Mind Control and the American
Media
by Mary Shaw
www.OpEdNews.com
The U.S. mainstream media are frequently accused by the right of
being too liberal. But consider the following.
For most of March, the U.S. population was fixated on the Terri
Schiavo right-to-die case. Discussions and arguments about the
Schiavo case took place daily around water coolers, bars, and dinner
tables everywhere. It was likely the most talked about topic of the
day.
Then Pope John Paul II died, and all attention quickly moved to the
late pope, with almost 24/7 coverage of activities at the Vatican
and interviews with mourners from around the world. Terri Schiavo
was no longer of interest.
Meanwhile, the media has had very little to say about Iraq, where
several more U.S. soldiers have been killed, the Abu Ghraib prison
was attacked by insurgents, and a Belgian soldier died from
"friendly fire" by U.S. troops.
While the Schiavo case and the papal passing were certainly
interesting and poignant stories, did they really merit 23 hours of
coverage per day on the cable news channels, while other events that
more closely impact the lives of the average American citizen went
unreported?
The Schiavo case had sex, illness, and death going for it.
The papal death features so much pageantry. The entertainment value
for these stories is far greater than that for, say, the proposed
Bankruptcy Bill and the threats to Social Security. And,
conveniently, they distract us from the ethics scandals plaguing
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the lawsuit against Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over U.S.
torture policies, the deaths of our soldiers in Iraq, and other news
inconvenient to the right-wing agenda.
The media are in business to make money. Sensational stories like
the Schiavo case and the death of the pope can easily be spun into
headlines that sell papers. But the media have a moral
responsibility to give us all the news of the day, even if the truth
hurts.
The media must remember that their purpose is to inform the public,
not to protect or placate the powers that be. They must regain the
brave commitment to the truth that has been the hallmark of great
journalism through the centuries. And they must be honest without
fear of the consequences.
At the same time, the American people must open their eyes, open
their minds, and recognize that there is more to life than
entertainment. They must snap out of their complacency and their
blissful ignorance of what's really going on in the world, and hold
the media accountable.
A true democracy requires an informed electorate. With the
2006 mid-term elections just around the corner, there is no time to
waste.
-----
Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist. Her views on
politics, human rights, and social justice issues have appeared in
numerous online forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide.
E-mail mary@maryshawonline.com.
Read more of Mary's writing in the archive:
http://www.opednews.com/archivesShawMary.htm
A
