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Jonathan's avatar

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H8r's avatar

The first question people usually ask when they're trying to become media literate is "where can I get *real* unbiased information from?". The tough answer is that you can't. Curtis is right here to say that you can classify types of journalism the same way you can classify the power structures they serve.

What is left out is that journalisms real darwinian function is that is it PROPAGANDA for the regime that employs it.

It is easy for westerners to observe Chinese sate media and understand that it is propaganda for the Chinese State. It is less easy, though still obvious to most, that Russian media is likewise a propaganda medium for the Russian state.

What is harder to see (and a harder pill to swallow) is that "conservative" media is generally propaganda for DEMOCRACY. Which is why you can watch a Tucker bit hit on 5 or 6 salient points in a row, only to finish by showing how this underscores the importance of "participating in democracy" or... driving your truck to Ottawa or DC. The chum box aesthetics of these rags is not some unfortunate by-product of the lack of taste of its creators. It is a feature of all things democratic. In the words of every annoying protest chant ever... "This-is-what-democracy-looks-like!". Most people can tell that this too looks like propaganda, but they might be hard pressed to figure out what it is that is being propagandized (maybe facism!!!).

The hardest nut to crack of all though is MSM. I try to ask people who are interested in media literacy to watch types of new they know to be biased, so they can be more aware of the biases of "regular" news. If this is Propaganda, who is it propaganda for?

The answer of course, is that it is propaganda for ITSELF. Its purpose is not to report world events as they unfold, but to justify actions it has already decided to take.

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