Here is a first hand scoop on why Media is so biased and way to get even

[Ugnmoose]

A close friend of mine is Associate Editor for a major daily newspaper in a southern city. I finally got a chance to ask her what we all want to know. Why is our MSM so damned biased? This is what she said without any hesitation or equivication. It is all about money! Specifically, advertising dollars. The MSM knows that it is the business community that feathers their nest and that most business owners are staunch Repukes, especially in the South and the paper will bend over backwards not to print anything that will be too offensive because they fear a loss of advertising revenue. To a lesser degree they also fear that many Repukes will cancel their subscriptions in protest which will ultimately hurt their ad revenue (ad dollars are based upon subscription base). By the way it is also good to know that MSM is very leary of the Internet and fearful of our impact on their turf. According to my friend, the paper is moving more in the direction of focusing on local and regional news and limiting its attention on national stories simply because they feel that this area is getting so much more attention on the cable stations and on the Internet.

So what can we learn from this information? Here is my takeaway. If the MSM is all about money then let's hit them in their pocket books. It is high time that we start a national grass-roots effort to boycott the MSM, especially the newspapers and national magazines (Newsweek, Time, etc.) Want to make a statement? Write them a letter canceling your subscription and tell them exactly why. And if at all possible avoid placing any kind of ads with them and tell them why. Let's vote with our feet. Let us spread the word far and wide we will make them pay dearly for their bias. If it is loss of revenue they fear - let's show them the money...walking out the door. Write you T.V. and cable stations especially for Fox and CNN and tell them you are going to boycott product sponsors who advertise and then write the company's to tell them this. I know this has been done before on an ad hoc basis, but what we need now is a massive coordinated effort so that it makes a huge impact. Who is with me on this?

[Shoeempress]

1. already done that and look at the circulation dropping at the papers

already. Should also write to advertisers and tell them.

[libertypirate]

2. No it's not....

It's about fear, if your a * friend you get a nice rub on your bald head, if your not a * friend don't be surprised you get anonymous anthrax of US grade and potency.

The first person to die from Anthrax was a tabloid photo editor who published, staggering drunk pictures of the Bush twins.

They don't play games, they fight wars.

[Warpy]

3. I'm way ahead of you on this one

and now get 100% of my information online. My TV, if it's on during the propaganda hour, is tuned to reruns of The Simpsons, something that gives me a more accurate picture of the country than any show that pretends to be news does. I've learned what time the local weathercast comes on, and tune in for that, since it has a slim chance of being correct. I don't bother with the Sunday gasbag shows, and I rarely bother with news magazine shows, especially since the NBC and ABC variety of them have degenrated into shows barely above the level of the supermarket tabloid.

The only magazines I subscribe to are The Nation, Harper's and a couple of trades. News magazines went out nearly 10 years ago, as their bias was obvious and frightening.

I've been much more relaxed now that I'm off the disinformation merry go round. I no longer find myself screaming "LIAR!" at the top of my lungs and scaring the cats. I'm sure my blood pressure is coming down. If the major media are starting to notice a drop in revenue, that's just icing on the cake.

I resent it terribly when I find out I'm being lied to. I will not invite liars into my home, and I certainly won't pay to get them there.

[Arugula Latte]

11. It's a sorry state of affairs

when the fake reality of The Simpsons and The Daily Show depict reality far more accurately than the 24-hour cable news.

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. They are obsolete

And no matter how much they try to move onto the Internet, they are doomed as long as the gap grows between propaganda and reality. Total control of the media and a police state could not save Soviet communism, and it will fail the Republicans someday too. The problem is, like the USSR, the damage inflicted will be staggering.

In the long run, it does not matter if the medium is braodcast TV, cable, radio, newspaper, magazine or blog, there is no substitute for reliable, honest journalism.

[LightningFlash]

5. They're toast. Media reform is on the march. n.t.

[kaygore]

6. Randi Roads made a good point in Conyers' forum yesterday

She cited the significant drop in viewership of such states as Faux News (58%) as evidence that MSM is biased. If the viewers are turning off the news because it is merely propaganda and runaway brides and pedophiles, but that is what the media continues to dish up, then it isn't about revenues, as your friend claims, it is about control.

If the media gave us real news, then we would begin participating again. If the Republican business owners pulled ads, then it would be they who are the losers. Your friend's arguments are specious. She simply doesn't want to spend the money that is required to have a real news department. It is easier to just pull the national and international news off the wires.

This is a very interesting piece. Well worth watching if you haven't seen it before:

http://oak.psych.gatech.edu/~epic/

[K-W]

8. She is absolutely right, it is the money, but it isnt advertising revenue.

Time and time again we see corporations making decisions based not on any economic gain but on class interests. The money is why the system plays along, because the corporation controls the money, but the corporation is not taking losses or very low profits on news channels for nothing.

The hearsts didnt die they just layed low during an apex of progressive populism, slipped into the shadows and put up a PR department to be thier face and found much more insidious and effective ways of controlling the news (and everything else) through corporations.

There is nobody more class concious than the wealthy, they know exactly what they are doing.

But, and this is a big but. The best response to to the MSM is indeed to ignore it. That is what they do to us, and it works. The only reason the media has power is because we give it to them by watching and discussing it.

[BigBearJohn]

7. I think this is a wonderful idea. I just cancelled 3 subscriptions.

[oblivious]

9. I have a dream! Put together a weekly magazine through DU.

DU contributors submit essays, non-copyright violating news summaries, whatever, for free. We choose the best/most relevant of the week, slip it in a conventional news magazine template and make it available as a pdf file for anyone to download and print for local distribution in their town/city.

Maybe add spaces that would allow local ads to help pay for the printing costs.

And a special 911 edition!

And a special PACK OF LIES edition re the Iraq war.

[jazzjunkysue]

10. I email MSM all the time. I taunt them. It feels good.

I write to them and say stuff like,

"I just wanted you guys to know, since you obviously don't get out much, that the Democratic congress held a hearing today where 12 members of the house spoke, and it was real interesting! They've got truckloads of evidence of voter disenfranchisement. Wow!

Too bad we don't have any reporters or journalists who could cover it, and let the people they repressnt know what was discussed."

[Ugnmoose]

12. How can we get this as a national movement

I would like something like National Boycott MSM Day. Show the media what we really think of them. Mass protest at offices of all the major networks and newspapers. Mass protest at Congress. Mass protests at major Advertisers.