John Swinton, former Chief of Staff for the New York Times stated,
 

journalism

So just how do network news anchors such as Jennings, Brokaw, Rather and Shaw present the news?

You are probably familiar with the case of Randy Weaver of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, whose wife and 13 year old son were killed by U.S. government agents. But have you ever heard the media refer to Randy Weaver other than as the "White-separatist Randy Weaver?"

Why do they insist on using the term "white separatist?" Let's do a little analyzing. First of all what does white mean? By saying he is white, the implication is that he is a racist. And separatist implies that he is anti-social; therefore un-American. But what is Randy Weaver? A Vietnam veteran, and a devout Christian, who felt that his children should not be exposed to the evil influences of today's society with its murders, rapes, violence, drugs and pornography, and, as a consequence, they were living a simple life in the back hills of Idaho. His real crime was that he wasn’t politically correct!

Do they keep you informed about the latest gun legislation before the bill comes up for a vote? Not hardly! Why citizens might write in protesting such legislation.

Does the press inform you about anything important Congress is considering, or just the petty little infighting?

Do they really keep you informed?

That is a question easily answered, they do what they are paid to dothey entertain. As one talk show host says, "it’s infotainment." Why else are the networks only concerned about ratings?

They like a nice exciting, but non-controversial, opening. Something on the order of the O.J. Simpson trail, followed by the more mundane stories, ending with a point to ponder or some nostalgic tale.

Sometimes they slip. CNN is famous for having a scoop on a breaking story, then, very oddly, the next hour it is discontinued. This happens on other news sources also. For example, the first announcement of Ron Brown’s plane crash was said to have happened in the Adriatic Sea and that divers were preparing to go down to search for bodies. The next announcement, an hour or so later, was that the plane had crashed into the mountainshuh!

There was one survivor, a female flight attendant. She walked to a rescue helicopter but was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Was that in the news?

Some might argue that the networks do produce shows like "60 Minutes" or "Prime Time Live" as evidence that the networks actually care about our society. That sounds great but just what can you believe? For example, ABC got caught with its hand in the cookie jar, when "Prime Time Live" showed how the Food Lion grocery chain put bad produce on their shelves. However, when Food Lion sued, they received an award of several million dollars. The question then becomes if they lie once, how do you know when they are really telling the truth?

How else do they distort the news? Although an interview may take several hours, only fifteen minutes may actually be shown on a program. If they approve of the person then it will be edited to eliminate any negative or trivial comments. If they don't approve, look out! Every gesture or comment will be studied to select only those scenes that will make the subject appear as attractive as a spastic gorilla.

It may seem obvious that the press, like Mr. Rockefeller, doesn’t believe the American people are competent to handle their own affairs; after all, the news anchors do know what is really going on. Nonetheless, they follow an agenda that does not include informing the American people. They certainly are not stupid men, but they are paid either to follow the rules, or they are in alliance with those who have established the agenda.

It is the job of a true journalist to check the truth of his stories, to investigate, to verify, to document, but it is the practice now to use what comes over the press wires or whatever is handed to them by the news writers.

Immediately after the Oklahoma City bombing, President Clinton rushed to camera and microphone, declaring that this was obviously the work of the militia, and was inspired by the hate propaganda of talk radio.

Instantly the media repeated these accusations. Militia personnel were condemned. Talk show hosts were ridiculed and one, Mark from Michigan, a militia spokesperson, was even forced off of the airways, at least temporarily.

Later it was determined that militias were not involved, nor were talk shows responsible, but the image of the "evil militia" had been planted in the minds of many Americans.

No one really expected the President to apologize for his errorhe never does. But the media neither admitted it had erred in its assessment of the President's statement, nor were any apologies offered to those who were slandered.

Very few Americans failed to see the siege at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco. Of course the media always referred to it as a compound, implying a militaristic enclosure (another label). But after the holocaust there were eleven survivors, nine of whom were tried for the murder of federal officers.

The media, who later spent a year covering the Simpson trial, did not cover the Davidian survivor's trial, there were more important stories to cover; the Lorena Bobbit husband neutering trial and the Tanya Harding ice skating fiasco.

At the end of the Davidian trial there was only a short squib in some newspapers to the effect that the nine were found not guilty of murder but were still sentenced to forty years in prison. Who said America doesn't have political prisoners?

But how many know that, according to the Fully Informed Jury Association newspaper, The FIJA Activist, the foreman of the jury said, that, had the jury known what the sentence was to be, they would have found them innocent!

Perhaps the most insidious misuse of the press is lack of information. Think about it, just what do you know about what is happening in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa or anywhere except possibly Israel?

Do they inform you that many Europeans, especially the French, are highly disturbed about free trade?

Do they keep you up to date about our trade deficit, that the total deficit to date is almost $1.5 trillion and increasing rapidly each month?

They have an excuse; they have to make a living. But dishonestly is still dishonesty, and aiding in the destruction of the United States is a much worse than embezzlement!

It is obvious that the big industrial companies are not enamored of talk radio, especially the controversial variety. Many of the network radio stations have received a written notice with a list of manufacturers who do not want their commercials to be broadcast on either side of, or during talk radio shows.

Since February of 1997, the Federal Communications Commission has passed rulings that make it much more difficult to open new radio stations, or renew station licenses which had previously expired.

Because, under the new procedures, the class of stations which can receive station licenses require very expensive antenna arrays, the possibility of "mom and pop" stations coming on the air is almost eliminated. This has led to the purchase of many stations by the industrial and media giants which then set their own format, and which does not include any talk shows except those they sponsor. That this is a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act doesn’t seem to bother anyone in the government! But since Congress no longer serves the people, the control of the media has passed into just a few hands, and that is one of the most dangerous events in the history of the United States. Because the media can mold public opinion, when they have complete control, the public is powerless to learn the truth.

As time progresses, the public will be limited to the "doctor" or "psychologist" type of talk radio. Shows such as "Chuck Harder," "Gordon Liddy," "Tom Valentine," "Bo Gritz," and other such programs will disappear. Thus will end the last remnants of freedom of the airwaves.

There are only six or so major newspapers in the United States. True, there are many more newspapers serving the cities, but most are owned by those six major newspaper chains. There are some honest newspapers lefta dishonest one would not have printed this series of articles. However, except for a few independent newspapers, such as the North Florida Advocate, all of the newspapers have the same general agenda. They are owned by the big money interests, and those are the interests they serve.

You must learn to use, not only your own judgment but also careful research to determine if what you read or hear is true.

Government murders, theft, intimidation and property confiscation is now considered, by much of the public, to be acceptable actions. Even when congress has proven them wrong government agencies not only refuse to apologize, they never admit they were in error. You must never become desensitized to these government atrocities, because you just may be the next one!

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