Re-Definition of the Media

OK, this is my blog so I'm going to take a side here. Because I have to. Trying to get truthful information from the mainstream media is now not possible without some sort of skew. Let me define "mainstream" before I go any further. That would be the three original major networks (NBC, ABC and CBS) news organizations (NOT their entertainment divisions, that's a whole different subject) and all their affiliates and cable channels and, of course, not to forget FOX News and the propaganda machine that it is.

So IMHO here's what has happened to our so called "liberal" media. Dare I say it? They should now be called "conservative" media. Because all mainstream media is now leaning right. If they were leaning left before this point it was for the reason of morals and the power in the editorial department of each network.

They believed in the voting power of middle-class America. After all, they were the 5th estate, responsible for watch-dogging the government and presenting the truth to the American people. We saw how that worked during the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War when those events were brought into our living rooms without a 24/7 string of opinion stories surrounding them. We were shocked at the way events looked when brought to us directly, right into our living rooms. More importantly, with journalistic integrity.

What the networks have found out is that FOX has won. Period. It started when they got their man appointed in 2001 and in the following nine years has gained so much strength that they influence 25% of the electorate directly. That's a huge amount of people. It's like the number of Americans who still smoke cigarettes. At this point it's not if FOX is taking talking points from the Republican Party. It is more like, FOX can now dictate  policy to the Republican Party through its network personalities. Now that FOX is so strongly entrenched it will be impossible for anyone or anybody to dethrone them. You see, even if they "make-up" a story it will become truth. The reason is as pure as the word propaganda itself. Tell the lie long enough and as many times as it takes and it will become the truth to those who see and hear it. It becomes so much of the truth that the other news networks parrot the lie they've reported. It's like spreading a computer virus. Like a virus, this lie is wrapped in a grain of truth to give it that appearance. Once in the system, you'll spend a long time getting it out. Try to dis-prove them and they call you a liar and wave an American flag in your face while doing it.

You don't have to be that smart to figure-out why media fell out-of-love with the people and in-love with Corporate America. It's all about the money.  At this moment in time, the right has the money, with all that corporate backing and Supreme Court legitimacy to buy who or what they want in Washington. They even have the Democrats sniping among themselves. Talk about successful marketing! Here's the other really sad part to this story. Once the lie has been promulgated and becomes pseudo truth the loyalty of their own beliefs lock them into believing that very same lie to the bitter end, even past the end. It is their truth, no matter how it is dis-proven.

This also applies to the Journalists. They are too preoccupied with making money, that "the truth" doesn't even matter, as long as it has a dollar sign after it. That said, even real Journalists seem a bit out-of-touch with mainstream America. The reason is because they too are effected by the economy. If you're at a level if influence within the media industry then you're making well over 250K per year and the little guy is someone who lived in your past that you'd rather forget. If you're not at that level then you're just trying to keep your job.

And how rapidly they tend to forget facts or bend it to match their agenda. 10 years ago it was a travesty of the constitution for the left to say anything "bad" (sort of directed toward them) about the right. But the right is supposed to "get away" with insulting the President (how 'bout the "You Lie" remark during the State of the Union address) and no repercussions? WTF?

Enough is enough. At this point, I'm entirely OUT of ideas (much like the Republicans tend to be on any given subject) on how to fix the partisan media mess we've been left with. That said, anybody got any ideas on how to fix this  mess without causing riots in the street? Or for that matter, causing a bunch of hate spam here?