Thursday, July 23, 2015

Am I over-analyzing the main-stream media?


Today is July 23, 2015. The reason I'm adding this date is that these links may actually be updated to reflect something different when you see them.

I knew what I would find when I embarked on a mission to see just how the main-stream media are reporting on Bernie Sanders. Just see for yourself: #WhereIsBernieSanders

ABC News Political Page: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics
CBS News Political Page: http://www.cbsnews.com/politics/
NBC News Political page: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics

Oh look, We found him at the bottom of this Second-Tier main-stream page:

MSNBC Democracts News Page: http://www.msnbc.com/democrats

Of course it was framed to imply that Bernie Sanders was at the very least absent-minded about civil rights, when in reality he's been fighting for civil rights his whole adult life.

Not Here, however:

Fox News Politics Page: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/index.html

In college I learned why these news sources avoid reporting on people like Senator Sanders. They rely on continued financial support from corporations that either own them or advertise on them. Of course they must avoid Bernie Sanders like the plague. His ideas do not favor those who hoard wealth. But this was not always the case.

Originally, newspapers were supported by subscribers. An equitable distribution of support that allowed the media freedom to report honestly about how the vast majority of people were treated, until the Railroad Barons, Oil Barons and other industrialists began buying up newspapers and hiring reporters to print more favorable articles. The newspapers that still reported on the horrible living and working conditions of the poor were labeled as "Muck-Raking." One pioneer of this propaganda was William Randolph Hearst, who was obliquely featured in the film Citizen Kane.

Today, the Internet provides invaluable alternative resources that allow us to examine the main-stream media for glaring omissions, distractions, distortions, and outright lies, which unfortunately, are becoming all too common.

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