Monday, August 8, 2022

Message Control

Who controls the press, controls the nation.

Belief without thought endangers freedom.

   The motto of this newsletter has been displayed at the top of every issue for years. In recent months, however, the warning it conveys has become more urgent as political candidates increase their attacks on journalism outlets that expose their lies.
   Part of their strategy has been to block neutral reporters from attending their supposedly "public" rallies so they have more control over their message.
   But that means the event is not really open to the public -- only to those willing to accept and spread the political message.
   Often, a candidate will verbally attack TV camera operators, ignoring the fact that they are part of a pool of workers serving all networks. Moreover, some may even be supporters of the candidate, but their job is operate the camera.
   Historically, one of the first things a government intent on full control does has been to control the news media, and thus to control the message, even if the intended message is a lie.
   This was the reason why the founders of America emphasized freedom of the press and banned Congress from making any law restricting it.
   Warning: We are facing new efforts to control the news media and the facts it reports to the public.

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