And what of the lapdogs of the corporate media?
Can we agree that the myth of the media being liberal is finally completely debunked?
So far, there’s been the embedded reporters in Iraq, Judith Miller on Iraq, Robert Novak on Valerie Plame, examples of the NY Times withholding info for a year, ABC News and Sinclair Broadcasting hit pieces claiming Bill Clinton was responsible for the lapses that might have prevented 9-11, ex-military analysts coached to spread war propaganda on all the major news networks (some of them profiting financially from that), etc. & etc. And now Jessica Yellin is speaking out about deliberate editing of the news and not-so-subtle persuasion coming from corporate higher-ups…. plus all the other examples Glenn Greenwald cites: Katie Couric, Ashleigh Banfield, Phil Donohue.
This is nothing less than compelling evidence that, in terms of our establishment press, our media is anything but “free.” Corporate executives continuously suppressed critical reporting of the Government and the war and forced their paid reporters to mimic the administration line. The evidence proving that comes not from media critics or shrill left-wing bloggers but from those who work at these news outlets, including some of their best-known and highest-paid journalists who are attesting to such facts from first-hand knowledge despite its being in their interests not to speak out about such things.
* * * * *
Yesterday was actually quite an extraordinary day in our political culture because Scott McClellan’s revelations forced the establishment media to defend themselves against long-standing accusations of their corruption and annexation by the government — criticisms which, until yesterday, they literally just ignored, blacked-out, and suppressed. Bizarrely enough, it took a “tell-all” Washington book from Scott McClellan, of all people, to force these issues out into the open, and he seems — unwittingly or otherwise — to have opened a huge flood gate that has long been held tightly shut.
Network executives obviously know that these revelations are quite threatening to their brand. Yesterday, they wheeled out their full stable of multi-millionaire corporate stars who play the role of authoritative journalists on the TV to join with their White House allies in mocking and deriding McClellan’s claims. One media star after the next — Tom Brokaw, David Gregory, Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams, Tim Russert, Wolf Blitzer — materialized in sync to insist that nothing could be more absurd than the suggestion that they are “deferential, complicit enablers” in government propaganda.
I have little doubt that they would be telling the truth if they denied what Yellin reported last night. People like Williams, Gibson and Gregory don’t need to be told to refrain from reporting critically about the war and the White House because challenging Government claims isn’t what they do. And amazingly, they admitted that explicitly yesterday. Gibson and Gregory both invoked the cliched excuse of the low-level bureaucrat using almost identical language: exposing government lies “is not our job.”
Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and company are paid to play the role of TV reporters but, in reality, are mere television emcees — far more akin to circus ringleaders than journalists. It’s just as simple as that. David Halberstam pointed that out some time ago. Unlike Yellin, Donahue and Banfield, nobody needed to pressure the likes of Williams, Gibson and Russert to serve as propaganda handmaidens for the White House. It’s what they do quite eagerly on their own, which is precisely why they’re in the corporate positions they’re in. They are smooth, undisruptive personalities who don’t create problems for their executives. Watching them finally describe how they perceive of “their role” leaves no doubt about any of that.
* * * * *
This is the most vital point: this is not a matter of mere historical interest. This is not about how the media operated five years ago during an aberrational time in our history. This is about how they functioned then and how they function now. The same people who did all of this still run these media organizations and it’s the same coddled, made-up personalities still playing the role of “journalist.”
That’s what makes the NYT “military analyst” story so significant, and it’s why it’s so revealing that the establishment media black-out of that story continues. Not just in 2003, but through 2008, the networks relied upon Pentagon-controlled propagandists to masquerade as their “independent analysts.” Those analysts repeatedly spouted patently false government propaganda without challenge. The numerous financial incentives and ideological ties these analysts had were concealed. And these networks, now that this is all revealed and even with multiple investigations underway, still refuse to tell their viewers about any of it.
It’s not the Nightly News and hasn’t been for the past quarter century. It’s Fractured Fairy Tales. It’s the direct result of Reagan’s FCC, which stopped enforcing longstanding policy then officially eliminated the policy 21 years ago. It was the policy that compelled corporate broadcasters to present objective balance in their editorial content.
And after the Fairness Doctrine was ended, the majority of the corporate media rushed to fill the void with their own Unfairness Doctrines. Examples of critical reporting of both sides of a story or of certifiable facts that counter White House propaganda now are the rare exceptions to the rule.
A few reporters here and there, McClatchy News and Gannett News, a handful of old-timers like Seymour Hersh: these are the best and dwindling evidence of a ‘liberal’ bent to news reportage. And that’s only if you believe that digging for and revealing the truth is ‘liberal’ while willingly passing on the lies of elected officials is ‘conservative.’
