Sharyl Attkisson Explains the Origins of the 2016 ‘Fake News’ Narrative (The Corporate-Left is now anti-speech)

“We shall fight in the Senate. We shall fight in the blogs and on Reddit. We will fight with growing confidence and growing strength in cyberspace. We will defend our Internet. We shall fight in Twitter and on Facebook, in Instagram and Tumblr. We shall fight in the old media. We shall never surrender.” – AgainstCronyCapitalism.org 2014

Ms. Attkinson is right on the money here. Yes, there was a concerted effort to marginalize many websites – perhaps even to some degree this one – because of all the inconvenient information that was starting to come out about Hillary Clinton (and the establishment generally). There was/is an effort to clamp down on dissenting voices. Voices that might cause trouble for the powers that be. This effort at back door censorship was launched officially in late summer 2016, with the “fake news” narrative.

(From PJ Media)

In a Tedx Talk at the University of Nevada a couple of weeks ago, investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson revealed the origins of the “fake news” narrative that was aggressively pushed by the liberal media and Democrat politicians during the 2016 election, and how it was later flipped by President Donald Trump.

Attkisson pointed out that “fake news” in the form of tabloid journalism and false media narratives has always been around under different names.

But she noticed in 2016, there seemed to be a concerted effort by the MSM to focus America’s attention on the idea of “fake news” in conservative media. That looked like a propaganda effort to Attkisson, so she did a little digging and traced the new spin to a little non-profit called “First Draft,” which, she said, “appears to be the about the first to use ‘fake news’ in its modern context.”

“On September 13, 2016, First Draft announced a partnership to tackle malicious hoaxes and fake news reports,” Attkisson explained. “The goal was supposedly to separate wheat from chaff, to prevent unproven conspiracy talk from figuring prominently in internet searches. To relegate today’s version of the alien baby stories to a special internet oblivion.”…

…”He (Obama) insisted in a speech that he too thought somebody needed to step in and curate information of this wild, wild West media environment,” she said, pointing out that “nobody in the public had been clamoring for any such thing.”

Yet suddenly the subject of fake news was dominating headlines all over America as if the media had received “its marching orders,” she recounted. “Fake news, they said, was an imminent threat to American democracy.”

Attkisson, who has studied the manipulative moneyed interests behind media industry, said, “few themes arise in our environment organically.” She noted that she always found it helpful to “follow the money.”

The corporate-Left of which Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein (etc.) are a part is anti-speech. They are anti-First Amendment.

What does that say about what they think of America generally?

The corporate-Left establishment has long sought to shut down speech. A few examples.

Crony Media Protection Bill? Feinstein moves to limit online speech, Matt Drudge calls her a “fascist.” The Crony Media Protection Bill: Senator Cornyn says Schumer “Shield Law” is actually licensing of journalism

In 2014 we wrote:

It should be noted that the number 1 contributor to Senator Schumer’s most recent campaign was law firm Paul Weiss which just happens to represent a large swathe of the old media industry. I wonder why the clients of Paul Weiss (who are clients largely because of Paul Weiss’s coziness with politicians) might want reporters to be de facto licensed?

Paul Weiss’s client list as reported on its website:

Draw you(r) own conclusions but let’s just say that many of the clients above are in the information brokering business and they (along with establishment politicians) would love to shut down the new media. It’s a fundraising match made in heaven.

The government (and its partners) do not like the rise of new media. One hears over and over from folks in Washington about the “good old days” when we had more or less official gatekeepers of information and how much better things were then. When the “wise” establishment would tell Americans and the world the official version of events. When Walter Cronkite would literally sign off each newscast with “And that’s the way it is,” and people bought it. It was a time when consumers of news were unsophisticated and easily manipulated. That’s why the politicians (and many old media companies) long for this past time.

Diane Feinstein defines free speech, the 1st Amendment, a “privilege.” (Video)

Feinstein’s Attempt to Define ‘Real Journalism’ Blasted By Journalists More Crony Media: Obama meets with/pressures columnists in off the record White House meetings Notice how the media always seems to have a coordinated message these days? Here’s where the message comes from. (The website seems to have gone fallow since the light was turned on them.)

Here is a list (from the Media Matters Website) of the organizations that help create the media echo chamber. The Obama era media is starting to make more sense now huh?

350.org
AARP
Advancement Project
AFL-CIO
AFSCME
Alliance for Justice
America’s Voice
American Civil Liberties Union
American Values Network
Americans United for Change
Anti-Defamation League
Anzalone Liszt Research
ASO Communications
Brookings Institute
Brennan Center for Justice
Campaign for America’s Future
Catholics United
Center for American Progress
Center for Community Change
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Effective Government
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Coalition on Human Needs
Color of Change
Common Cause
Constitutional Accountability Center
Courage Campaign
Democracy Corps
Democracy Partners
Demos
ecoAmerica
Economic Policy Institute
Eleison Group
Faith in Public Life
Fair Elections Legal Network
Families USA
Freedom to Marry
GLAAD
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
Harstad Strategic Research
Hattaway Communications
Health Care for America Now!
Health Information Center
Herndon Alliance
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Policy Center
Immigration Equality
Jewish Funds for Justice
KNP Communications
Lake Research Partners
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Conservation Voters
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Movement Advancement Project
NAACP
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Immigration Forum
National Organization for Women
National Security Network
Natural Resources Defense Council
NDN
New Organizing Institute
Opportunity Agenda
People for the American Way
Pew Research Center
PICO National Network
Progressive Strategies
ProgressiveCongress.org
ProgressNow
Public Campaign
Public Citizen
Public Religion Research Institute
ReThink Media
SEIU
ServiceMembers Legal Defense Network
Sierra Club
Small Business Majority
Social Security Works
Sojourners
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Urban Institute
Think Progress
Third Way
Topos Partnership
Truman National Security Project
U.S. in the World
U.S. PIRG
US Action
Violence Policy Center
Dr. Drew Westen, Ph.D., Westen Strategies

FCC should keep its nose out of TV newsrooms

As FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai notes in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the commission “plans to ask station managers, news directors, journalists, television anchors and on-air reporters to tell the government about their ‘news philosophy’ and how the station ensures that the community gets critical information.” The first test is slated for this spring in Columbia, S.C. (This was 2014)

Hillary Clinton Thinks Moral Of ‘1984’ Is That We Should Trust The Government And Media (And Trump’s the “authoritarian”?)

The anti-Trump, George Soros sponsored Media Matters playbook for all to see, Download it while you can http://www.againstcronycapitalism.org/