Why Big Media is Mum about Its Propaganda Habit

Co-authored by Megan Tady

Big surprise - the American people are taking it upon themselves to stop pro-war propaganda in the news, and the corporate media aren't reporting on it.

When hundreds of thousands of Americans protest the Iraq war year after year, the corporate media portray peace activists as zealots on stilts.

When Americans across the country voice their outrage and concern about global warming, the corporate media feed us pundits who deny or misconstrue the facts about the environment.

Fox News pundits: Still spinning for Bush

Now, tens of thousands of Americans have urged Congress to investigate the Pentagon's pervasive program to embed at least 75 "propaganda pundits" on every major news network. But the corporate media haven't batted an eye -- or said a word. (And even the Bush Administration is dodging the scandal, while insulting the only journalist in the White House gaggle with the guts to ask the question.)

In the same way that the corporate media refuse to report on the issues that affect and anger us the most, almost every news outlet has instituted a news blackout on this explosive story, opting to sweep under the rug a scandal that reaches deep into their own newsrooms.

Since the story broke in the New York Times, appeals to stop Pentagon propaganda have been flooding Congress. Senators John Kerry and Carl Levin have picked up the baton, and are calling for an investigation. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have issued statements expressing their dismay about the Pentagon's program. And even the Pentagon, at least "temporarily," is backing off from siccing their coached "experts" on the American audience.

The Cozy Lapdog

The White House dodges the question

But there's a deeper illness here that can't be healed by promises from the Pentagon. U.S. journalism has been struck with a paralyzing case of consolidation, and the corporate hands that own our media don't want a cure. The Bush administration's propaganda wouldn't have spread far if it weren't for its cozy relationship with media outlets like Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN.

This failure of the watchdog not only undermines every standard of journalism, it also poses a fundamental threat to our democracy.

The effects of Big Media have never been more apparent. First and foremost, the corporate owners protect themselves with a phalanx of lobbyists, and then dole out favors to the politicians and regulators who allow Big Media to consolidate their power unbridled.

Our media should have properly challenged the Bush Administration's case for the Iraq war and countered the official version with dissenting views. Instead, we've gotten unapologetic propaganda from mainstream outlets that are too closely aligned DC power and politics to rock the boat.

The Netroots Go Where Fox Won't

It's obvious that the mainstream media won't help us keep this story alive. But the netroots and noncommercial media are going where Big Media won't, with extensive coverage of the scandal on independents ranging from The Nation, Salon.com, DemocracyNow and PBS to PRWatch, OpenLeft and DailyKos (and, yes, even Huffington Post). Combine that with the growing public outcry and we're close to a tipping point in Congress.

Media organizations and the Pentagon have a lot of explaining to do. The debate about America's military involvement in Iraq should be based on facts, and not on the spin of propaganda pundits and an enabling media.

It's time we knew the truth about the war. And it's time Big Media answered for its propaganda habit. Now Congress must act.

Comments

[lafrance]

Big media is losing viewers and readers to the blogs for a reason. And at the point we are at I imagine media has lost all credibility.
While the airheaded pundits blather on and on over Rev Wright, I have seen some serious and major stories that I've read online go unaddressed by major media.
I doubt that the media will ever be able to regain the respect and credibility it once had unless there is an overhaul of the industry and that would mean getting the media out of the control of corporations.
At this point all they do is repeat gossip and shallow stories and character assassination. Very Hollywood Report style anymore.
At least for many there is the internet and hopefully someday the average, low info people will take the time to look for their news online and realize they are only getting innuendo and propaganda and junk food from the tv news and newspapers

[speakingtruth2power]

It will be another five years of awakening in the

voting public until we have enough populists in

Congress. Our problem now is the voter fraud

the MSM will not report and their 'polls' which

help set US up for believing the fixed results.

How does McLame poll even with either Dem?

[RevJeff]

The fact that MSM doesn't cover relevant stories, and would rather bring you crap like the so called "Wright controversy" was never shown to be more true than yesterday. While the lead story on most of the newscasts were about the DC madam that committed suicide, (who cares? I don't), the longshoremen on the west coast completely shut down the busiest port in this country, (Port of Seattle), and several other major ports as well. They all took the day off and then stood outside of the port gates with signs that said things like, "No Peace, No Work". No one, not even the aforementioned "The Nation, Salon.com, DemocracyNow and PBS to PRWatch, OpenLeft and DailyKos (and, yes, even Huffington Post)." covered it. This was the biggest mass protest since the Vietnam War. There were literally thousands of workers that walked off of the job and not a peep from MSM or anyone else. So it's not just the MSM to blame, but even this publication as well since I wrote everyone on this list and told them about it and all I heard was crickets.

[Rule Of Law]

WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS?

It goes almost without saying that Unions and union members just don't "exist" in this country anymore, and to acknowledge them in any way would undo the strategy of the Corporatists to reduce us all to slavery. My little local paper is owned by the NYT. What chance do I have to get news on what is really happening in America? None. If those Union members were agitating against the war, they just took on the entire MIC, Bush and Cheney, and the Uber Wealthy Oligarchy that controls it all. Good luck!

[uhappytoo]

The ABC-hosted trivial pursuit they called a debate is prime evidence of the media's disregard for honesty. And how the media fathers quickly circled the wagons in ABC's defense demonstrates that they intend to forget about integrity as one of their standards.

I don't listen to MSM now. And won't until a Democrat is once again in the White House. But only then if the Democrats will show enough courage to tackle the issue head on by ousting the Republican in charge of the executive agencies, especially the FCC. But after watching Democrats simply roll over to the telecoms, I don't think holding my breath is an answer while waiting.

[UtahLiberal435]

Why is the internet mum about its propaganda habit?
An equally valid question for Huffboat staffers.

