A news story that shouldn't go away...just yet.

[Scorn]

The New York Times' Frank Rich wrote this article in todays paper
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/arts/20rich.html?pagewanted=1&th (registration required - it's free)
The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'

regarding the Jeff Gannon (his real name is James D. Guckert) fiasco. I'm certain that it wouldn't matter who the Administration was, this kind of thing exists everywhere. Could you imagine what would have happened were this to have occured 30 years ago?
Lets get real...if only for the sake of truth. And perhaps lies were not exactly uncovered but this sort of media manipulation needs to be exposed. All media should be accountable. Starting with the enormous government media machines.

"It is a brilliant strategy. When the Bush administration isn't using taxpayers' money to buy its own fake news, it does everything it can to shut out and pillory real reporters who might tell Americans what is happening in what is, at least in theory, their own government. Paul Farhi of The Washington Post discovered that even at an inaugural ball he was assigned "minders" - attractive women who wouldn't give him their full names - to let the revelers know that Big Brother was watching should they be tempted to say anything remotely off message."

 

[Scorn]

Yeah I've been following that one. Pretty crazy.
Jane Akre and Steve Wilson have now submitted a petition to the FCC to stop the renewal of their licence for WTVT.
http://www.foxbghsuit.com/PetitiontoDenyWTVTlicense.pdf

And to add: the entire premise of the appeal by WTVT, not to mention it's success, makes the defendants look worse in my opinion, not righteous.

An example of profits trumping the public good and all round bad corporate citizenry.

 

[Sunstone]

News is becoming no better, nor more truthful, than entertainment.

 

[painted wolf]

Hence I try to get most of my news from the BBC, at least the US Government or major corportaitons isn't running them.

Did you know that 90% of US media is owned by just seven Major Corportations. Thats News, TV, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, Music, and Movies.
Thats seven corporate controlled points of view on the world.

wa:do

 

[Dr. Nosophoros]

The saddest part about all of it is that you could put that out over and over and use some of the other many examples out there, and for the most part, I think the general population would rather believe the lie instead of trying to get the truth because the lie is more comfortable.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I know I'm completely and totally ignorant when it comes to most current events, and whether or not the show presenting them is biased, but one that I usually find insightful is the "Daily Show". When I had cable, I would tune in and delight at actually hearing some of my thoughts about the current administration being reflected back at me. (Usually in much wittier ways that I'd be able to think of.) I sometimes wish I still had cable, just so I could watch that. (Well, and "Adult Swim," of course.) Is it sometimes easiest to deal with horrific things by presenting them in a funny way?

 

[Dr. Nosophoros]

Is it sometimes easiest to deal with horrific things by presenting them in a funny way?

Sometimes you have to laugh about things so you don't cry about them- overall it helps one from going insane