We are falling for the mass media conspiracy

The title of the thread puts forth a premise that I don't exactly know is accurate. As I have observed ATS' progress over the years, there is no doubt the forums have become vastly more politically oriented. The ever evolving focus of topics has mainly been oriented around discussions on sociopolitical issues in the U.S. As many of us are aware of. But how has this happened?

There's a lot of conspiracy theories about the media, and I can't say which of these are more accurate than another. But it has been said that the media doesn't tell you what to think, but what matters you ought to think about. And that is a statement that holds true.. to a degree. But make a note of it.

The statement above is something I believe speaks much in the way of why the trend has been moving in this direction on ATS. We are affected by how the media puts forth issues that they think we should be engaged about. For example; one way the media can skew perception is by applying framing as a journalistic tool.

The effects of framing can be seen in many journalism applications. With the same information being used as a base, the "frame" surrounding the issue can change the reader's perception without having to alter the actual facts.

In the context of politics or mass-media communication, a frame defines the packaging of an element of rhetoric in such a way as to encourage certain interpretations and to discourage others.

(...)

[the] potential influence on frame building comes from elites, including interest groups, government bureaucracies, and other political or corporate actors. Empirical studies show that these influences of elites seem to be strongest for issues in which journalists and various players in the policy arena can find shared narratives.

Source: Framing

In a simplistic way of saying it, it's more or less a way of subtly inserting bias into a news article without it being too obvious, to serve a certain agenda.

Another thing, more dubious, would be a so-called video news release (VNR).

A video news release (VNR) is a video segment made to look like a news report, but is instead created by a PR firm, advertising agency, marketing firm, corporation, or government agency. They are provided to television newsrooms to shape public opinion, promote commercial products and services, publicize individuals, or support other interests.

Source: Video News Release

It's worth to remark that the FCC is currently investigating the practice of VNRs, according to the Wikipedia entry.

There's certainly more ways a news story can be directed, please share if something comes to mind.

I guess my point is that the media is immensely powerful in shaping our picture of the world, and there are several ways this is subtly done without us being aware of it. And with the concentration of media ownership, we should probably be a bit more aware, and a little more careful of letting ourselves being told by the media on what matters we ought to concern ourselves with.

In the beginning of this thread I asked how ATS has changed so much in its topics of discussion. Perhaps now I've answered how it has happened. The question I now pose to you, the reader, is; why?

a reply to: Droogie



We are all victims of the media whether we admit it or not.

They are winning, and sadly, many of us who think that we are above the others in the form of "awakenings" are just as much as part of the problem.

Me for example, I always say that I don't play the left vs right charade and hold my nose up high and point fingers to those who don't acknowledge the hidden hand behind the scenes, and that is wrong for me to do.

I used to think we had a chance, and heck man, I even used to think I had some valid solutions. Now all I see is a spinning globe catching fire and it is spreading physically and spiritually.

This media deception is one huge mind #

Look how it has us all acting!

It was around 2003 when NBC news w/Tom Brokaw twisted a speech by Rep. James Inhofe, that is the moment I knew the Lamestream media was LYING to us!

Like the Joel Bennenson Cocktails with the Media

They "framed" the compaign and the race

a reply to: Droogie

concentration of media ownership,

Here is the nut of it droogie. We can go on and on, back and forth over who is lying and who is not, what is fake and what is not fake. Endlessly.

But that one sentence and the link you provided cuts to a core of our problems. The concentration of the flow of information. And even though the owners of the media may vary, though only slightly from my perspective, the flow of information is controlled to benefit the owners of the media.

And who owns the media? Is it the US government? Is the mass media in this country owned and run by the government? No. It is owned and run by corporations. Now those corporations may choose to support one political persuasion or another but in the end they , even most of the quote unquote alternate media, have one allegiance and that is to the bottom line. What will make them money.

The media are winning. They're like a pack of dogs ripping a piece of meat to pieces. Twisting it and tearing it so it no longer resembles what it clearly is.

Clever use of motifs, repeated words, emotive words and sentences, taking advantage of ambiguous language, pulling things right out of context and injecting with steroids.

Thank God someone on here can see through the media.

Man, I love the main stream media. It makes a life a lot easier. Anything they focus their lenses on I realize is completely unimportant. The stuff they will not touch or try to bury I start looking into.

The stuff they can't bury or ignore and are forced to do a segment on, I flip their commentary 180 degrees and start from there.

The MSM tells you where the distractions are and sometimes accidentally reveals the motivations of those who pull the levers.

They make is so easy. It also makes it really easy to estimate the intelligence of those who follow along and repeat the MSMs lies.