Don't assume that there's any difference in print, TV or internet...other than the delivery medium.

[bushlies]

Am so sick of hearing Repugnants whine about the "liberal media" that I could throw up. They've repeated this mantra so long that some gullible people ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT! The continuous spin that keeps Barack Obama's minister front and center, costing him countless votes, is just another example of this. Journalists today are a bunch of lazy assholes who never do any investigative reporting on anything worthwhile. They just continue to parrot the same tired garbage over and over. Believe me, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, the best of their sorry lot, know they are on a very short leash and their corporate masters can yank it anytime. Even PBS is tainted since it had to hire some Bush apologist to run the works or face denial of federal funds.

Let's face it: The People's Daily (China) and Pravda (from the old Soviet Union) are just about as reliable on the facts as any of our major media outlets. The "birdcage liners" and "talking heads" we have now aren't worth a DAMN as far as keeping us informed of the TRUTH! It's all lies and bullshit.

[saibotchilizm]

Don't be hopeful about the TV news getting any better. MSM's failure at even the basic tenets of journalism is part of the status quo. Here's one simple solution; don't watch the TV news.

Newspapers are fumbling the ball on investigative journalism as well, mostly because of internet sites like HuffPost. But it's not as if newspapers are free of sin, either.

We should be looking forward to a way to fund investigative reporting staffs on our blog sites, rather than leaving it up to a private sector which has #@*(%ed it up so bad. The British government pays into a pool, and hence we have the BBC; we should consider something similar in America.

[Mij13]

Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, what is going on? He's one of my heros. Not one single comment about this from him? I looked back at clips to see if I'd missed it, but nadda. I feel so disillusioned! You had me convinced you had some integrity.

[UVRayburn]

TVs will be obsolete in February 2009. At least that is what the crawler at the bottom of the screen says. Big media has been an obsolete mouthpiece for the Republicans for years. It makes no sense to pay a big corporation to pipe obsolete lies into your house. Everything worth watching ends up on the internet anyway, so cut off the cable. Sell your TV now while you can still get some money for it. You will be amazed at the savings.

[UsofA]

Today, corporate media outlets are running the headline that Obama "continues fighting charges of elitism." This after Clinton didn't know how to use a gas pump or a coffee dispenser and explained it by saying she's "always being driven in a motorcade." The only thing Obama is fighting is a press beholden to their corporate masters who see Obama's integrity as a threat.

[Mij13]

That, and the fact that he won't back down on taking tax cuts away from greedy billionairs. What the media knows about destroying our way of life is alot. We need to fight back. FreePress.net is a great resource.

[burnt]

reregulate... break up the empires... insure competition... outlaw market domination... insure that more bloggers are provided credentials to all press functions that cover government activity... bring MSM down to size

alienated in Seattle

[MsJoanne]

Agreed, but I think it's time we stopped calling it MSM when it is, in fact, Corporate Media.

There is nothing mainstream about it.

The government has an agenda and the CM has an agenda. Their respective agenda's have nothing to do with news or reality.

Corporate media has to be reigned in.

[swift goat pet for truth]

I like that. No more MSM for me.
Now it is CM.

[Mij13]

FreePress.net and StopBigMedia.com have great ideas about how people can get involved and fight back. Things are being done. Congress passed the Resolution of Disaproval last month, overturning the FCC's decision to relax limits on how much media one company can own.

[WAstateliberal]

Dear Alienated: Cheer up. You live in one of the most beautiful, exquisitely liberal cities in America. Oh, how I miss it...

Oh, and you're 100% right.

[RevMetheus]

Also forgot- The National Association of Broadcasters is the largest lobbying group in this country. Anyone who thinks media is independent or 'For The People' should understand this.

[RevMetheus]

Congress would actually have to FINISH investigating the scandals from BEFORE the run-up to war and DURING the war before we can care about propaganda. There hasnt been an investigation they havent shirked responsibility on yet. Good thing we made sure the Dems won last year so they would actually investigate something. Bad thing is, they are no different and controlling power is something both sides love to do. Boat rockers need not apply to government OR media!

[WAstateliberal]

Well, the problem is that parties are a brand, and many people don't realize that there are two factions in the Democratic Party: The corporate faction (DLC wing) and the Progressive faction (the Dean wing). So even though we have a majority in the House and a tie in the Senate, that doesn't get you very far. Some of the people who were elected in the 2006 midterms were DLCers. The House majority is not veto proof, and now that Lieberman has gone off the deep end, the Senate configuration is really 51-49, rather than 50-49-1.

My point here is that we need to look beyond the brand and really investigate whether the "Democrats" on our ballots are DLCers or Progressives (and always vote Progressive); and we need a veto proof majority. I also am disappointed that more hasn't been done since 2006, but the expectations set by the media were too high when you really consider the numbers.

[Rule Of Law]

The Media are owned by the International Corporations, as is our Government.

Any questions?

[Mij13]

Okay, so we should all just go back under our rocks? Give up before we even start or try to fight back?

[Rule Of Law]

Too many people post here who still just don't get it. It ain't rocket surgery, and it needs to be said, plain...Stop wondering about what or how or who and just get it! The Government and the Media are two sides of the same coin. Don't expect either one to be on your side. There's no mystery.

Crawling under rocks is what got us here in the first place! I favor a more revolutionary approach...But we each must do what we must do.

[mbaty]

We're going to keep talking about this. I think many of us suspected that the media was in on the spin--and I think it goes without saying that the phrase "liberal media" is now fully debunked.

[whatsmyname]

Just remember...Who Invented the terms Liberal and Conservative to use to bait, and bridle and castrate; Almost Broadcast Company, Communist Broadcast Service and Narrowcast Bureau Corp., And, reverse psychology has always been the order of the day, just ask the government.