Pat Caddell speaks about on our self-censoring press and how it is a willing captive of corporate and political interests. With few exceptions our mainstream media simply parrots whatever the official line of the day is, sometimes just re-writing press releases. Campaign coverage is primarily about the horse race with little if any examination of pressing issues or pushing candidates to give substantive answers. He notes than a few decades ago politicians of both parties depised the press, because the press were SOBs and quite capable of ripping a lying politician’s head off. But too often, media today are shills for one of the parties (like Fox and MSNBC) or smug apologists for corporatism like Wolf Blitzer.
YouTube:
Democratic pollster and analyst Pat Caddell: “I think we’re at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy.” Caddell noted that while First Amendment protections were originally provided to the press so they would protect the liberty and freedom of the public from “organized governmental power,” they had clearly relinquished the role of impartial news providers.
Nowhere was this more evident than during the tragic death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya that was lied about for nine days, because the press and the administration did not want to admit it was a terrorist attack.
“We’ve had nine days of lies over what happened because they can’t dare say it’s a terrorist attack, and the press won’t push this,” said Caddell. “Yesterday there was not a single piece in The New York Times over the question of Libya. Twenty American embassies, yesterday, are under attack. None of that is on the national news. None of it is being pressed in the papers.”Caddell added that it is one thing for the news to have a biased view, but “It is another thing to specifically decide that you will not tell the American people information they have a right to know.”
Mainstream media prepares to get tough with lying politicians.
Our mainstream press outlets are owned by and controlled by multinational corporations – AOL TimeWarner, Viacom, Disney, News Corporation, etc. Is it an accident that they parrot a line that benefits multinational corporations? I think not.
The real struggle is not between left and right, but between human persons and corporate persons. Our mainstream media is not controlled by human persons.
True, but a few decades ago the relationship of press to politicians was adversarial.
A few decades ago, media was much more diverse, campaigns were less corporate-funded, and corporations had not yet been granted the right of free speech. Between corporate consolidation, Citizens United, and dramatic moves toward corporatist government (aka fascism), we live in an entirely new political environment.
Not to mention corporations magically became ‘persons’ ( violating their reason for existence ). I haven’t seen one tried and imprisoned for murder yet.
Corporations enjoy all the rights of people and none of the responsibilities.