According to the Atlantic, Time managing editor Rick Stengel's decision to join the Obama administration is just the latest example of a new trend among mainstream media journalists who are making it official by officially joining the Obama administration. Stengel, who is joining the State Department, is just one of 15 (or 19) who have given up a career in journalism to join Obama's crusade to fundamentally transform America:
A wave of reporters went to work for President Obama early in the administration, a time when many media organizations were going through layoffs and Obama's approval rating was sky-high. The flow has tapered off since then. The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe has semi-regularly kept tabs on the number of reporters working for Obama administration, counting 10 in May 2009, 14 in 2010, and 13 in 2011. The Washington Examiner's Paul Beddard counted 19 reporters working for "Team Obama" in February 2012, but he included liberal advocacy groups as part of the "team."
Whether the number is 15 or 19, the fact that this many so-called journalists from outlets as influential as CBS, ABC, CNN, Time, the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times want to work at the very same administration they are supposed to hold accountable, is not only troubling, it also explains a lot. Why would anyone enamored enough with an Obama administration they want to go work for, do anything that might make a potential employer uncomfortable -- you know, like actually report on ObamaCare and the economy honestly, or dig into Benghazi and the IRS?
The media is left-wing and crusading enough without the potential of a cushy government job being held out as a carrot.
And don't think the Obama administration isn't doling out these jobs for a reason. What a wonderful message to send to the world of media: Don't go too far, don't burn a bridge, don't upset us too much and there just might be a lifeline off the sinking MSM ship.
And obviously it is working.
On top of this problem, you have a number of top news network executives related to top Obama officials, many of them at the center of the Benghazi scandal - which also explains a lot.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
- See more at: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/09/13/15-journalists-have-joined-obama-administration#sthash.Hhkh34VB.dpuf
Have a nice day !!!
ReplyDeleteThe news media exist largely for the purpose of making money. As this is true, their tendency is to emphasize those topics which will bring the largest readership, (viewership or listenership). The old saying is "If it bleeds, it leads.". This is not conspiracy, this is capitalism at work.
ReplyDeleteAs every news provider gathers data on their user group, whatever news they emphasize will cater to that group. Fox caters to conservatives, NPR caters to liberals, others follow suit, depending on the makeup of their dominant market. Why is George Zimmerman still in the news? Why is Lindsey Lohan or any of the Kardashians still in the news? I suggest that we could pay back Syria by parachuting Zimmerman and Lohan on them, instead of bombs.
ReplyDeleteHere's a repost of mine from last year that I think is relevant to what you're saying, Doc:
ReplyDelete"My only point, Lou, was that being biased doesn't necessarily preclude being factual.
Our media is biased toward ratings, money, and whatever agenda their corporate overlords are trying to pimp. Any lefty or righty slant is just the sales pitch used to get us to eat the poop sandwich.
And you're absolutely right. To your point, FOX may cover a "news" topic like gay marriage from a righty slant and MSNBC from the left, the real news (deaths in Iraq, international economic warfare, etc.) still goes mostly unreported. In the meantime, ExxonMobil still advertises on both networks and both networks rake in a boatload of cash.
While we love to bitch about the "biased", worthless media, we rarely take any of the responsibility for it on ourselves.
We allowed it to happen. We demand coverage of Wiener's wiener, or Casey Anthony, or Snooki, or whatever the almost-news topic du jour is.
Or, in the arena of politics, we actively seek "news" that reinforces our own biases. We clamor for it, they feed it to us, and we devour it with a big ol' smile on our fat faces. What does it say about us that we only seek "news" that we agree with? Does that even count as "news"?
"Unbiased? BBC, Aljazeera for world news, national read both sides of the story."
Agreed.
I would, however, warn against seeking balance for balance's sake - a trap I think a lot of news orgs fall into to appear fair and unbiased. Some stories actually only have one side. Some may have 12. It's just as dishonest feign fairness for appearance.
It's also damaging to lend credibility to a ridiculous point of view because a few loud nutjobs may hold it. It shouldn't be falsely presented as something that's debatable. Example - just because there are a few idiots who believe in the "Stork Theory" of human reproduction doesn't mean that their views deserve equal weight in a discussion about Sex Ed in our public schools.
There's nothing wrong with calling something silly that is silly, or calling a liar a liar if you have real facts to support it. And in these instances being biased, as long as you're factual, isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Here was Stormcloud Brewing's response, which I also thought was really good:
ReplyDelete"Nice points there Pfunky. I especially agree with the consolidation of our news outlets into a few corporate hands. The variety in news basically comes down to style and presentation, but not the stories themselves.
Bill Hicks wrote the following:
"All of this is the very essence of the Hologram. It wasn't created overnight, and it actually took the media moguls several decades to perfect it to the point where it now effectively stifles all opposition or even serious protest. These days, you can pretty much assume that anything you see on television is at a minimum being placed there as distraction. The truth is still allowed to be disseminated on the Internet and occasionally in print because those of us who actually read and are capable of critical thinking are such a tiny, atomized minority of the population. The truth of the matter is that the Hologram has grown so powerful that it can now, as Simon Doonan himself admits at the beginning of his article, overwhelm the critical faculties of anyone who has not completely removed him or herself from its influence. Yes, Simon, the truth is out here, but you've got to shut off the goddamned television once in awhile if you really want to see it."
