I think it's much more than a media conspiracy. I feel it's a combination of methods to keep the majority of people in the dark as much as possible.

The education system is designed to churn out ignorant, uneducated, unhealthy, drug-dependant materialistic consumers. Schools are setup to make kids bored and uninterested so they get as little education as possible (IF they even stay in school through graduation).

The economy has been setup to ensure that people HAVE to work 40+ hours per week in order to qualify for health benefits and many have to work multiple jobs in order to just pay the bills. Most people can't possibly get enough rest because their hectic schedules just don't allow it.

People have taken on mortgages, loans and credit card balances that put them in a financial crisis because they're bombarded with the media and TV ads that tell them they HAVE to have the biggest house and the most expensive car and the most stylish clothes and the electronics and the toys and the bling bling because... "you work hard and you deserve it!", and they're conditioned to believe that they're not "acceptable" if they don't have all of these things.

The food and water supply is setup to keep people as unhealthy as possible. Not only are there tons of artificial crap in the food, but there's very little nutritional value and most of that is wiped out in a microwave. In addition to fluoride, there's also pharmaceutical drugs in the water supply. Your mind cannot possibly operate properly when bombarded with so many drugs and toxins.

The medical and pharmaceutical industries backup the food industry to ensure that people stay sick and on medications. Doctors push meds like they're candy and put kids on medications as soon as they're old enough to go to school (not to mention all the mandatory vaccinations).

When people are working so many hours and taking care of the family, and their bodies are not healthy and and their stress is through the roof... who has the time or the energy to sift through the crap to find any 'real' news? Most people being victims of the lousy education system are not even aware that there is more important news than what they see on TV. The only thing they know or can even handle is stupid mindless entertainment. To them... there is nothing more to be aware of.

People are being made into slaves from birth but they don't know it because the TV tells them they live in the greatest country on earth and they have their 'freedom'. When you're forced to operate in a society that is designed to keep you down... how can you call that freedom? The only way to get people to accept that lifestyle and blindly follow the status quo is to ensure they are stupid, sick and drugged. And it seems to be working.

It's a snowball cycle that cannot be easily broken and will probably be the downfall of this society.

I gave up on TV over 30 years ago. I can't say I missed it either. I use this and other sources for news.

Americans are not as out of it as some think.. I just spent today at a farmers market and the conversations were similar to what you see here about the serious stuff. These people were of all colors, nationalities and occupations. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of knowledge.

I also saw absolutely none of the racial friction the news is always pushing. This market is in the south too.