Even Paranoids Have Enemies

A little more then 3 weeks ago, I asked the very talented Ben Silverman, the NBC Co-Chairman, why the Broadcast Networks were not producing and scheduling documentaries about the war, and he indicated that NBC was doing it's part in informing the public as to the events in Iraq,

I am uncomfortable in saying that I believe that he was telling me the truth as he saw it.

How sad.

I came across this piece that I wrote four and a half years ago and I thought that most of it was worth repeating.

Even Paranoids Have Enemies

In November of 2001, the International Council of the Television Academy convened a panel of print and broadcast journalists to discuss the state of news broadcasting in the "post-9/11" era. The moderator, from British Television News, was Richard Grayson, Ph.D. who is a senior correspondent. At the conclusion of the panel there was time for a few questions and I took advantage of the opportunity to ask the one uppermost in my mind, "With the American network broadcast media and/or cable news networks controlled by Viacom/CBS/UPN, AOL/TimeWarner/the WB/CNN/TBS/TNT, Newscorp/the FOX Network/FOX News Channel, the Walt Disney Company/ABC, and General Electric/NBC/MSNBC/CNBC, was it possible for any of these companies who arrive regularly in Washington (either for regulatory relief or for business) to possibly be critical of the forthcoming administration's war in Afghanistan?". Dr. Grayson replied, "That's a very interesting question Norman, can we have the next question from someone else?" He of course was joking and each of the panelists did the expected, "No one has ever questioned our journalistic integrity", but of course I questioned it at that time and I question it today.

Almost a year and a half later, BBC director-General Greg Dyke said US broadcasters had undermined their credibility by supporting the war (in Iraq). He singled out FOX News Channel's "gung-ho patriotism". He went on to say, "Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war". It's also interesting to note that as best as I could determine, none of the American cable news outlets would comment on Dyke's statements. After all, Dyke does in fact run the admired and even venerated British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). One would think that his comments could and should have been reported on, but unfortunately, they were not.

Meanwhile, closer to home, NBC's Ashleigh Banfield, in a speech at Kansas State University, said that cable news operators had wrapped themselves in the flag. "It was a grand and glorious picture that had a lot of people watching and a lot of advertisers excited about cable news", said Banfield in her speech. These comments were reported by the Topeka Capital-Journal, "But it wasn't journalism because I'm not sure Americans are hesitant to do this again, to fight another war, because it looked to them like a courageous and terrific endeavor." "There were horrors that were completely left out of this war", she said.

It's hard for a "paranoid media observer" like myself not to get whipped up into a frenzy when Banfield is admonished by NBC when a spokeswoman, Allison Gollust, said, "We are deeply disappointed and troubled by [Ms. Banfield's] remarks and will review her comments with her". Further statements emanating from NBC indicated that Banfield was "sent to her room without her supper".

Is it unfair to think that NBC News, which is controlled by NBC, who is in turn controlled by the General Electric Company (GE), criticized Banfield because she was critical of the Administration? Several of my more news knowledgeable friends have said to me, "She should have cleared her remarks with NBC before making them". When I suggested that had she extolled the virtues of the war and the brilliance of the cable coverage no one would have even raised an eyebrow at NBC or GE, my friends had to reluctantly agree to such a premise.

Given the opportunity, I would ask NBC, the Los Angeles Times, or Newsweek if their reporters had to "adhere" to the company policies regarding issues which they were covering. The FCC is in the process of increasing the broadcasters right to own television stations covering more than 35% of US homes (That will help diversity of opinions, won't it?). They will also undoubtedly eliminate cross-ownership restrictions that will allow television operators to own newspaper outlets in cities where they already own television stations.

· Does anyone think that General Electric would in any way attempt to influence NBC News?

· Does anyone think that Viacom would do anything to influence CBS News?

· Does anyone think that the Walt Disney Company would do anything to influence ABC News?

· Does anyone think that Newscorp would do anything to influence FOX News?

· Does anyone think that AOL/TimeWarner would do anything to influence CNN?

I would say yes to all of the above, but then again I am indeed paranoid...

Norman Horowitz

Comments

[MagisterLudi]

Just because you're paranoid it does NOT mean there isn't someone out to get you.

How's that for a morning teaser.

[Hastings]

I think you should cut NBC NEWS some slack. After all they did invent and aggressive push the phony concept that Iraq is engulfed in a "civil war". This pronouncement of misinformation has given all those who oppose the mission in Iraq, both the truly passionate and the phony partisan, a perceived legitimacy from which to pursue their calls for retreat and surrender. It seems to me that NBC NEWS has more than paid their dues to the Bush haters.

[CriminallySane]

Norman - do you recall a little something the CBS News division put out during your tenure there? "The World of Charlie Company"?

Do you think there'd be a chance in hell of ever seeing anything like that these days?

And Jack Laurence is still around, you know...

[RobertPaul]

The question should be "Am I paranoid enough?"

And, while we're on the subject...Have you noticed how much bad press the internet has gotten lately?

MoveOn.org puts out a ad in the NYT and the world condemns it. Sophomoric ad, but Free Speech nonetheless.

Limbaugh and O'Reilly do their normal bullshit routines and congress wants to "Commend" them.