In reality, real journalism always begins with skepticism about ‘official’ versions of what’s going on. It’s always been more essential to the health of our democracy than any of our government’s three branches, with the Judicial branch a close second.
But all these revelations make clear that our democracy is terribly unhealthy. And when a White House administration quickly becomes known for its secrecy, censorship, fear-based campaign strategies, disenfranchisement of minority voters, attacks on peoples’ patriotism, stonewalling of investigations and active efforts to cost opponents and media critics their jobs, our democracy is at its unhealthiest and in danger of collapse.
Moving back from the brink of that disaster is not liberal. It’s as American as the wise founders who created the Bill of Rights to protect our country from exactly the types of abuses conservatives and corporatists are foisting upon us today.
Update: Over at Firedoglake, Emptywheel points out that McClellan has finally confirmed that Bush and Cheney conspired to leak Valerie Plame’s identity, thus ruining a spy network that was developed to protect us from countries hostile to our interests from developing WMDs. That’s neither liberalism nor conservatism. That’s treasonous, damaging to our nation’s security and deserving of impeachment and conviction.
Nobody expects Congress to pursue that course after that was flatly ruled out by our Congressional leaders. The argument advanced - that it would be too polarizing - lacks any merit. The logical suspicion is that a few Democrats privy to more information than the public got, would also be tarnished for granting Bush leeway to proceed with various illegal actions, most notably the constitutional violations of illegal wiretapping but potentially elsewhere, too.
I may be a Democrat, but I’m an American and humanitarian before and above that, so I’ll critique Democrats where they fall short. And I can accept a Blue Dog like retired Senator Bob Graham - who was forthright about the lack of evidence on Iraq - over those like Jane Harman, because I maintain the notion that the federal government’s first and most essential purpose is providing good decisionmaking on national security based on the facts, not ideological bullcrap that shields the public from the interests being advanced… or damaged. My partisanship remains, above all, the best interests of a civilized world.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Excellent essay on the Media.
Don’t forget MSNBC Chris Mathews and his special guest Journalist, Andrea Mitchell wife of former Federal Board Chairman Allen Greespan. Terrific connections all privy to trillion dollar deals way to complicit to big big money. Please understand I have no axe to grind but that connection is curious corruption beyond anything one could dream of, the dream team of social imbalance especially after Greenspan claims that he saw this mortgage melt down coming yet ditches the Fed position is really something.
All laughable, but you do show the in depth complicity that is happening across the public domain electromagnetic spectrum. Very sad indeed. If America had a fee on every commercial America would likely be able to fund the entire health plan and social security needed for a retirement age of fifty!!LOL.
May 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Oh, Christ the sweetheart connections are endless; the media/government/industrial complex never ends… Bob Schieffer’s brother Tom was made ambassador to Japan; Ted Koppel’s BFF is Colin Powell; freaking John Yoo is married to Peter Arnett’s daughter…
This is a longstanding embedded situation. Note that the husband of the candidate who has lost but won’t go away did virtually nothing to stop the insidious trend of the destruction of the fourth estate– the only nongovernmental profession mentioned in the Constitution, btw– as corporate power has simply accumulated in every conceivable sphere, with the help of a government complicit in that accumulation.
Excellent points all, Kevin, especially on the fairness doctrine. Old Scottie is clearly a piece of work, but if this is what gets the abomination otherwise known as our corporate whore media called on this, then God bless him. Not how you bet, though.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
.
Yeah.
Nobody under 40 reads newspapers anymore. Nobody over 40 is going to have their fixed outlook changed by them. Journalism as we knew it is dead. It can’t survive in the vacuum of disinterest.
After all the pooh-poohed warnings of the dangers of corporatizing the electronic media, here we are. Ironically, it was the Repukelickin’s who started the audience exodus away from the “liberal” mainstream media, which conservatives control today. Now nobody is watching their nonsense any more.
People who care about what is actually happening in the world can access thousands of sources on their computers. They can talk directly to real people and the few remaining honest professional journalists, planet-wide, in real time, 24/7/52. They don’t need the overpriced talking heads and their canned opinions.
As for the rest of the population, the good old grapevine works just fine. Reality has a way of making itself heard, however long it takes. Just look at the stubborn insistence of a majority of the American people in sticking with Barack Obama, even after being told not to by the media, a hundred times an hour for six months. Yoo-hoo, nobody is listening any more! We’re out here voting & organizing and talking to each other about our democracy. Here’s a scoop for you: We’re taking it back. In the words of one of you media slimeballs, “YOU’RE FIRED!!!”
