...the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives to make sure the war was presented "in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever"

and it ended up giving us all the boogie woogie blues

NO SHIAT!

all that and more in this month's issue of "Duh" magazine

"The liberal media monopoly does not exist." - Rush Limbaugh

/Rush is right

This headline brought to you by "Duh!"

"Duh!" the only FDA approved laxative for Americans who have had their head up their ass for the last eight years.

Ask your doctor if "Duh!" is right for you.

seems appropriate.

Obvious tag must be stuck in the Huckabee hates libertarians thread?

The stock issuing, dividend paying, tightly held national media only wanted to fellate Mr. Bush and his war mongering ways?

_{I'm shocked!}

To be fair, we were able to capture strategic ports in the Pacific and install a pro-American-corporate-interest lackey in Cuba for our troubles with a minimum of loss of life. With the White Fleet's recent combat experience, America is finally ready to extend its power past the limits of the Monroe Doctrine and out into the international community.

Oh wait, you mean we're not talking about the Spanish-American War?

What happened to the obvious tag?

And has anyone seen the clip of David Gregory defending the press? What a pathetic piece of crap.

SockMonkeyHolocaust: Oh wait, you mean we're not talking about the Spanish-American War?

not unless Fark has joined a procastinator's club.

SockMonkeyHolocaust: To be fair, we were able to capture strategic ports in the Pacific and install a pro-American-corporate-interest lackey in Cuba for our troubles with a minimum of loss of life. With the White Fleet's recent combat experience, America is finally ready to extend its power past the limits of the Monroe Doctrine and out into the international community.

Oh wait, you mean we're not talking about the Spanish-American War?

No. The war of 1812. RTFA, moran.

So what is the ultimate problem with this? I've noticed it seems to be some(mostly liberals/leftists/libertarians) worry about the corporate media not being critical. This mises the true problem: the American people. Corporate media is about profit, profit yesterday, profit tomorrow, profit forever. It is not about justice. It is not about truth. In order to maintain a profit they need the masses to watch it. Going against the grain is damaging. If you are a pragmatist, then the media did present the truth of the war in terms of the country's ideological blinders when it came to a casus belli being confirmed and reaffirmed. With the internet readily available, people have no excuse.

The population (about 75%) supported the war even though the evidence was quesitonable. The American people, other than the anti-war minority, did not press the media or the goverment for a better course of action or more evidence. Anyone remember Scott Ritter? Remember how correct he was?

Critical thinking skills can be learned easily. The independent media is more accessible than anytime in history. If a citizen depends on the corporate media for their news, then they are the problem, not the media.

If you wanted to see the war in a true light, images and videos have always been available, and independent voices have always been covering it. Blaming the media is like blaming political parties. The people prop them up. It's like blaming tobacco companies for people smoking.

The media has to follow the feelings of the nation to stay successful.

That's not the same thing as "THE CORPORATE MASTERS WANTED WAR!!!1!"

Helen Thomas has more intestinal fortitude than the rest of the White House Press Corp, combined.

Give 'em hell, Helen.

What do you expect, my fellow Americans? When your national news sources focus more fluff and entertainment than real news, more on profits than journalism, you deserve what you're watching most.



/Who knew how prophetic the movie Network was back in 1976?
//Instead of Walter Cronkite, we now have Nancy Grace.

reposted from an earlier thread:

Large corporations pressuring their media divisions to shape the news. That's crazy talk.

I can't think of any reason why a news network (NBC) owned by General Electric would be interested in suppressing dissent and inflating support over a possible war. What could GE possibly have to gain?

Hm. The merger of corporate and military power merged in a way to manipulate the press and supress public dissent, you say? I'm sure there's a word for that, if only I could think of what it is...

Corporate Media kissed the Bush Administration's ass so they could further their anti-competitive, deregulated agenda.

In the next few months there will be many corporations coming out to tell us how wrong they were, and how sorry they are. The truth is, they are now just beginning to kiss some democratic ass because they see the writing on the wall. Don't think for a second that they wouldn't do it all again in a second if furthered their selfish goals.

Same thing nowadays, only it's Iran they're pushing for war against. You still believe them.

Sleeping Monkey: s coming out to tell us how wrong they were, and how sorry they are. The truth is, they are now just beginning to kiss some democratic ass because they see the writing on the wall. Don't think for a second that they wouldn't do it al

This that and these.

Same thing with Scotty. He saw the writing on the wall. It wasn't because he thought it was "right". More to come.

in other words, the media bosses were telling people what they wanted to hear.

You know, I was thinking about this today and something is really bothering me. Brian Williams said that the media had to "sell" the war to the American people and to package it in a way we would accept it.


I have a big F'ing problem with this statement and the actions of the media selling America on going to war.


Does anyone else see the problem here?

Tabatha Static
Have a Coke, and an IED.™

yagottabefarkinkiddinme: You know, I was thinking about this today and something is really bothering me. Brian Williams said that the media had to "sell" the war to the American people and to package it in a way we would accept it.


I have a big F'ing problem with this statement and the actions of the media selling America on going to war.


Does anyone else see the problem here?

I see many problems with all of this.

Yes, thanks motherfarking Associated PRESS. Welcome to motherfarking 2008.

This is old news you sons of biatches.

