The Horrifying Rise Of Total Mass Media Blackouts On Inconvenient News Stories
caitlinjohnstone.substack.com
Listen to a reading of this article: Two different media watchdog outlets, Media Lens and Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), have published articles on the complete blackout in mainstream news institutions on the revelation by Icelandic newspaper Stundin
The stench of the rancid psychopathy and now the even more obvious illegality of the prosecution of Julian Assange is overpowering to any sane person with a nose and a conscience. The collaboration of the corporate media by ignoring or even trying to justify this murder-in-progress is sickening. Julian Assange is the literal personification of America's actual regard for "freedom of speech"; we have none.
I don't see this as a new phenomena - it's what won Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. It's just pushed much further along. When you consider that 90% of the airwaves are taken up by what Matt Taibbi describes in his book "Hate Inc." as a war of ideologies based on fabrications, there simply is less of a need for it during a time the establishment's choice is in office. Actual news is too dark for the mainstream, the needs of the populace aren't in their best interest, what the news is back biting gossip. Had Trump whispered into a microphone like Biden did a week ago, it would have been wall to wall coverage complete with panelists with a background in psychology and political opponents pleading with the public for him to step down. All that stuff now is left up to the "online QAnon crazies" to discuss. The drop is ratings is a controlled demolition. Jake Tapper is down 75%, though I doubt his salary will be down a dollar. Nothing of public worth is reported any longer. It's by design. They don't give a shit about you. In fact, they never did.
Knowing how much shite -- political and otherwise -- I'm liable to encounter on any given day, starting it with you Caitlin provides me with a very welcomed degree of sanity. So thanks for that.
The 70's were horrible times -- Vietnam, COINTELPRO, disco -- but it also saw Woodward & Bernstein, mass civil action, and the revelations of the Church Commission.
Those heady times for a free press give today's article an appropriately terrible and sombre perspective.
I surmise that the NSA blackmails prominent journalists and their CEO bosses, just as surely as J. Edgar Hoover blackmailed Presidents and members of Congress. When Obama didn't charge Clapper for lying to Congress, and left Snowden in exile, this is why. I suspect journalists were similarly coerced into disseminating the anti-Russia narrative in the first place.
If my "conspiracy theory" is wrong, then the journalists in question are very wicked indeed. My theory is the most charitable to them.
"The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread."
Thank you !! DNC oligarchs and CIA's unlimited budgets have bought many previously independent news outlets -- currently the most obvious are TYT's new millionaires despicable Cenk and Anna and previously stellar The Intercept. Here is my open letter to Krystal:
Dear Krystal - PLEASE tell me that you are not together with Kyle's horrible slander of both Aaron Mate and Jimmy Dore !!?? I hope you are not though.
Kyle Kulinski Omits Ana Kasparian's Blackmail Of Jimmy Dore From Video - YouTube
Kyle is immature and uninformed -- as well as garrulous and an extreme narcist. What he did after a despicable and desperate TYT's Anna did -- weaponized an invented "me-too" -- is unforgivable. You will be damaging your (and Saagar's) brand associating with Kyle's horrible "mistake".
Krystal, thank you for all your outstanding journalism -- I am among your greatest fans. There is another huge outrage going on -- a brazen and huge SLANDER of Aaron Mate and Grayzone regarding well-documented OPCW fabrications at direct request by US government.
Grayzone and Aaron are just coming out of huge 2.5 year long fake and just dismissed Syria-related lawsuit (a lawsuit with direct engagement of a well-known top pro-Israel lawyer).
TYT's Cenk and Anna have also been activated to slander and stop Aaron's outstanding investigative work on US/Al Qaeda horrible crimes in Syria -- TYT Cenk's and Anna's avalanche of slander and topic redirection by even inventing "me-too" is unprecedented.
TYT is also on record of slandering the publisher of a century -- Julian Assange.
Grayzone -- Ben Norton, Aaron Mate, and Max Blumenthal need maximum support -- including yours !!