.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:32 am
You liberal fascists have been trying to kill talk-radio because you really don’t have a message. You don’t have real policies, except warmed-over socialist bromides that have been tried almost everywhere and don’t really work anywhere except maybe Scandanavia. The reason talk radio is conservative is because there is no conservative alternative on the electronic or print media— even FOX News—on top in cable for the last 77 months, is basically centrist. Ditto the WSJ. And wacko-cable like MSNBC is unwatched. Wonder why? Nobody buys their BS.
The liberal fascists want to kill talk radio for the same reason the Kennedy Administration did back in the early ’60s, to deny a strong conservative base its rallying point. Back then, all broadcast networks were in thrall to the liberal media. Now the MSM is still liberal, but more people listen to talk radio daily than watch TV news.
The liberal fascists lie and exaggerate every shortcoming, but Republicans keep on getting re-elected. And it ain’t because of the very liberal media, it’s because of the basic conservatism of the American people—something liberal fascists cannot change.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I’ve haven’t seen the whack job daveinboca for a while. he’s always good for a laugh. or he’s a damn good parody, I’ve never made up my mind about him/her/it.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:45 am
You liberal fascists have been trying to kill talk-radio because you really don’t have a message. You don’t have real policies, except warmed-over socialist bromides that have been tried almost everywhere and don’t really work anywhere except maybe Scandanavia. The reason talk radio is conservative is because there is no conservative alternative on the electronic or print media— even FOX News—on top in cable for the last 77 months, is basically centrist. Ditto the WSJ. And wacko-cable like MSNBC is unwatched. Wonder why? Nobody buys their BS.
You Republican’t Putsch fellators have been suppressing the news when it doesn’t fit with the propaganda your house military analysts have been pushing in the mainstream media. It’s kind of amusing to see spittle flecked rants like this from bullshitters like you saying that no one buys their BS while you’ve been unloading your dren on the unsuspecting public.
Then again, intellectual, moral and ethical consistency has never been high on the Republican’t values list…
The liberal fascists want to kill talk radio for the same reason the Kennedy Administration did back in the early ’60s, to deny a strong conservative base its rallying point. Back then, all broadcast networks were in thrall to the liberal media. Now the MSM is still liberal, but more people listen to talk radio daily than watch TV news.
Conservative fascists like daveinboca somehow fail to notice that they’ve been trying to stifle any liberal media outlet from telling the truth about the impeachable offenses the Texas Souffle has been engaging in since the day after he stole the first federal election with his Supreme Court buddies. His bald-faced lies about networks being in thrall to the liberal media would be hilarious if there weren’t so many mental midgets like him that actually believe this bullshit…
The liberal fascists lie and exaggerate every shortcoming, but Republicans keep on getting re-elected. And it ain’t because of the very liberal media, it’s because of the basic conservatism of the American people—something liberal fascists cannot change.
This is also quite amusing after Republican’t spent over $70 million of taxpayer money to sniff Hillary’s panties during the presidency of the last legally elected chief executive. Funny how that was okay, but when an illegally installed drunken cokeheaded Republican’t deserter is at the controls and engaging in impeachable offenses, Reich wing Republican’t fascists like daveinboca start thrashing around, blaming everyone but themselves for the mess they’ve gotten the country into.
Smarter brain dead reich wing Republican’t morans, please…
May 30th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Dear DaveInBoca;
A fascist blends government and corporatism. Real liberals are opposed to that, so your name-calling begins by defining an impossibility.
I never mentioned talk radio. I never said the Fairness Doctrine should be re-instituted. However, I do think it should be, for television.
I’m perfectly content to let the Limbaughs and Savages exist in the radio marketplace. I think good liberal talk show hosts exist and they should compete on merits alone.
As you note, socialist policies work in Scandinavia. Why there and not elsewhere? Certain socialist programs seem to work fine elsewhere - including here. Healthcare, education, Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, worker’s comp, public libraries, WIC, Head Start, and numerous other examples easily defeat your claims.
As for Republicans getting elected, the US Senate has had a small majority of Republicans for about 12 of the past 70 years and the House’s record is only slightly better. Only the White House has tilted Republican, 28-12 in the past 40 years. And only 3 of those 7 wins drew more than 52% support of the populace, and 1 lost the popular vote. Before that 40 years, the Dems held the White House for 28 of 36 years.
So as gently as I can put it, Dave, you’re delusional or lying, which qualifies you to run for the Republican nomination to become president and be somebody besides an ignorant blog troll incapable of influencing anyone.