It probably sounds pretty cynical, and that may be the case. But I'm right often enough. Enough to know that it's better to assume we're being lied to - and be proved wrong than to believe we're being told the truth - and be proved wrong. One thing I know for certain, beyond any shadow of doubt, is that the mainstream media is largely populated by liars. Gleeful liars.
Follow the reasoning: Jeff Bezos, e.g., owns the Washington Post. WaPo is a *very* influential newspaper. American politicals and bureaucrats of all stripes read it religiously.
Bezos' main game is Amazon.com. Everyone knows that. What everyone doesn't know is that an Amazon subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, does a huge amount of business with the US government. Jeff Bezos is a BIG player! Amazon.com alone make him $$$billions a year. But Amazon Web Services may soon outperform Amazon.com. The Washington Post is small potatoes compared to his other businesses. But it's still important and he uses it to enhance and advance his various stakes in the global economy. As I said, DC politicos all read the WaPo. And not just them: many other important people read it too. All.around.the.world.
Should some politico take a position for or against Bezos' interests the WaPo will dutifully take an interest in him.
If someone, say Bo Jiden, comes along - someone who will advance Bezos' dream of a worldwide commune of five hundred million obedient minions - he's going to get good press. No doubt about it. A team of reporters will be assigned to cover Jiden - and to cover for him. If any of these reporters dig up something the editors at WaPo don't like it'll get spiked. Do this too often and the reporter(s) will be called in for a heart to heart with their editor.
Suppose a reporter uncovers a dirty bomb story about a laptop once owned by the President's son. Lots of dirt. Emails detailing a globe spanning ring of grifting. And not only that: child pornography! And more than that: child abuse pornography...! What then? Given Bezos' investment in Jiden is that cat going to get let out of the bag?
Journalism majors come out of college owing a great deal of money. Just like the rest of us do. However, to get fully accredited as "journalists" - and land a paying job - they really need an MA. Another two years. By the time a journalism major graduates from their program, depending on the school they go to, they can easily have $125,000 in student debt. And it's going to take a looong time to pay that down. The big papers like WaPo pay their reporters reasonably well and our journalist has a degree from a prestigious school of journalism at a prestigious university so they take a job at WaPo.
But the new journalist soon learns that stories are expected to be covered from a "certain perspective". The factually correct stories he submits get sent back with "corrections" the editor wants. Corrections the new journalist knows are false. Or at least half truths. After a while in such a warped milieu the reporter is going to be faced with a choice: to go along - or get out.
An honest reporter WILL get out. Period. Jeff Bezos' business demands be damned. He'll find another way to pay off his college debt. It might not pay as well as WaPo or the others but at least he won't be having to lie anymore. So, props to him! His good angel won the tug of war.
But what of the journalists who take the deal? The George Wills, the Thomas Friedmans, the Keith Olbermans, the Brian Stelters...? How do they manage to look in their mirrors and not feel repelled by the once human thing looking back at them?
There's an economic principle called Gresham's Law: "Bad money drives out good." In short, counterfeit or debauched coinage tends to stay in circulation - while honest coin is kept. This results in a debased currency. Gresham's Law has its human application too. For our purpose: fake news drives out real news.
Honest journalists, departing as they do, leave the profession firmly in the hands of the grifters. These might start out simply wanting to get out from under the weight of their student debt. But after awhile they rise - and maybe start making real $$$. They also gain the applause of their fellow grifters, journalists and others, who tell them how great their last article was and what an inspiration they are! Still, like the demons who urge them on they know it's a lie. But also like the demons, the bigger the lie the bigger the applause. Maybe they justify it all to themselves by saying, "If the dumb sob's believe this stuff then they deserve to be lied to."
None of this is difficult to understand. It also explains why today the msm invariably sings whatever song the establishment is singing: the establishment signs their paychecks. QED.
It wasn't always this way in America. Maybe the last eighty years or so. Unfortunately, many people who get a newspaper don't read past the headlines. Those who do probably don't get past five or six paragraphs. And of those who do read the entire story, the story is still a pack of lies. Remember Nayira? The WMD's? Russian collusion? Trump lost the 2020 election fair and square? Covid? Nick Sandmann? Kyle Rittenhouse? The Hunter Biden laptop "Russian conspiracy"...? It's become so habitual for them the media will lie when the truth would serve them better.
Now we are being told that Russia, for no other reason than to sate the demented ego of Adolf Putler, has invaded a harmless, peace-loving neighbor - joyfully destroying everything in sight - and killing women, children and old people. Ignore how none of it makes any sense. The msm must suddenly be believed. Even as they now are being forced to admit their previous lies!
Well, there are plenty of gullibles in the world that shit will stick to.
However, in a very strange twist to recent events the msm has begun to shift tack with Bo Jiden... "Ready about! Hard a'lee!" His obvious befuddlement is now being discussed; and even more significantly his own son has come under attack. Hunter's laptop has become front page news in the mockingbird media - all over the world.
The sceptic in me smells a regime change coming. Will Creepy Joe soon find himself in the crosshairs of a "Russian Assassin"? Stranger things have happened in America.
Citizenfitz
I was thinking about the lying media the other day siting at a red light. It occurred to me that the MSM is actually, ironically a good source of news. Just take what they are saying on any controversial political or moral issue, and assume the opposite.
ReplyDeletePutin is losing the war and committing crimes against humanity? No - he is winning. It is the US/NATO committing crimes against humanity. Low #s of Canadian truckers in the Canadian convoy? Nope, that mean's high numbers. And so on. I imagine those in the alternative news (ex: Citizens Free Press, Breitbart, Info Wars, Bannon's War Room, etc) use the MSM as a guide, to know what is the truth by assuming they are lying.