Panicked MSM Begins Killing Off Comment Sections

When articles are written all pro establishment, leaving comments can not only change the perception of the article, but take away the art of giving the audience the perception of the world, life, politics, community, etc..., in the way those in charge use the media to indoctrinate the general public.

According to the video (link below) the MSM trust rating is at a low of 23%.

Now, so that they can control even more of the information published, many web sites are turning off comments.

Some of the reasons given for this change are as imaginative as they are ridiculous.

Change in this manner is but another power grab.

Panicked MSM Begins Killing Off Comment Sections

reply to post by imd12c4funn


Sounds like Paul Joseph Watson.

And yah, comment sections generally help to expose the media's bias and their agendas.

Corporate media is already losing business at an alarming rate. This will only help to accelerate their demise.

Without being able to comment, theres absolutely no point in reading their establishment propaganda.

I generally agree w/ the OP sentiment and the video however it's worth noting that Boing Boing went to Discourse. You'll ~never~ convince me that wasn't an improvement over straight comments.

www.discourse.org...

It's looking really solid - their Meta test environment will give you a good idea.

---

The problem we have becomes comments vs reddit mobs vs forums formats. People aren't going to like all three of them so you'll lose someone in any transition. Personally anything but reddit mobs works for me. -Mags

reply to post by imd12c4funn


Thats when you know there slimy

Remember your wartime propaganda?

Dropping leaflets over enemy towns, cities and indeed troop encampments was a regular and sometimes effective propaganda technique to spread disquiet and tempt enemy troops and civilians to turn against their leaders.

Well...now imagine what the effect would have been if those people who were being dropped with leaflets...could have simply and immediately responded with their own leaflets..thrown back at the propagandists?

The comments sections of MSM sites are the equivalent of having those leaflets immediately altered and thrown straight back.

Invaluable for freedom of speech and disseminating the true thinking of the people...not such a good thing for propagandists who use the MSM to alter that thinking and direct policy.

Closing comments, or more accurately shutting down the right to reply and challenge what is being passed off as factual, show the MSM as they really are...propaganda outlets and nothing more.

This is actually a good thing. They deny the people a platform to directly challenge them, we can play the denial game too..deny them their ratings, and you deny them of their blood money or advertising revenue...no money, no propaganda outlet.

gladtobehere
reply to post by imd12c4funn

 

And yah, comment sections generally help to expose the media's bias and their agendas.

Tell me about it. Today I had commented on two articles at a local Norwegian newspaper. Nothing bad, nothing whacky. But it do go against their opinion. My comment was much like this post, had no ill will against anyone, no curse words or derogatory comments against anyone. I just pointed out some fallacies within their article. I visited a couple of hours later and all my posts were gone.

They're still visible on Disqus though. So I wouldn't say it's just the U.S., but everywhere. Point out fallacies and they "smoke screen" the truth from their lies. Typical.

Not surprising.

In fact, they're a little late to the game I'd say. For quite awhile now one can see comments that are in complete opposition to the article, with "agrees" outnumbering the "disagrees" 500 to 1! Especially in the gun-related propaganda pieces.

I'm not too concerned about them shutting off the comments, in fact to me it just shows they are a-scared!

The fact is, people are feeling the way they do with or without the comments available, so if they want to shut them off, fine, we'll take it to the forums and blogs.

Can't stop people chatting at work either. Or the gas pumps. Or in line at the grocery store.

The word is out folks, and as humanity continues becoming more and more connected, the ability to wage propaganda war becomes more difficult as a result IMO.

I think it's less about damage control and more about THEM (msm, tptb, etc) burying their heads in the sand, and pretending the old tricks still work....kinda like they're doing with monetary policy. And foreign relations. And.....

Someone needs to tell these folks the story about the boy
who cried wolf, well probably too late for them as us
villagers have long known the wolf was in front of the camera.

reply to post by MysterX


The "mockingbird" media is being seen for what it has become.

I think some of their news may be legit, but mostly that is things of small consequence.

Operation Mockingbird

The comments section is the only reason I still visit The Blaze. The comments people make there are as surprising as some of the stuff I see here on ATS ... only ATS members rock!!

Funny thing ... I once saw the front page of Fox News around the edges of The Blaze's. That was before I became a member here ... and now I really wish I had a screen shot of it.

tjack
Not surprising.

