by E.L. Christianson Jr.
This stuff is happening out in the open. 'They' have become so arrogant that they no longer feel the need to hide stuff and resort to deceptive tactics, they just go ahead and do it right there in front of you.
The days where the 'news' had any semblance of truth and accuracy are essentially over. Fake news and mis-information have been steadily gaining ground and will now become the standard. There is the potential that you may never again hear anything other than the propaganda of the 'deep state' on 'your' radio or television or see anything different in 'your' newspaper.
'Accuracy in reporting' is a phrase that is about to become obsolete and down the road a few years (assuming we last that long) the phrase may be need to be accompanied by an explanation to let people know what 'accuracy in reporting' meant in the past.
Here's something from recent history. Some people have warned us in advance to be on guard against the exact situation in which we find ourselves today. Some of those warnings are looking as if those speaking, those warning us had some ability to foresee the future. Actually, they were students of history and could project the historical into the future. Surely, George Orwell had a vision...
Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government;
whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them right. —Thomas Jefferson |  |
from Truth Out by Tom Hartmann --
federal communications law required a certain amount of "public service" programming from radio and television stations as a condition of retaining their broadcast licenses. The agreement was basic and simple: in exchange for the media owners' being granted a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use the airwaves—owned by the public—they had to serve the public interest first, and only then could they go about the business of making money. If they didn't do so, when it came time to renew their license, public groups and individuals could show up at public hearings on the license renewal and argue for the license's being denied. One small way that stations lived up to their public-service mandate was by airing public-service announcements (PSAs) for local nonprofit groups, community calendars, and other charitable causes. They also had to abide by something called the Fairness Doctrine, which required them to air diverse viewpoints on controversial issues. Separately, during election campaigns, broadcasters had to abide by the Equal Time Rule, which required them to provide equal airtime to rival candidates in an election. But the biggest way they proved they were providing a public service and meeting the requirements of the Fairness Doctrine was by broadcasting the news. Real news. Actual news. Local, national, and international news produced by professional, oldschool journalists. Because the news didn't draw huge ratings like entertainment shows—although tens of millions of Americans did watch it every night on TV and listened to it at the top of every hour on radio from coast to coast—and because real news was expensive to produce, with bureaus and correspondents all over the world, news was a money-loser for all of the Big Three TV networks and for most local radio and TV stations. But it was such a sacred thing—this was, aft er all, the keystone that held together the station's license to broadcast and thus to do business—it didn't matter if it lost money. It made all the other money-making things possible. |
Soon, the only candidates allowed to speak over 'public airwaves' will be the candidate favored by the owner of corporate broadcast who owns the media. Soon, the only candidate whose ads will run in the newspaper will be the candidate favored by the corporate newspaper syndicate. Soon the only thing you will receive from any media source is the propaganda they allow you to receive.
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... George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984 shot to the top of the charts in the wake of “alternative facts,” the latest Orwellian coinage for bald-faced lying. The ridiculous phrase immediately produced a barrage of parodies, hashtags, and memes; healthy ways of venting rage and disbelief. But maybe there is a danger there too, letting such words sink into the discourse, lest they become what Orwell called "Newspeak."
Orwell dispassionately discusses the “perfected” form of Newspeak, including its grammatical “peculiarities,” such as “an almost complete interchangeability between different parts of speech...
Orwell dispassionately discusses the “perfected” form of Newspeak, including its grammatical “peculiarities,” such as “an almost complete interchangeability between different parts of speech...
It is difficult to comprehend. The schools are being taken over by private corporations. The media is being taken over by private corporation. The only thing you will know is what 'they' have taught you... what 'they' have taught you... what 'they' have taught you... what 'they' have taught you... and that's the truth !!!
Fake News Is Only the Beginning
The FCC Votes to Let Monopolies Decide What Local News You See
Ten years from now, people could look at their local news reporting and wonder how it ever went so wrong.
You’ve heard of fake news? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
from Common Dreams by Sue Wilson
What would happen if the politician you love to hate were indicted, but your local news didn’t report it? No newspaper stories, no TV news, no radio news on the hour, nothing.
Couldn’t happen? Think again.
The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted on Nov. 16 to allow just one corporation to own the local newspaper plus nearly every commercial TV station in your town. Nifty way to reduce down to just one newsroom then dictate whatever information that corporation does — and does not — want you to know in this democracy.
It’s exactly what’s happened with radio. Back in the day when lots of companies owned 40 radio stations, the broadcast industry made big promises that local information would be much more diverse if they could simply own many more stations. The 1996 Telecommunications Act resulted in a handful of corporations owning thousands of stations — and force feeding conservative programming down our country’s throats ever since, no debate, no opposing opinions allowed.
The Media Action Center showed during the Scott Walker recall in Wisconsin that “conservative” radio giants there gave millions of dollars in free airtime to the GOP candidate — while refusing to allow a single Democrat on the air at all. GOP operatives there still gloat about radio winning elections for them. After 21 years of this kind of divisive public policy, 60 million people listen to conservative radio, about the same number that voted for Donald Trump.
Now the FCC is quietly trying to do the same thing to our local TV stations. In 2003, when they just tried to allow TV stations to own newspapers, 3 million people rose up and said “No!” Now they want to allow the newspapers plus all the TV stations in one town to have the same owner, and they’re not even asking for public comment.
Meanwhile, FCC Commissioners are in a PR frenzy to have us believe TV is dying. Chair Ajit V. Pai tweeted “Among Americans aged 18-29, online streaming is primary means of watching TV.”
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, citing Pew Research, writes: “By 2016, only 46 percent of respondents viewed broadcast TV as a source of news and 38 percent ‘got news yesterday’ from an online source,” then talks about people getting news from Google and Facebook.