Read more here: http://billhicksisdead.blogspot.com/2012/05/slate-magazine-discovers-idiocracy-but.html
The state of our modern culture continues to reinforce my contention that the movie "Idiocracy" should be considered prophecy. Here is a quote from a reporter covering a trial in the movie:
"Well, it started off boring and slow, with Not Sure trying to bullshit everyone with a bunch of smart talk: '"Blah blah blah. You gotta believe me!"' That part of the trial sucked! But then the Chief J. just went off. He said, '"Man, whatever! The guy's guilty as shit! We all know that."' And he sentenced his ass to one night of rehabilitation." - Formica Davis "
Ask yourself why?
ReplyDeleteSomething is up. Will the admin target news radio and what they call hate speech? Will they target bloggers? Will they target whistleblowers who use free speech for protection? Don't forget, social media CEO's were threatened with treason if they did not comply with the NSA. It's basically a death threat because that is the max sentence.
I don't think so, Live.
DeleteWe as a people have been swallowed by the media monster whole. As I mentioned in that post, we allowed this to happen, even demanded it. There's no need for a massive evil government conspiracy - it's all going on in plain sight and we don't care. No need to cover it up.
Details at 11 ...
As metaphysical pseudophilosophy[edit source]
DeleteIn the third part of Nineteen Eighty-Four, pure Ingsoc's thematic references a solipsist and nihilistic view that the universe and all knowledge, meaning and value exists only in the collective mind of the Party; reality is what the Party says, the justification for its historical revisionism (compare Consensus reality).[citation needed] With doublethink, the people believe what they otherwise know is false; in believing the revised (new) past, the new past is what was, hence "he who controls the past controls the future, and he who controls the present controls the past". The Ministry of Love (MiniLuv), via brainwashing and torture, and the Ministry of Truth (MiniTrue), with propaganda, ensure that perpetual infallibility of the Party is instilled in the mind of each Oceanian. The person exists only as part of the collective, hence, for the collective, nothing exists beyond the goodness of the Party and the evil of other nations and the Party's power.
Ingsoc’s social class system[edit source]
DeletePopulation breakdown
In the year 1984, Ingsoc divides Oceanian society into three social classes, the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles:
The Inner Party members make policy, affect decisions, and govern; they are known as "The Party", and constitute the upper class of Oceanian society. Among their upper-class privileges is the ability to (temporarily) shut off their telescreens. They live in spacious, comfortable homes, have good food and drink, personal servants, and speedy transportation such as personal helicopters and automobiles. No Outer Party member or Prole may enter an Inner Party neighbourhood without a good pretext. Despite their insulation and overt privileges, Inner Party members are not exempt from the brutal restriction of thought and behavior imposed on all Party members, even while lies and propaganda apparently originate from their own ranks. As in the example of the characters Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford, non-conformant members of the Inner Party can be condemned, tortured, and erased from memory, as surely as any other individual. Inner Party members make up less than 2% of the population of Oceania.
The Outer Party members work the state’s administrative jobs, consisting of the educated workers who are responsible for the direct implementation of the Party's policies, while having absolutely no voice in their formulation. They are an artificial middle class, essential to the success of the Party, but who are tolerated only in severely hostile conditions. Outer Party members are allowed “no vices other than cigarettes and Victory Gin", and they are the citizens most spied upon, via telescreens and surveillance. This is because, according to history, the middle class is the most dangerous; they are the ones whose combination of intellectual ability with limited power means they are most likely to incite revolution against the ruling class. They are therefore expected to sustain a continuous, patriotic frenzy for the Party, blindly accepting every order from remote superiors, all while simultaneously being condemned to live in rundown neighbourhoods, use crowded subways as transportation, and to persist in an ongoing state of near starvation with meager rations of poor food and drink. Outer Party members are also expected to abstain completely from sex other than for strictly procreative purposes within marriage, since to allow sex in any less restrictive forms would permit self-actualization, individual intimacy, and expenditure of personal energy to non-official purposes, all of which are completely antithetical to the Party's agenda.
DeleteThe Proles are the lower class of workers, performing the bulk of manual labor required in Oceania. They live in the poorest conditions, but they can be considered as more fortunate than the Outer Party members since they are not constantly watched by Big Brother, and the Party keeps them happy and sedates them with alcohol, gambling, sport, sexual promiscuity, and prolefeed (Fabricated books, pornography). They are kept uneducated and rendered incapable of gaining any sophisticated view of their own lives or of society's, and are therefore considered harmless, lacking any greater will or consciousness than would be typically ascribed to animals. A few undercover agents of the Thought Police do mark down and eliminate any Prole individuals deemed capable of becoming dangerous by spreading false rumours. Proletariat are 85 percent of Oceania’s populace.
DeleteWith doublethink, the people believe what they otherwise know is false; in believing the revised (new) past, the new past is what was, hence "he who controls the past controls the future, and he who controls the present controls the past"
DeleteThe Ministry of Truth is involved with news media, entertainment, the fine arts and educational books. Its purpose is to rewrite history to change the facts to fit Party doctrine for propaganda effect. For example, if Big Brother makes a prediction that turns out to be wrong, the employees of the Ministry of Truth go back and rewrite the prediction so that any prediction Big Brother previously made is accurate.
DeleteI was listening to a bombastic conservative talk show host rant about something like this while on my way home from work today. I couldn't help but think that our media must be paid by somebody. The public hardly supports the media anymore. Very few newspapers or news magazines are being purchased. There is hardly any motivation to create a news outlet of any slant or style any more. I'm sure these things work in waves and there will be a news renaissance some day. It will probably be after a great revolution or world war when paying attention to the goings on around you could mean life or death or being in the right place to make a lot of money. Making lots of money these days is reserved for people who make laws and the people who donate to their continuous re-elections.
ReplyDelete