“I really look with commiseration over the great body of my fellow citizens who, reading newspapers, live and die in the belief that they have
known something of what has been passing in their times.” -Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson knew, as does any historian, that what passes as today’s News/Current Affairs, rarely remains unchanged when written/remembered as
tomorrow’s History. Newspapers present the official establishment position of each days’ events, but this is often not the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth.
President Dwight Eisenhower’s speech-writer Wilson Bryan Key wrote a book called “The Age of Manipulation” all about his experience writing
presidential speeches:
"For thirty-six sleepless hours, three writers turned out draft after draft, reviewed by a White House deputy press secretary who offered terse
comments like, 'Much too specific!' 'Ease up on factual references!' and 'Take it back and fuzz it up!' 'Fuzz it up,' we discovered
eventually, meant avoid all clear, factual statements about anything more specific than the time of day ... The speech was endlessly discussed for
likely audience reactions, belief and attitude reinforcements, and implied meanings ... Would anyone take the empty rhetoric seriously? The speech
read smoothly, but said absolutely nothing about anything. This was precisely what it was intended to say. During audience interviews after the
oration, most expressed satisfaction with the great man's words. 'Ike really gave it to them!' 'He has my vote!' 'I like the way he thinks!'
Great speech!'"
Newspaper articles are also very short, often not long enough to address the complexities involved in each issue. This problem is further exacerbated
with television “news,” where most coverage consists of 30 second sound-bytes. Furthermore, these articles and sound-bytes are often coming from
speeches and spokespeople in the “Spin Room.” They actually call it the spin room, where reporters “get the spin.” Spider’s webs and
skipping records are spun. Why is news being associated as such?
“The news is a farce. As is the case with the financial institutions, which are concentrated in the hands of the few, long ago the media was
bought and paid for ...What you read and what you see on a daily basis is largely manufactured. You are being lied to each and every day.”
-Christopher Mark, “Grand Deception: The Theft of America and the World” (16-17)
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It doesn't mean anything. It's a ratings game - period. 
