from Al Quaida be "abridged," and any potentially "inflammatory" language removed before broadcast. After failing to successfully pressure Al Jazeera into easing up on its irresponsible reporting of all sides of the issue, Condy went after those who know on which side their bread is buttered.
I tend to give the reporters, even the talking heads, the benefit of the doubt. I figure that if you are going to get worked up, do it over oppressive top-down policy enabled by the vast conglomerates that are our "media outlets". Others are not so generous.
I don't really have anywhere to go with this. The issue is too big to accomplish anything meaningful with a blog entry. There is good journalism out there. Some of it is even American. There are lots of ideas about what to do now.
In the end, this is just a rant, and a rambling one at that. I would just like the problem to be recognized.
There is no "great insidious plot". There is a great insidious reluctance to seek truth and understanding. If we are not seeking it, there is no profit in providing it. Who should be trotted out to take the blame? You. Me.
I am going to be using this blog, among other things, to do my part. With any luck I will get better at it. I hope I am only out of practice. In the worst case, I have to believe that rambling is better than silence.
Ramble on.