I did a little radio news in the late 60s. The news director was a guy named Bill Whelan. He was an old-school news guy, in the tradition of Ed Murrow, et als… He got a lot of flack from some listeners for being a dove on Vietnam. Actually, he was the only near-hawk in the station. But he was a pro.
When I see how far news has fallen–even at CBS, the best of them–I weep.
“I will also remind you that giving statements to the media or sharing negative information about the company can have huge implications,”
Excellent example of corporate media, who remember they’re a corporation first and a member of the media second… or perhaps not an actual member of the media at all.
I’ve done journalism and other forms of communication for owners who weren’t themselves part of the culture. Only very rarely did any of them have or even understand a commitment to fair-minded reportage. They understand their influence. But their responsibility to the community—they’re as clueless as dogs about that one. And like most humans they’re entirely unable to have a perspective that transcends their own personal biases.
Frankly, we really should’ve known the 1st Amendment’s death would be an inside job.
Bye bye Murikkka. Was nice knowing ya.
Tyrants and would be tyrants seek to control the news and public information as a means of manipulating citizens and to retain an iron grip on power, to wit, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump
This concept needs to be better known
Great article on the WGN (Chicago) reaction to their pending acquisition by Sinclair…
http://www.robertfeder.com/2018/04/03/chicagos-peril-wgn-tries-keep-lid-sinclair-resistance/
“Not with a bang, but with a referral to corporate.”
The fix is in. Sinclair will get no attention for monopolistic behavior and the conservatives’ willingness, in their desperation to avoid the effect of demographic shifts they are powerless to stop, to abandon the social contract and do whatever is necessary to secure power for white Christian nationalism, will finally bear fruit. This shit is real. It is a sign of a democracy that has been rendered completely and utterly foundering because one “side” of the country has decided they’re fed up with democracy if it means people who are different or disagree with them get to have power and a voice and thereby thwart their will…and they are now 100% willing to simply throw democracy out with the bathwater if that’s what it takes to secure permanent primacy. I’ve been saying it since 2008 and nobody seems to have listened or believed me. Well, LOOK AROUND. The public is being gaslighted and desensitized while the slowly shred the Constitution and our democratic institutions.
I can’t stress this enough: NOW is the time for people to be acting. Not November. Not tomorrow. Not after there’s enough “evidence” to satisfy people that “oh shit, they really ARE willing to go THERE”. Not once the media decides to defend itself. NOW.
Patti Weiss was a first-rate local broadcaster on KVOA-Tucson for decades and she has good reason to be proud of her son.
There are two solutions to the political and corporate conservative assault on our country - boycott all corporations and entities like Sinclair and vote all the bastards out of office at the next opportunity. Encourage others to do the same. Wash, rinse and repeat until thoroughly cleaned.
P.S. And for god’s sake, don’t let this memo get out or we’ve just undermined our entire message. The idea that journalists can’t be trusted to talk to journalists would REALLY make us look bad and show that we’re the villains we were warning people about the whole time and we don’t want that. Remember, you’re nothing but actors reading a script and can easily be replaced with sexbots once we figure out how to do the hair right.
The obvious answer: advertisers must pull their ads, AKA money, from these stations until Sinclair backs off.
This video compilation is the best one I’ve seen yet. This is extremely dangerous to our democracy. If I was a non-Sinclair competitor, I’d be running this as a commercial for my own station.
This nonsense is only proof that Sinclair is run by amateurs. Bragging about something usually sets off alarms in the minds of viewers whose immediate reaction is, “You’re lying”. John Oliver will get better ratings for exposing it.
Or just loop John Oliver’s segment on this story.
Yes, but people need to let it be known to the advertisers that they must do that.
OK, these are private companies, BUT they are using the public airwaves. So, there clearly are ways for elected representatives to end this stuff, break up news monopolies, etc. through legislation. Congress? Oh, I forgot. Well, how about after the midterms?
Incidentally, most hard-core conservatives are in favor of “freedom of speech.” Sinclair telling its anchors what to say is hardly that. It’s worth a shot to push this angle.
Privatization of the Ministry of Truth. A natural outgrowth of the Gingrich Revolution!
There sure is major pushback.