MSI,
Re: What I haven't found is a source for the media analysis of the type McLuhan warned against, among others, where images and subtext are jammed into various channels, with specific results,
I have been watching the world pass by on CNBC and CNN lately, among other sources. Last night was a particularly galling example of how the media propaganda game is played.
CNBC provided an hour to the Wall Street Journal editorial board, with Stuart (the other Stuart) Varney hosting.
Would you think that they would discuss the NYSE white paper on corporate governance? No. It was briefly mentioned in passing.
Did they discuss William Gates, Sr.'s disparagement of the budget busting efforts on the part of GOP House members to end the egalitarian estate tax? No. Just a brief mention of its passing.
Did they discuss the bombshell "smoking gun" implicating Ross Perot and his company in a fraudulent market rigging game in California electricity?
No, not even mentioned as far as I recall.
Did they mention the huge problem with credibility in the merchant energy sector, and the implications of a FERC that has finally gotten some decent, albeit, weak leadership?
No, too arcane for those of us looking for business topics.
So what did the WSJ editorial board cover in an hour? Essentially, disinformation and distraction. Small pox, a 27 year old murder case, soccer vs. football and hardly a mention of any issues that one would expect the WSJ, as the premier business publication in the nation to address. They basically said, OK, the news is icky, let's just put on blinders, and further terrorize the dumb populace with talk about small pox vaccines.
McLuhan lives. |