Tabatha Static
I would like to request a KFC A-10 warthog

You mean the MSM does not have my best interest at heart?
What about Obama, is he not our saviour? The press tells me he is!

Tacoby Bellisbury: yagottabefarkinkiddinme: I have a big F'ing problem with this statement and the actions of the media selling America on going to war.
get over it.

PWONED!

yagottabefarkinkiddinme: Does anyone else see the problem here?

Jingoism, illiteracy, and peer pressure.

Shaggy_C: The media has to follow the feelings of the nation to stay successful.

That's not the same thing as "THE CORPORATE MASTERS WANTED WAR!!!1!"

I find this argument horrifying and specious. The media certainly does not 'have to' follow the feelings of the nation; it's responsibility is to the truth. Just because our system is imperfect doesn't mean we continue to allow it's descent into Idiocracy.

drjekel_mrhyde: Tabatha Static
I would like to request a KFC A-10 warthog

MAy I suggest it is decked and armed to the teeth with those little corn cobbettes and tasty biscuits on its mounting points.

No PS skills :(

No shiat,

Talk about irony. While Olbermann is having a field day with Scott McClellan, look at this odd parallel stance...

From TFA: MSNBC says: "...we find it hard to believe that anyone would take this disgruntled former employee's comments seriously."

Dana Perino, Whitehouse spokesperson said yesterday about McClellan: "...it's clear McClellan is "disgruntled" about his time working in the Bush White House."

Wait, are those disgruntled employees always wrong or not?

Tacoby Bellisbury: yagottabefarkinkiddinme: I have a big F'ing problem with this statement and the actions of the media selling America on going to war.
get over it.

PWNED.

MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED11!!1! LOLOLOLOL

we find it hard to believe that anyone would take this disgruntled former employee's comments seriously.


Is there anyone "gruntled" left here on earth?

How many times can we greenlight this article today, I wonder?

well, duh!

This just in:

1) Money and power, not truth and justice, govern everything of any political or economic importance
2) Scott McClellan wrote a book about a recent iteration of this principle, and Fark keeps greenlighting the articles about it (see #1)

FarkingSean: How many times can we greenlight this article today, I wonder?

as many times as it takes

And the biatch about it all is, is that nothing has really changed. The pressure is off for now because Bush is nearing the end of his reign. But at the end of this year, they'll walk on eggshells again for the next King... er... President.

I mean really. The news is not making any strides. Oberman is just there because they are back peddling. They know much of America is pissed, so this makes them some brownie points.

Heh, I didn't RTFA.

T.M.S.: we find it hard to believe that anyone would take this disgruntled former employee's comments seriously.


Is there anyone "gruntled" left here on earth?

i'm usually gruntled daily from 4:10 to 4:13 pm.

And how many times are we going to see evidence that the press consciously pushed anti-war voices out and assisted the administration in deceiving the American people only to see the media react with oh-so-sincerely-feigned "shock"?

Only to "forget" again until the next time.

Suicidal Writer 2008-05-29 09:29:42 PM

Sadly, I agree with almost everything you said, though I would not defend to the death your right to say it. More sadly, I was one of the ones who knew it was wrong, and did not speak out. :-(

Shaggy_C: The media has to follow the feelings of the nation to stay successful.

That's not the same thing as "THE CORPORATE MASTERS WANTED WAR!!!1!"

you're missing the point.

Bill Maher's calling a spade a spade and getting fired for it, when 02? German nationals and pacifists being murdered and jailed in WWI, Japanese internment camps, standing up to McCarthy and losing jobs, friends and careers....

These are all the varied result of the same causes: first, those with the pulpit not having balls, ethics, incentive or second, having their inverse to some corrupting effect. Except for balls.

"I didn't speak up..." and "then they came for me..." is more than an analogy for slippery slope you are waving away by your logic.

Failing to examine every claim made by political advocacy is very nearly as lame and treacherous to us all as closely held media conglomerates can bring us They should be taken to task for it in the strongest possible terms with the most severe consequences. I'm talking to you Murdoch.

Diversified profit structures coupled with opportunity for malfeasance are a very fair basis to suspect them of dissembling... even going to aiding and abetting treason.

You can bet that if any deliberately lied or suppressed info hoping for advantage and are out and out caught, they will be using the reasoning you applied as a defense of their actions.

Shaggy_C: The media has to follow the feelings of the nation to stay successful.

That's not the same thing as "THE CORPORATE MASTERS WANTED WAR!!!1!"


The role of the media is to present facts and inform in an unbiased manner regardless of the feelings of the nation. Period. If that is not done then they are no better than O'Reilly or Michael Moore.

A bit more than a hundred years ago, some great people started up some newspapers. They became successful. Those people died and their children did a good job of carrying the torch. The kids died and the grandchildren inherited the papers. They didn't care. They sold out to corporate buyers.

You can pinpoint the death of journalism to the day USA Today debuted (9/15/82). Total circulation numbers were no longer important. Gannett cared about the number of readers with incomes over $30k (1982 dollars). Back when most papers cost ten or 15 cents, Allen Neuharth wanted to charge a dollar an issue to keep out the riff-raff. That was the death of the liberal media and the death of Journalism.

I had fun, but I'm glad I got out.