But what matters is not whether we stream on a device or watch on a big screen. What matters is the integrity and diversity of our information.
Google and Facebook don’t produce news or hire reporters to ferret out what’s going on at City Hall or the state Capitol or White House. That’s the terrain of newspapers and TV broadcasters.
Independent online news organizations are growing, but their influence is negligible: According to August 2017 Pew studies, about 52 million people watch local TV news, compared to about 23 million who access digitally produced news, but those 23 million people may visit the online news sites just once a month — for an average of just 2.4 minutes. The FCC’s argument doesn’t hold up.
So why does the broadcast industry want the FCC to consolidate to such an alarming degree? It’s not money. Fortune Magazine cites record industry profits, with BIA/Kelsey reporting that local television station revenue reached $28.4 billion in 2016. They’re rolling in the dough, so why the sudden push to change things?
We know why. We know why Sinclair Broadcasting, renowned for its alt-right editorializing over our public airwaves, wants to reach 72 percent of U.S. homes with its propaganda. We know this White House’s agenda. We know what happens when we allow just a few companies to control everything we read, see and hear. We know.
Media reform group Free Press President Craig Aaron says if the FCC doesn’t abandon this plan, “they’ll find themselves back in court for failing to study the issue, take public input, and address the fact that so few stations are owned by women and people of color. We’ve won this fight before, and we can prevail again.”
They won this fight before because 3 million Americans stood up for free speech.
Stand up. You can email the FCC, call your representatives in Congress and support Free Press’ legal case. Find links at MediaActionCenter.net.
This is a watershed moment. Ten years from now, people could look at their local news reporting and wonder how it ever went so wrong. You’ve heard of fake news? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Read more here:
Sue Wilson is the Emmy-winning director of the documentary “Broadcast Blues,” editor of suewilsonreports.com and founder of the Media Action Center.
The FCC Votes to Let Monopolies Decide What Local News You See
Ten years from now, people could look at their local news reporting and wonder how it ever went so wrong.
You’ve heard of fake news? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
from Common Dreams by Sue Wilson
What would happen if the politician you love to hate were indicted, but your local news didn’t report it? No newspaper stories, no TV news, no radio news on the hour, nothing.
Couldn’t happen? Think again.
The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted on Nov. 16 to allow just one corporation to own the local newspaper plus nearly every commercial TV station in your town. Nifty way to reduce down to just one newsroom then dictate whatever information that corporation does — and does not — want you to know in this democracy.
It’s exactly what’s happened with radio. Back in the day when lots of companies owned 40 radio stations, the broadcast industry made big promises that local information would be much more diverse if they could simply own many more stations. The 1996 Telecommunications Act resulted in a handful of corporations owning thousands of stations — and force feeding conservative programming down our country’s throats ever since, no debate, no opposing opinions allowed.
The Media Action Center showed during the Scott Walker recall in Wisconsin that “conservative” radio giants there gave millions of dollars in free airtime to the GOP candidate — while refusing to allow a single Democrat on the air at all. GOP operatives there still gloat about radio winning elections for them. After 21 years of this kind of divisive public policy, 60 million people listen to conservative radio, about the same number that voted for Donald Trump.
Now the FCC is quietly trying to do the same thing to our local TV stations. In 2003, when they just tried to allow TV stations to own newspapers, 3 million people rose up and said “No!” Now they want to allow the newspapers plus all the TV stations in one town to have the same owner, and they’re not even asking for public comment.
Meanwhile, FCC Commissioners are in a PR frenzy to have us believe TV is dying. Chair Ajit V. Pai tweeted “Among Americans aged 18-29, online streaming is primary means of watching TV.”
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, citing Pew Research, writes: “By 2016, only 46 percent of respondents viewed broadcast TV as a source of news and 38 percent ‘got news yesterday’ from an online source,” then talks about people getting news from Google and Facebook.
But what matters is not whether we stream on a device or watch on a big screen. What matters is the integrity and diversity of our information.
Google and Facebook don’t produce news or hire reporters to ferret out what’s going on at City Hall or the state Capitol or White House. That’s the terrain of newspapers and TV broadcasters.
Independent online news organizations are growing, but their influence is negligible: According to August 2017 Pew studies, about 52 million people watch local TV news, compared to about 23 million who access digitally produced news, but those 23 million people may visit the online news sites just once a month — for an average of just 2.4 minutes. The FCC’s argument doesn’t hold up.
So why does the broadcast industry want the FCC to consolidate to such an alarming degree? It’s not money. Fortune Magazine cites record industry profits, with BIA/Kelsey reporting that local television station revenue reached $28.4 billion in 2016. They’re rolling in the dough, so why the sudden push to change things?
We know why. We know why Sinclair Broadcasting, renowned for its alt-right editorializing over our public airwaves, wants to reach 72 percent of U.S. homes with its propaganda. We know this White House’s agenda. We know what happens when we allow just a few companies to control everything we read, see and hear. We know.
Media reform group Free Press President Craig Aaron says if the FCC doesn’t abandon this plan, “they’ll find themselves back in court for failing to study the issue, take public input, and address the fact that so few stations are owned by women and people of color. We’ve won this fight before, and we can prevail again.”
They won this fight before because 3 million Americans stood up for free speech.
Stand up. You can email the FCC, call your representatives in Congress and support Free Press’ legal case. Find links at MediaActionCenter.net.
This is a watershed moment. Ten years from now, people could look at their local news reporting and wonder how it ever went so wrong. You’ve heard of fake news? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Read more here:
Sue Wilson is the Emmy-winning director of the documentary “Broadcast Blues,” editor of suewilsonreports.com and founder of the Media Action Center.
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