The media as a corporate tool
Re “Sleeping with the enemy,” Opinion, April 24
The continuously consolidating mainstream media are controlled by conservative corporate owners whose agenda is not new -- or news -- for anyone old enough to remember Pogo’s warning. The media have long since opted out of any adversarial role with the powers that be and have become little more than caricatures and buffoons -- witness the recent alleged debate on ABC emphasizing trivia and manufacturing scandal for titillation and viewer share.
What was once a reliable source for information and a valuable educational resource has degenerated into a puerile display of “psychophants” on parade parroting the party line, so as not to offend their sources of disinformation or be denied access to them and lose profit margin and future business.
We have only ourselves to blame for this. As consumers of the stuff that passes for news these days, we are willing accomplices, because if the truth really mattered, we would be voting with our feet and pocketbooks to demand quality and accountability.
Pogo was prescient -- and right: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Michael Hagerty
Piatra Neamt, Romania
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