I Can No Longer Justify Writing About the Misinformation Offered by the Mainstream Media

An Uninformed Electorate is a Great Danger

My brain is in constant turmoil, especially when I think about mainstream media. The primary reasons are how uninformed and ignorant our nation’s people have become, and how our government, at least a large part of it, is focused on destroying the democratic nation we love and revere, and replace our current form of government with fascism and a new leader who will become America’s first and last Fuhrer.

Blame the Mainstream Media

However, the real villain in my story, what causes me the greatest concern, is a group of individuals I once trusted in my youth, led by a man by the name of Walter Cronkite.

What was once referred to as “the fourth estate” no longer exists. Like the rest of American businesses, the mainstream media has become obsessed with enormous profits. The full, accurate truth is no longer its priority. Sensationalism sells advertising. Sensationalism also increases viewership. Together, these two factors produce millions of dollars in profits annually.

Television News Began as a Service to the American People

The first television news broadcasts were in 1947. Walter Cronkite offered all the information he could during a 15-minute network show. Only the DuMont Network offered this to the public in 1947 and 1948. I grew up in the 1950s and remember watching the news in the evenings. It was a one-half-hour broadcast. There was no offering of opinions and no “entertainment factor.” Advertisers were reluctant to spend their money on what was not intended to be entertainment.

This All Changed in 1980, and Again in 1995.

In June of 1980, Ted Turner began a 24-hour “news” network, CNN. It was initially a repeat of several stories by numerous personalities with the occasional “breaking news” which was sometimes interesting, but mostly not “news.” Depending upon how you look at it, it evolved or devolved into more and more of an entertainment venue. Segments involved everything from debates between men and women on various issues to cooking shows and revealing the latest fashions.

Mainstream Media: Creating a “Right-Wing Propaganda Machine”

In 1995, created by Rupert Murdoch, and Roger Ailes, Fox News began broadcasting. Ailes hired men and women whose journalistic qualifications were suspect. The women were relatively young, and for the most part pretty, and blonde.

How Incessant Coverage of “Natalee Holloway” by Fox Embarrassed Legitimate Journalists

Its broadcasts focused on sensationalism including salacious activities and violence. Conspiracy theories were offered as facts and were heavily slanted in favor of right-wing politicians. Fact-checkers began reporting that most of Fox’s information was intentionally dishonest and its “personalities” nothing more than paid liars.

Profits before People and the Truth

However, its advertising revenue began to exceed expectations. Fox was financially crushing all other news networks. A few years later, all television “news” broadcast copied many of the policies created by a billionaire and a former Republican strategist. In 2015, Fox began its support for the Republican presidential candidate and future nominee, Donald John Trump.

Today broadcast news no longer exists. It’s showtime at its worst. What we see and hear cannot be trusted: there are no Walter Cronkites today, the man who once wore the title of “the most trustworthy man in America.

Mainstream Media: No More Television “News”

On the morning of November 9, 2016, when the illegitimate presidency of Donald Trump was confirmed, I vowed to never watch television news again. I have kept that promise, and it has been very easy. I hate being lied to more than anything else in the world.

What upsets me most is the coverage or lack of coverage by the major networks. For example, news networks covered Trump more than all other candidates, Democratic or Republican, between 2015 throughout the November 8, 2016 election. Hillary Clinton was only covered when she made a “gaff,” or when another story about her “private e-mails” was mentioned. They continue to cover Trump and other men and women who are opposed to my America today, although every word out of their mouths is a lie and harms our nation’s future by dividing our people.

Why Report Lies and Baseless Conspiracy Theories?

There is no justification for reporting statements made by Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Chuck Grassley, Ron Johnson, or any other member of those who have become known as “Trump MAGA Republicans. Everything they say is extreme and based on falsehoods and baseless conspiracy theories. This is not “news,” and reporting what they say and do causes damage to our nation’s future and is a major component in the “dumbing down of America.”

Mainstream Media: How the Fourth Estate Failed the American People

The former fourth estate was given protection by the First Amendment. Their intended purpose was to expose corruption in our federal government and keep our country’s people informed. Today we know nothing. Everything coming out of Washington is kept secret, claiming they are “matters of national security.” I call bullcrap. America is “we the people.” It is not the buildings or statues on Capitol Hill. We have a right to know the truth.

Therefore, I will be offering a greater number of “op-ed” stories. I do not trust and am not interested in most of what I read on the internet today.

The “golden rule,” always “doing the right thing,” no longer exists.

Op-ed by The Wise Old Fart, (James Turnage)

My novels can be found on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

Georgetown University Law Center: Platforms and the Fall of the Fourth Estate: Looking Beyond the First Amendment to Protect Watchdog Journalism

History, Art & Archives: Speaker Martin’s Television Debut:
The House and Television

Britannica: Ted Turner

Depauw University: “INCESSANT” COVERAGE OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE UNDERSCORES PROBLEMS OF MODERN JOURNALISM, PROF. JEFF MCCALL ’76 WRITES

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Paul Keller‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License