Wednesday, February 21, 2007

What Is News

Pat Oliphant had one of his usual excellent cartoons commenting on what is pawned off as "news" by the mainstreem media, which I sent off to a friend of mine.

The friend's response to the Oliphant cartoon, followed by my reply to the friend:


>>I am amazed at all the news of Anna Nicole.

It distracts the masses from things that are important.


>>I think someone first manipulated her son's death, then hers.

Maybe. One of my health newsletters, sent within hours of when Anna Nicole's death was announced, said that her son, and perhaps Anna as well, died from a not-uncommon combination of antidepressants and a common cold remedy. Betcha don't remember that from the mass-media's coverage of her son's passing...


>>An attorney wouldn't do this.........would he?

What's the difference between an attorney and a prostitute?
A prostitute stops when you're dead.

Oh yeah. The # 1 reason attorneys get disbarred? Money, usually swiping that of their clients, oftentimes to support their chemical habits (drugs and/or alcohol).


>>I've been reading too many mystery novels.

Nope. But study up on the pharmaceutical drug cartel, brainwashing of the masses, medication of the masses. Much more interesting real-life mysteries, and ones that, once you understand them, can help others to improve their world.


>>It is amazing what our newscasters focus on and what Americans in general are
>>interested in. Doesn't say much for most of us.

But what if the corporate media focused on important stuff? For example, Robert Krulwich of NPR makes economics and science interesting. Oprah has quite a following. Bill Moyers is great at "Big Picture" stuff. Bill Buckley's "Firing Line", when he was in his prime, was extremely mentally stimulating even when one disagreed with him.

Perhaps it's a chicken-and-egg situation, or perhaps we live in a nation of sheep. Or both.

Many decades ago, the public airwaves were considered to belong to the people, to be used for the public good. Beginning with Reagan, and accellerating with Clinton, that operating principle got quietly tossed out the window. Besides the corporate media, major problems have been created--deliberately--by the move to standardized tests. The elites decided that a nation of people that were capable of thinking for themselves could be rather dangerous. So starting in the mid-60's came the onslaught of standardized tests, accellerated recently by No Standardized Test Left Behind, and now FauxNews is attacking schoolteachers as being more dangerous than the O-Man (Did I send you that item?). This evening at Costco there was a new book out by some nutjob I haven't heard of before [Somebody's Gotta Say It by Neal Boortz] that made the same point, that schoolteachers are the biggest threat to our young people. VERY dangerous trend.

TLC

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