Cancelling Jimmy's invitation without even informing him, inviting Cenk's relative instead to continue the slander project and above all - Kyle farting his fake and constructed outrage without even mentioning Anna's "me-too" blackmail -- while not addressing a well-orchestrated and choreographed efforts to slander and destroy the unique and invaluable Aaron Mate's reporting on Syria is an outrage.
Stay away of Kyle -- before it is too late for your reputation, please. Please watch Jimmy Dore and Aaron Mate rebuttal of Kyle’s outrage:
Kyle Kulinski Omits Ana Kasparian's Blackmail Of Jimmy Dore From Video - YouTube
But... but... but, Caitlin - much as I love you - the total media blackout campaign didn't just arise. Possibly the practice of reporters apologizing for reporting newsworthy yet unpopular stories is a new development, but there was a total MSM blackout of all the numerous and huge protests in many major cities in the US when George I announced the first Persian Gulf War in 1992.
And I seem to remember media blackouts as far back as the 1960s, as well.
Having worked for major US newspapers for more than a quarter century, I can tell you that even though it was spottily applied there was a longstanding rule that if even FULLY VERIFIED damning information emerged about a presidential candidate in the final few weeks of a campaign, that information would be suppressed until after the election -- when it was essentially of no use.
However, I left the profession (was downsized out) years before Trump Derangement Syndrome set in. From all the evidence, I gather that things are much worse now. But the tiny seed for these awful developments I believe was laid in the practice described above, in which reporters and editors went a step beyond the (always superficial) attempt to tell some kind of truth to one of shepherding facts in certain ways they deemed beneficial to the republic rather than allowing a more fully informed electorate to render such judgments.
The stench of the rancid psychopathy and now the even more obvious illegality of the prosecution of Julian Assange is overpowering to any sane person with a nose and a conscience. The collaboration of the corporate media by ignoring or even trying to justify this murder-in-progress is sickening. Julian Assange is the literal personification of America's actual regard for "freedom of speech"; we have none.
I don't see this as a new phenomena - it's what won Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. It's just pushed much further along. When you consider that 90% of the airwaves are taken up by what Matt Taibbi describes in his book "Hate Inc." as a war of ideologies based on fabrications, there simply is less of a need for it during a time the establishment's choice is in office. Actual news is too dark for the mainstream, the needs of the populace aren't in their best interest, what the news is back biting gossip. Had Trump whispered into a microphone like Biden did a week ago, it would have been wall to wall coverage complete with panelists with a background in psychology and political opponents pleading with the public for him to step down. All that stuff now is left up to the "online QAnon crazies" to discuss. The drop is ratings is a controlled demolition. Jake Tapper is down 75%, though I doubt his salary will be down a dollar. Nothing of public worth is reported any longer. It's by design. They don't give a shit about you. In fact, they never did.
Knowing how much shite -- political and otherwise -- I'm liable to encounter on any given day, starting it with you Caitlin provides me with a very welcomed degree of sanity. So thanks for that.
The 70's were horrible times -- Vietnam, COINTELPRO, disco -- but it also saw Woodward & Bernstein, mass civil action, and the revelations of the Church Commission.
Those heady times for a free press give today's article an appropriately terrible and sombre perspective.
I surmise that the NSA blackmails prominent journalists and their CEO bosses, just as surely as J. Edgar Hoover blackmailed Presidents and members of Congress. When Obama didn't charge Clapper for lying to Congress, and left Snowden in exile, this is why. I suspect journalists were similarly coerced into disseminating the anti-Russia narrative in the first place.
If my "conspiracy theory" is wrong, then the journalists in question are very wicked indeed. My theory is the most charitable to them.
"The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread."
- John Swinton
Thank you !! DNC oligarchs and CIA's unlimited budgets have bought many previously independent news outlets -- currently the most obvious are TYT's new millionaires despicable Cenk and Anna and previously stellar The Intercept. Here is my open letter to Krystal:
Dear Krystal - PLEASE tell me that you are not together with Kyle's horrible slander of both Aaron Mate and Jimmy Dore !!?? I hope you are not though.
