You would think that after living for over 60 years with television in the land and seeing how produced everything is these days that people would come to realize that just because they see it on TV doesn't make it real.
That, however, does not seem to be the case. I personally think that it's funny how people who watch the news on TV like to think of themselves as informed unbiased people. For example, you get the CNN watchers who think the Fox News people are crazy, and vice versa. But both of them think they really know what is going on. Which leads me to make a point that should not be forgotten or missed: Both companies are in the business of making money. That is something you should never forget, media is for money. (Got a little math equation for you: Media + viewers = $$$)
The ten or so companies that rule the media in the "modern" world are in it for the cash. So what if you get "informed" news or not, they care that you're watching and that they can get advertising revenue. 24 hour news coverage was a brilliant ploy to make people watch more TV, more "information" coming at you all the time. Natural disasters, war, and terrorism are all great news for media. People have this odd fascination with watching disasters, so they get fed more and more of it.
I think perhaps any presidents after this one should do well to keep this in mind. I was watching Gladiator the other night and if you watch it with an eye towards social commentary, it's biting.
Anyway, just a reminder to think twice about what you think you know. Consider the source. (Are there any non-profit news agencies? I could see that doing well...)
bleh... I don't like this entry, far too political. I'll stay away from politics in the future.
~B.
Here's one news source I like a lot. It's biased like the rest of them, but it's also closer to the nonprofit media that you mentioned: http://www.grist.org/
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