news or propaganda

I hear about all kinds of politically related stuff thru my news feed and generally never read much past the headlines of even the biggest stories. I wait....... Rule of thumb is that for the first week or so all you are going to get is skewed propaganda designed to manipulate you into thinking a certain way about the story. It's only later that the "alternative" stories start to come out, many times from people who were actually there and saw and heard what actually happened. I do not believe there is any media that does not do this. And I have witnessed media blackouts for certain things as well which is part of it.... It's mind control tactics, pure and simple. I'm a writer myself and I totally understand the mechanics of swaying people by simply using just the right words or phrases. So I am wondering how or why anyone believes anything they read or hear that comes from the mouths of government spokespeople and not thru the mouths of REAL people, and why anyone would discount the actual first person accounts and let themselves be led by liars..... No, never mind. I actually do know why, just wondering what someone else thought about it.

 

Just because someone gives a first-person account, does not mean that they are not trying to advance a specific agenda.

Can you give specific examples? I'm not really sure what the point of your post is.

 

The sole purpose of the news is to basically disseminate propaganda. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe this, because even one of the gurus of the left, Noam Chomsky, said the purpose the media serves is mostly to manufacture consent. He's right. It's about that and other things to do with shaping people's minds and molding their reality. You'd have to be a fool to believe anything the media reports when they have so openly lied so many times in the past -- and yes, this includes a good majority of the big alternative media conspiracy websites, too. I don't even really follow the news anymore. I follow the headlines, and maybe gather a brief overview of the story that's being covered, then I let my intuition and existing knowledge take over from there. The news is just noise -- that's all.

 

I actually just started reading Manufacturing Consent a couple of days ago. Funny that you mention that.

 

Rat got it.

 

Amount of times I personally have used the word propaganda: just now. I literally never, ever use common words of the day (such as "trajectory"). The less I conform the more free (me) I am.

Here's one of my favorite sources for some news, Deek Jackson of the FKN NEWZ. He's mysteriously dropped off the face of the internet, I hope he wasn't killed by government. He could've disappeared on purpose to create a conspiracy on purpose.. he's certainly clever enough.

https://www.youtube.com/user/fknnewz

 

I only follow my own thoughts, all of which are true. So yeah, you should all listen to me because I know so much about the world.

 

The news is garbage. Stay away from television news. It's so passive, does the thinking for you.

 

Chomsky is da man!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQhEBCWMe44"]Noam Chomsky Manufacturing Consent - YouTube

"They who have put out the peoples eye's
reproach them of their blindness" ~John Milton 1642

 

The kind of propaganda mainstream media purveys is really less about what they tell you and more about what they leave out.

 

Well according to The Wall Street Journal: in The Detroit bankruptcy, The City's creditors and bondholders will get $0.20 on the Dollar in settlement.
In: The Catholic Worker, the figure is given at $0.80 on the dollar.

News can seem different from various sources. Ya gotta read around sometimes.

News is always a great conversation starter.

 

I've found the 'alternative' media sources to be far, far more manipulative and sensationalistic than the mainstream ones. I would even go so far as to suggest that they do a lot more to erode journalistic standards in general because suddenly the mainstream/public news outlets are forced to compete with 'OMG IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD YOUR FREEDOMS ARE DYING IT'S A COVERUP CONSPIRACY OMG OMG'.

Don't get me wrong it's not a good idea to unquestioningly follow anyone, but the idea that someone like Alex Jones could be considered 'the only person willing to tell the truth' is preposterous... he's a corporation just like the rest, but in some ways he's worse because he acts like he's not.

I don't think I could trust any one source to be completely objective... everyone has an agenda, and chances are the average person does not and cannot know enough about the facts to make a truly informed decision-- it's all basically blind faith. Nobody knows what the future is going to be, or how certain decisions are going to affect us all.

 

You have to look at a lot of different sources before you figure out what you believe about a story or issue, filtering it all through your own background knowledge. Every source has its own bias, and the internet is no better than TV. Dealing with that complexity is just part of being an adult.

 

I now understand why my parents had the views on things that they did. Back when there were only 3 channels. And life, like TV was more black and white.

 

But there were still newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and books for those who wanted to dig below the surface for greater understanding. And it's always been worthwhile to travel and talk to people with different backgrounds.

It never has been and never will be good to get too much of your information from any one source. If you do, you'll end up with the same biases as that source has, or wants you to have.

 

Bold mine.

Why would anyone let themselves be led by liars? That is an interesting question and one that I have pondered. I'd like to hear your reasons why, especially since you're a writer yourself

Why would anyone let themselves be led by liars?

I don't think any rational person would consciously let themselves be led by liars but rational people can be led by liars if they are decieved.

 

The "news" isn't there to inform you. It's there to distract you.

 

That reminds me of Roger Ailes' Orchestra Pit Theory:

 

Agreed. But the trouble is that to act in that way you have to possess a certain level of critical intelligence which I fear is sadly lacking in a lot of people, even in the majority of people.
Hence they (ie the great mass of people) just passively consume news shows like any other form of TV entertainment.
Same with newspapers.

And as regards propaganda, it's newspapers that I find particularly annoying.

Here in the Uk for instance, we have the Sun, a low level low life tabloid which seems only to cater to the very worst in people.
But what I find alarming is that although the language in which it's written is a kind of dumbed down, simplified code of language, it's obvious that the people who write and edit this garbage don't speak like that themselves. It looks to me very much like propaganda designed by a power elite to influence and control the minds of the lower echelons of society. Folks who assume that if the Sun says it, it must be right. And that's the extent of their reality tunnel.

Andy Coulson, former Sun editor and special advisor to David Cameron is currently on trial for phone hacking and paying bribes, along with Rebecca Brooks, long time Murdoch crony, former editor of the now defunct News of the World, and personal friend of guess who.. the same Mr. Cameron.
She's also a pal of Tony Blair, and texts between the pair have been submitted in evidence at the trial.

Seems to me that all these folks are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to what they want the public to think.

It's true there are better Papers - unfortunately in the UK they are all right leaning except maybe the Guardian, but even the Guardian can be annoying at times, although they've done some good things, and Glen Greenwald should be up along with Snowden for a Nobel prize.

 

"Right wing extremest attacks and pushes someone into the orchestra pit"?