Kyle Kulinski Omits Ana Kasparian's Blackmail Of Jimmy Dore From Video - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHcNywyzhzs
Kyle is immature and uninformed -- as well as garrulous and an extreme narcist. What he did after a despicable and desperate TYT's Anna did -- weaponized an invented "me-too" -- is unforgivable. You will be damaging your (and Saagar's) brand associating with Kyle's horrible "mistake".
Krystal, thank you for all your outstanding journalism -- I am among your greatest fans. There is another huge outrage going on -- a brazen and huge SLANDER of Aaron Mate and Grayzone regarding well-documented OPCW fabrications at direct request by US government.
Grayzone and Aaron are just coming out of huge 2.5 year long fake and just dismissed Syria-related lawsuit (a lawsuit with direct engagement of a well-known top pro-Israel lawyer).
TYT's Cenk and Anna have also been activated to slander and stop Aaron's outstanding investigative work on US/Al Qaeda horrible crimes in Syria -- TYT Cenk's and Anna's avalanche of slander and topic redirection by even inventing "me-too" is unprecedented.
TYT is also on record of slandering the publisher of a century -- Julian Assange.
Grayzone -- Ben Norton, Aaron Mate, and Max Blumenthal need maximum support -- including yours !!
Cancelling Jimmy's invitation without even informing him, inviting Cenk's relative instead to continue the slander project and above all - Kyle farting his fake and constructed outrage without even mentioning Anna's "me-too" blackmail -- while not addressing a well-orchestrated and choreographed efforts to slander and destroy the unique and invaluable Aaron Mate's reporting on Syria is an outrage.
Stay away of Kyle -- before it is too late for your reputation, please. Please watch Jimmy Dore and Aaron Mate rebuttal of Kyle’s outrage:
Kyle Kulinski Omits Ana Kasparian's Blackmail Of Jimmy Dore From Video - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHcNywyzhzs
Was not it it in 90s Bill Moyers did his piece on the news conglomerates and who owned them?
But... but... but, Caitlin - much as I love you - the total media blackout campaign didn't just arise. Possibly the practice of reporters apologizing for reporting newsworthy yet unpopular stories is a new development, but there was a total MSM blackout of all the numerous and huge protests in many major cities in the US when George I announced the first Persian Gulf War in 1992.
And I seem to remember media blackouts as far back as the 1960s, as well.
And now -- something funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uXo7wtGW7M&t=41s
Fabulous assessment of the dismal state of investigative journalism Caitlin. Spreading it far and wide.
It’s the job of the media to keep us divided distracted and afraid
80s was bad too. I literally had to read really far left rags to get the real stories, and publish my own local activist rag.
USA!
I will not celebrate a United States where there is no economic justice
I will not glorify an America that built its wealth through genocide and slavery
I will not deify a government full of venal politicians
I will not be ignorant of a debt based economy that serves a very few and penalizes everyone else
I will not vaunt a military that is the largest and most powerful purveyor of terror on planet earth
I will not respect police who kill my Black brothers and sisters
This day I will not fly a flag
this day I will reflect on the reality of US
I will find my peace here and now
With no flags or borders to hold on to
God Bless
America
Peter Stoup, 7/3/2021
Having worked for major US newspapers for more than a quarter century, I can tell you that even though it was spottily applied there was a longstanding rule that if even FULLY VERIFIED damning information emerged about a presidential candidate in the final few weeks of a campaign, that information would be suppressed until after the election -- when it was essentially of no use.
However, I left the profession (was downsized out) years before Trump Derangement Syndrome set in. From all the evidence, I gather that things are much worse now. But the tiny seed for these awful developments I believe was laid in the practice described above, in which reporters and editors went a step beyond the (always superficial) attempt to tell some kind of truth to one of shepherding facts in certain ways they deemed beneficial to the republic rather than allowing a more fully informed electorate to render such judgments.
"Manufacturing Consent" seems a drastic overstatement.
It happens so automatically now it appears effortless.
The media silence on the now collapsed narrative on Assange has exposed the media as a willing participants in massive security state corruption.
If anyone was confused about what Eisenhower meant when he said "undue influence", they shouldn't be confused anymore.