As I was commenting on someone's website regarding election coverages, it became apparent how universal the problem of delivering news coverage from a totally unbiased perspective can be.
And unfortunately, our large neighbor to the south of us continues to set the bar for the rest of the world in allowing unfettered, biased news coverages to flourish in mainstream media.
But, it is not my intention to paint everyone with same brush, and as an example, some of what's on Fox news can hardly be viewed as being unbiased or 'fair and balanced' . The news arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire often allows for preferential treatment of viewing many topics for 'serious' discussion from a very right wing perspective - meaning the traditional status quo rationale is fine, and doesn't need rethinking, or retooling. This is why I don't bother watching Fox news - and the few times I've attempted, I have to report, I felt lobotomized as that style of salacious news reporting requires its viewers to have a lobotomy to take it seriously.
But, for the matter of a large media organization owned and paid for by big business, and for the inherent purpose of enhancing its own economic protection, reporting on the news can allow for the 'truth' in journalism under the helm of this ear mongering guise to be jeopardized to say the least. To use an old expression: This is akin to allowing the fox watch over the hen house. It might not happen all the time, but the fox is sure to get hungry once in a while.
But, all the same, within many news organizations, this traditional practice is very self serving, and often leads to fervently blocking attempts to examine an important issue in enough detail, so as to result in a well researched information before true tragedy happens, i.e. the Vietnam war, or the war in Iraq today (see independent photo journalist sites if you have the stomach for it - for how very destructive this course of action has been to real humans - women and children, - 'collateral damage').
Its easy to understand how many individuals either through, a combination of coercion, the continual act of self preservation to keep their jobs, fear, or general induced conditioning from early on will actively aid in undermining the above attempts at uncovering the 'real' truth. Then of course, I have to acknowledge the competing interests of working in the real world. The economy and the question of jobs is to be given real consideration.
But it is by this method of pushing ( exaggerating) the truth a little further over time, for instance - the fashion conditioning of product placement that promises you a new experience over the old that eventually leads to something like the 'war on terror' of today. It becomes more difficult for the bulk of the populace busily engaging in their day to day activities of making a living, and driving the kids to after school programs to have the time or energy to discern the truth from reality. Or, if they can, they feel too busy and out of breath to have the energy to do much about it, and instead escape into a movie. (I have nothing against movies if they're well written, inspiring, or have something to say, and yes, from time to time, being only human, I admit I occasionally feel the need to escape into a trash fix myself).
To take a page from history, Hitler introduced a powerful propaganda stratagem to great effect; persuade the public through a constant campaign using fear as a motivator, and self preservation as a focus. He spent the national treasury on building a great military, and a powerful national voice to cheer lead for it. He caused the human suffering of millions. While his star was rising in the early years, people were afraid to speak out lest they become the object of aggression, or ridicule from their fellow countrymen, and also became the targets of domestic police attention or searches. Does any of this sound familiar?
Not much has changed in seventy years. Today, honest journalism is threatened everywhere by the same, old pitfalls; the ability of our wonderful, charismatic human spirit, and nature to become corrupted - by the need for self-preservation, coercion, fear, conditioning, self- interests, and ultimately - ego- I'm right - you're wrong.
It may be considered cynical, at least pessimistic in this next remark, but I think it's safe to assume there are many journalists working for privately owned news organizations under these same conditions. They are not able to work as 'honest' journalists in the same way I would consider as being honest. There is a constant need to self-censor, and be politically correct to their employer. Perhaps if they wish to keep their jobs, the best they can do, is to leave helpful clues, and subtle hints for the public to follow.
One has only to look at the myriad of puzzles we face on a daily basis to begin to understand something smells of deceit. Take Newton's Third Law; 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'. In other words, before the 'war on terror' began in earnest - on TV and radio, we were not bothered by not knowing about it. It was not in our vocabulary, not on our radar screen. Since 9/11 however, the 'war on terror' is all around us. It is all we can think about. It is all consuming in our preoccupations.
It is the reason gas prices are so high. It follows then through the production of ethanol (because gas prices are high), why food prices are going up. It is the reason we are in Iraq, and Afghanistan. It is the reason why thousands of contractors are making premium salaries off of a manufactured war. (see Iran's stolen Presidential democratic election in 1953 by Britain and the U.S. for Standard Oil now BP )
But, (and this will be for a future post) are we yet expected to receive an honest answer to the real reasons for all this? Take the big question to begin with; Why did 9/11 happened in the first place? Fox news doesn't want to talk about it, or they simply say that Osama Bin Ladin is crazy, and has it in for America. As a matter of fact, has CNN highlighted how Saddam Hussein was aided in his own dictatorship to maintain his loyalty? Or, what about Iraq's historical relationship with its neighbor, Iran? There are specific historical events there that have been deemed of 'no value' in discussing, passed off as 'ancient history', or of no 'relevance importance' in relation to today's situation. Yet, it is these actions of the past aided by western powers that creates much of the chaos we find ourselves in today.
We are making the same mistakes today, for the very reason that mainstream media refuses to openly discuss the true root causes.
Some would say this is why we in Canada have the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) - to protect our airwaves from being inundated with only one point of view.
I would have to agree; CBC Radio being a Corporation to the Crown is probably the closest mainstream newscaster we will have to enable truth in media broadcasting, but I do see that even it has been coerced somewhat in its overture to silly celebrity gossip, and remains biased in its own perspective to look at itself in how quickly irrelevant it is becoming. The insistence of repeating the same news every half-hour, and Hollywood gossip is a good example of this!
Over the years, previous to the current direction CBC is taking, I have watched, and listened to countless topics discussed and debated on CBC's airwaves. Many have been chock full of intelligence, and compassion for the plight of our fellow man in other parts of the world, along with insightful real world decisions we could make right now to correct them. Currently, there are a few programs on CBC radio that rub my more serious side the wrong way, but I guess that's a personal preference, and that too will probably be for a future posting. However I still have hopes the CBC I once knew will someday return...
Irv Gordon, Volvo's "Two-and-a-half Million Mile Man," just became the "Four Million Kilometer Man," breaking records in the same shiny red 1966 Volvo P1800 he has been driving for more than 40 years.