In fact, they're a little late to the game I'd say. For quite awhile now one can see comments that are in complete opposition to the article, with "agrees" outnumbering the "disagrees" 500 to 1! Especially in the gun-related propaganda pieces.

When I hear the president say that "the vast majority of americans are in favor of.....blah, blah, blah....on this issues he is certainly and willfully lying.


I took the LA Times on line for awhile. They had, for some random readers supposedly, a comment icon that went strait to the writer or the section editor, whatever. It was not for public viewing. Anyway after my response on several of some very slanted articles......they removed my ability to "talk back". Enough said.

Snarl
The comments section is the only reason I still visit The Blaze. The comments people make there are as surprising as some of the stuff I see here on ATS ... only ATS members rock!!

Funny thing ... I once saw the front page of Fox News around the edges of The Blaze's. That was before I became a member here ... and now I really wish I had a screen shot of it.

Indeed!
I always find myself reading comments, sometimes page after page until I read them all.

Some comments are educational, some you can't stop laughing at. Some are just weird.

Mostly entertaining. More than many sitcoms or other series. I wonder how many less hits these sites will suffer when the entertainment value is flushed away along with comments.

Call me crazy if you will, but I find this quite heartening and encouraging, because it shows the PTB are losing the war on (dis)information

There really are more of "us" than "them." They know this, hence the constant divide-and-conquer tactics. The day we stop blaming each other and put the blame squarely on their shoulders... the day we stand together for the greater good of all (which is also the greatest good of the individual)... is the day the tides turn. And they know it.

This is definitely occurring.


The local paper's online news site used to have a comments section that I would participate in, then I stopped going to the site as regular as I used to, then when I returned, they had removed the commenting feature from all articles. I guess they got tired of locals calling them out on their BS.

I have actually noticed this too.

Also far more "please leave a comment and it will be reviewed and possibly published" more and more....

Boadicea
Call me crazy if you will, but I find this quite heartening and encouraging, because it shows the PTB are losing the war on (dis)information

There really are more of "us" than "them." They know this, hence the constant divide-and-conquer tactics. The day we stop blaming each other and put the blame squarely on their shoulders... the day we stand together for the greater good of all (which is also the greatest good of the individual)... is the day the tides turn. And they know it.

"the day we stand together for the greater good of all"...who decides what the greater good is? and how do you know you are not going to be lied to, so as to further someone else's agenda, when changes take place?....what is torn down, is replaced by something else. is that "something else" going to benefit you personally or some other person that is in it for themselves?...critical-thinking skills should not only be used to question the prevailing ways of doing things, but also, what the consequences will be of what you replace it with.

reply to post by imd12c4funn


That's quite funny because just a few days ago I had a little rant about why the MSM websites are "removing comments" from various articles.

And it happens to be the articles that are easiest to argue with and disprove.

That's sweet everyone else is noticing it for what it really is.
A sign of the inherent weakness in their lies.

Anyhow, thanks for posting the link I'll share it as well.

In the majority of the comments sections and in the majority of comments themselves that I have encountered, there are nothing but ignorant, hate-filled, trollish comments that are not constructive in an honest debate but simply seek to provoke and bash with untruths and/or extremely slanted and biased viewpoints, regardless if its CNN or FOX websites.

I've encountered a few good comments, but the majority are trash.

I can understand why the media are taking comment sections away.

Liquesence
In the majority of the comments sections and in the majority of comments themselves that I have encountered, there is nothing but ignorant, hate-filled, trollish comments that are not constructive in an honest debate but simply seek to provoke and bash with untruths and/or extremely slanted and biased viewpoints, regardless if its CNN or FOX websites.

I've encountered a few good comments, but the majority are trash.

I can understand why the media are taking comment sections away.

I can understand why they are taking them away, seems you can't though.
Its because they are scared. Why let trashy comments worry you.

Why would you let a new corporation control your thoughts. We need comments on news sites, we need opinions not just one sided opinions.

reply to post by amraks


Trashy comments don't worry me, they annoy the hell out of me.

As far as one sided BS, that's why i read multiple sources and read between the lines. And I also don't watch the 24/7 news stations anymore because it's all partisan BS, one way or the other. I don't singly visit Breitbart, world net, alex jones, FOX, MSNBC, or any number of congregate news sites EVERY DAY and constantly get fed that kind of biased agenda either.

I don't look for a media outlet to affirm what I believe by reading what I know it will tell me I want to hear.

I think for myself, not what someone else tells me to think.