MAINSTREAM MEDIA AND THE ILLUSION OF REALITY

Did you hear about the news clip CNN ran late last week? The footage, supplied by Reuters and picked up by CNN, was of a Palestinian man injured by recent missile strikes conducted by the Israelis. A crowd gathers around the injured man, lifts him and hauls him away.

Except it was a staged event.

And hopefully by now you know that the mainstream media (MSM) basically ignored the Benghazi story and the scandalous deaths of four Americans for over a month prior to the election. Perhaps you recall earlier this year when NBC got caught selectively editing the 911 emergency call during the Trayvon Martin circus.

Of course, this slice and dice game, the intentional manipulation of details, is nothing new. Thankfully, more and more Americans are learning the secrets and tactics of today’s media.

The fact is the establishment media is owned by just a handful of companies—Comcast (NBC); Newscorp (Fox, Wall Street Journal, NY Post); Disney (ABC, ESPN); Viacom (BET, MTV, Nick Jr); Time Warner (CNN, Time, HBO); CBS (60 Minutes, Showtime).

According to Businessinsider.com, that’s down from about 50 companies since the early 1980′s. As a result, virtually all the news you hear or see comes from these six sources. And Obama is supporting further contraction.

These companies decide not only what stories you will hear but how loud the message will be and when you will hear it. Worse, this “news” isn’t presented with objectivity, a critical element of genuine journalism. There is spin, opinion and rhetoric woven into the stories. And, as the CNN and NBC examples prove, important details are often intentionally fabricated or lifted out of stories to further persuade the American peasants into particular outlooks or opinions.

In today’s America, all our politicians and most major corporations and institutions work with media consultants, interact regularly with media big-shots or dedicate resources to maintain media departments. By the time any given message reaches you it has been evaluated, changed and polished at numerous editorial levels. Factors such as when the message is delivered and how often it will be repeated have been meticulously considered. In a very real sense, you are seeing and hearing exactly what they want you to see or hear, when they want you to hear or see it.

The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. – J. Edgar Hoover

Even the most rabid news junkies, if they rely predominantly on the mainstream media, are actually still in the dark. These readers may possess incredible detail relating to any particular narrative but all that minutia is worthless if the story is a fabrication from the start. What good is it to know, for example, that protestors were outside the Benghazi consulate at 7:30 PM, if protestors were never really there at all?

That the media giants have moved from objective reporting into developing, shaping and managing public opinion is bad enough. But because politicians must have their support, the media has become an active participant in American politics. They are no longer watch dogs holding politicians accountable. At best they are cheerleaders rooting for one side or the other. At worst, they are actively engaged, intentionally slanting or editing details to help bring about victory. One can make the argument that the mainstream media has now won, or has been a significant factor in determining the winner, of the last two elections.

You can, with a high degree of confidence, call the mainstream media a propaganda press.

What can be done?

Well, if we want our country back, crusaders, the dismantling of the propaganda press is a fight we must win. Stop buying most of your newspapers and cancel most of your subscriptions. The propaganda press deserves neither your time nor your money. Stop watching or severely limit your exposure to network and cable news and the “morning” shows. MSNBC and CNN are struggling badly right now because viewership is down big time. Boycott the products of advertisers that use the propaganda press when you can. If you can let them know why you’re doing it, even better. Damage advertising dollars and you will force change.

Currently, the internet is our most valuable tool. The media (and their politicians) know this. Do not allow them to control it, for any reason — especially “national security.”

Use the web and expose yourself to “alternative” media and writers. Consider going beyond just reading. Help them do what they want to do — spread legitimate information. Assist them, if you can, with financial donations, or story leads or supporting materials.

You can introduce into your reading news from sources outside America. You will be surprised — and sometimes horrified — at what you will learn about your country from people who view America from outside our limited media bubble.

And most importantly, use your brain — think for yourself.

For more ownership detail of television, print and telecommunications visit HERE.

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