How long do you think it's going to be before these guys get rid of net neutrality?

Then we will see how fast MoveOn and The Daily Kos and Crooks and Liars, et al, get their speeds dropped to just above zero.

Now, I ask you...is that paranoia or a logical extension of the way things are going?

I know my answer.

[MagisterLudi]

P.S.
You wanna educate yourself on the subject of information and/or education as commodities:

Jean-François Lyotard "Postmodern Condition A Report on Knowledge." ISBN-10: 0816611734

Marshall Mcluhan is always great fun:

"Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man"
ISBN-10: 0262631598

[MagisterLudi]

Today information has been completely commodified.

Dynamic is simple if not crude--profit.
News is a variant of that commodity we call information. There's no escaping it.
Doubt it?
Why not look around you on this very page you're on.

Hufpo manipulates headlines and content placement to squeeze maximum participation(hence profit).
Ditto for NBC or Fox or anyone else. Let's not deceive ourselves. The concept of news as some kind of noble citizen service has gone the way of smoke signals. The faster the general population realizes it, the faster it will become immune to the brainwash called mainstream media. There's no such thing any more. There's always a sell.

News is a product and you're a consumer.
A liberal? read Hufpo.
A conservative? Fox is your game.
A leftist? Mother Jones.
A Jihadist? globalresearch is the stuff.

For everyone else: CAVEAT EMPTOR
(let buyer beware)

[wordvarc]

Corporate media workers: Cyranoids in another Glass Bead Game.
.

[mommadona]

They used to call me paranoid also.
Then, I started wearing my stylish
Tinfoil Hat, and lo and behold,
They realized I was telling the truth.

ONWARD!

[martinchill]

"The current fascist trend in U.S. policies is merely extreme capitalism taken to its logical conclusion."

feed the shark, hey merlin?

norman - another astute post, now or then.


i'd say something about those bullet points on media ownership, but someone would inevitably call Godwin's Law on me...

[larry278]

Norman, you are paranoid but you have a right and a duty to be paranoid. Look on paranoia as a survival skill when you have to deal with amoral idiots constantly. They're out to get you because they don't get what you're writing and are too stupidly lazy to develop an intellect.

[SamThornton]

Norman, from the outside the news business appears to operate exactly as you describe its internal workings.

That raises an interesting question. Is there a sustainable market for objective news reporting?

If there is, one would imagine some astute entrepreneurs would leap on the bandwagon or, at least, some less-dim bulb in one of the corporate bureaucracies would recognize the opportunity.

If not, if the entire well has been poisoned, one can only expect more of the same, a kind of defacto government/industry Politburo of Misinformation, increasingly counterfactual to the point where actual reportorial observation becomes an unnecessarily burdensome expense.

Given the public's current and increasing distrust of traditional news outlets, it's difficult to imagine their future commercial viability. Might be a good time to start shorting a few stocks.

[dexxjones]

team norman!

[StephenSmoliar]

While none of this is "news," I agree with Mr. Horowitz that it deserves repeating. Nevertheless, I feel he omitted one dimension of the argument that cannot be ignored; and that is the question of ACCESS. THE NEW YORK REVIEW has given, in my opinion, the best coverage of the problem faced by any practicing political journalist today, which is that the current Administration deals with criticism (particularly when it cuts close to the bone) by cutting off access to the usual sources. So you have these five monster conglomerates in fierce competition for eyeballs; and it stands to reason that none of when want their cameras and reporters turned away from the White House grounds. Even the THREAT that this could happen goes a long way.

Those of us who follow the BBC know that this tactic is not isolated to the White House. Zimbabwe has been denying access to journalists ever since Mugabe realized that he could no longer deny the presence of an opposition, and now Myanmar has decided to play the same game. So the BBC draws upon its presence in the region as best as it can to report news even when access is denied. How do you think General Electric would feel if NBC had to engage in similar practices? Most likely they would start to worry if their DoD contracts would be put in jeopardy; and I suspect that all the other holding companies would have similar reactions, even if they were not as directly connected to government business. (As I write this I have a vision of Ann Coulter hurling at Mickey Mouse all those epithets she had previously targeted at John Edwards. What would the Walt Disney Company think of THAT?)

[Merlin7]

The current fascist trend in U.S. policies is merely extreme capitalism taken to its logical conclusion. Bush's despicable policies were entirely predictable -- and it's also entirely predictable that this right-wing drift will continue unless "something is done" about corporate ownership of the media.

Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine should be a top priority, along with breaking up the stranglehold enjoyed by a few corporations. But it may be too late. The rightists might well use the immigration issue -- the constant drumbeat of xenophobia on CNN and other networks -- to snatch victory in next year's presidential election. Seig Heil, ya'll.

[Dap]

Dear Norman,

I am sorry but I must disagree with you, you're not paranoid, you just understand (very well I may add) which way the wind blows.
Agape.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

Greed and hypocrisy, Mr. H, greed and hypocrisy.

If today's journalists just apply what MUST be the current republicant 'revised' definition of integrity, then the administration is trusted in ALL it says and questions will ONLY aid the enemy.

What did the Dana Carvey's Church Lady always say? Oh yeah,...




"How convenient."