I know a lot of people don't agree, but I think the MSM is doing more to wake people up than anything else out there. Within their gated communities and group think societal circles, they are completely blind to it.

News media is entertainment. (Not all entertainment is fun, I mean people part with cash to watch the Saw movies!)

If you follow the media, you'll soon realise that there's a pattern as simple as a march. News, comment, news, comment. The news is reported pseudo-objectively, but it's the comment that softly tried to shape the worldview in which the news itself is perceived.

So when you're following a news story, you soon find that you are being presented with forced choices on how to interpret the entire thing. These are mainly a function of the brainpower of the news managers or pundits, rather than representing any logical process.

Walk away from the media, and refuse their forced choices, and suddenly you see the whole business for the pantomime it really is. Most ATS folk are pretty much at that stage, but are still locked into questioning it. Questioning it is engaging with it.

That's not to deny that there is good journalism out there, because there is. But good journalism recognises that it is an artificial snapshot taken at a particular moment, not a screenplay delivered to the readership in regular narrative episodes.

Great thread.

Easy solution: Turn off the TV.
Stop feeding the monsters that control the masses by ceasing to fund their very existence. All forms of it. All the 3 letter corporations.

Cut the heads of Hydra.

originally posted by: Droogie
The title of the thread puts forth a premise that I don't exactly know is accurate. As I have observed ATS' progress over the years, there is no doubt the forums have become vastly more politically oriented. The ever evolving focus of topics has mainly been oriented around discussions on sociopolitical issues in the U.S. As many of us are aware of. But how has this happened?

I just figured everyone was getting old, and old people watch the news.

originally posted by: havok
Great thread.

Easy solution: Turn off the TV.
Stop feeding the monsters that control the masses by ceasing to fund their very existence. All forms of it. All the 3 letter corporations.

Cut the heads of Hydra.

I wish it were that easy...

Even if one were to completely avoid TV they would have to hear about all the false TV induced outrage on ATS. Everyday I come on here and other alleged conspiracy sites for the "enlightened" and we still get bombarded with someone's panic attack about something that really has no relation to most of us and the makers of these threads act like it is an epidemic but I never head of the damn thing until they ranted about it.

Do you have job that includes working with people? People say the stupidest things...I can't stand most people I work with and my clients as well due to how they gobble up what they hear on the news and spread it among each other as if it's the word of god.

I pay for cable for the family they would hate me for cancelling it but I am never around when it is on that is the deal, I hate most of it and only watch certain anticipated events.

We are not in a position to go off the grid, neither are you seeing as you are on the internet posting. That was not a rude remark, I was just pointing out that you make it seem so easy to just not have this media problem but the only way to avoid it is to become a complete hermit.

a reply to: Droogie

You're all probably bored of hearing about George Soros by now but one of his "seven steps to take down a country" is to take control of the airwaves.
That includes the web these days.
Look at the MSM, Google, Facebook etc etc and its all accelerating.
The media is your enemy right now and all sides are being taken for a ride.
You don't have to stop watching but you need to know its all theatre and control.

originally posted by: havok
Great thread.

Easy solution: Turn off the TV.
Stop feeding the monsters that control the masses by ceasing to fund their very existence. All forms of it. All the 3 letter corporations.

Cut the heads of Hydra.

That's the problem.

Too many people are "hypnotized". They obsessively tune in, as if commanded by some etheric force.

Its not just msm on tv.

Our habits and routines, many of which are deterimental, have become heavily magnetic, drawing us in time and again, attaching itself to us like a parasite.

We need to burn back the brush.

a reply to: CreationBro

Spot on and well said

Parasites

The media has been in this whole mess for a long time. This video is 40 years old and truly portends where the MSM is today...



And just a few lines from that speech.

And when the 12th largest company in the world controls the most awesome goddamn propaganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what # will be peddled for truth on this network.

But, man, you're never gonna get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell.
We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true!

But you people sit there, day after day, night after night -- all ages, colors, creeds.
You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here!

You're beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal.

You do whatever the tube tells you --

Think about that and add the power of the internet into it. Think about Facebook, Twitter, instagram, Tumblr and what power those and other "social media" (what a joke of a name for what it really is) have gained.

a reply to: GAOTU789

Yes indeed.

I was born in the late 80's, so im a "milennial" supposedly.

Some of the trends I see in my peer groups are plainly bizarre, even worrisome, when it comes to social media.

Addiction.

For example, most of my friends quite literally check snapchat CONSTANTLY and watch every damn snap picture or video that they come across. Its like its their #ing job!

Almost makes me think a lot of people are secretly all into each other's business to the point of absurdity.

Dont get me started on the people that post daily selfies...