Among Americans who are interested in keeping abreast of the news, over the past twenty years or so there’s been a constant complaint that some of the most important issues are never exposed through the mainstream media. On one end of the spectrum is the cry that the media is “left wing,” but on the other end is the complaint that it’s a big conspiracy to keep Americans dumbed down. In any regard, the fact is that the media is owned by corporations with vested interests to control the news.

Look at the chart below and you’ll see that the financial health and reputation of certain companies is prized above all else, including offering an unbiased and wide-spectrum news service. (A more comprehensive grouping of media ownership charts exists on the link on the chart below).

The media is comprised of television, radio and newspapers, primarily. The news that we get from the mainstream media is colored by the ownership of the media. Therefore, there’s a lot of omission of news — stories that we never hear about unless we search elsewhere. Much of this is discussed, particularly in respect to natural health care, in Vic Shayne’s book, Evil Genius in the Garden of Eden.

Another great source for real news is projectcensored.org

So, if you want to know why the media is continually pushing news stories about the benefits of drugs and cancer research rather than natural alternatives, then just look at who owns the media. There’s a very old saying that goes, “Follow the money.” The money is in the corporations that own the mainstream media.

Unfortunately, a healthy democracy depends on a free flow of information and openness. This is why we have a huge problem now. Corporations put their interests above those of the members of our democracy. They push the political candidates who stand to further these interests.

The omission of news is as undermining as propaganda or blatant lies. Projectcensored.org , comprised of university journalists and professors from around the country, publishes stories omitted from the coverage of our major media. These ongoing stories are astounding not only in their reality, but also because we never hear about them though they affect our lives. For example, have you ever read this:

“Faster and deeper, the US and EU are demanding unprecedented tariff reductions, sometimes to nothing, as the US and EU dump subsidized agricultural goods on undeveloped countries (see story #21), plunging local farmers into desperate poverty. Meanwhile the US and EU provide themselves with high tariffs and stringent import quotas to protect their own producers. Unprecedented loss of livelihood, displacement, slave labor, along with spiraling degradation of human rights and environments are resulting as economic governance is forced from governments of developing countries, and taken over by unaccountable multinational firms.” (source: projectcensored.org)

We have to wonder what’s going on here for the media not to inform the People.

Few people understand that MOST of the news is actually PR. This means that a wide variety of companies create their own video infomercials which are then submitted to the major networks for airing. This is explained in John Stauber’s insightful books such as Trust Us, We’re Experts! which was released a few years ago.

The next time somebody tells you there is a “liberal media,” send him to the link that shows the chart of media ownership. It’s impossible to believe that these corporations have any liberal interest at all unless it’s as a pretense to serve a particular immediate goal.

Sources:

1. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
2. Project Censored
3. Center for Media and Democracy

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