When the Press Is Free, Truth Is Not Guaranteed

Trust they often say is the invisible currency of society, and right now looking at what is happening in the world, the vault is looking dangerously empty. While "Fake News" from anonymous internet trolls is a visible nuisance and has come to be sorta expected, the quiet, systemic manipulation by multi-billion-dollar media conglomerates is far crazier. These entities don't just report on reality, they have the power to manufacture it and twist or brain wash you to believing their narrative. Sometimes I wonder how it was in the past when their was almost no way of verifying news and you therefore had to accept the truth for what it is put out to be. How many times has the real truth ben twisted in the past i wonder and we never even knew?.

To understand why this is so dangerous, we have to look at the architecture of modern media. In the 1980s, dozens of independent companies controlled the information flow. Today, that has consolidated into a handful of massive parent corporations. When a single board of directors oversees everything from movie studios to news networks to military interests, the "news" is no longer an objective truth window to the world and If there is one thing that is more dangerous other than Fake News are those Big Corporate Media Companies. I believe that they are capable of manipulating news stories to create fear and control among the viewers for their own personal interests and one of the most potent tools in the corporate media arsenal is the "Fear Cycle." Or as I call it negative news. Biologically, the human brain is wired to prioritize threats and focus more on threats, we are drawn to it, a headline about a gradual improvement in poverty levels doesn't trigger a dopamine hit or an adrenaline spike. However, a story about a "new mystery virus," an "imminent economic collapse," or a "foreign threat" keeps viewers glued to the screen. This is not accidental, it is a business model. We have to remember that Mainstream media are not there to perform a public service. They’re there for profit, for most it is a private organization and in basic economics we are taught that the main goal of any business is to make profit. They are trying to keep you engaged, either with pop culture or Things That Are likely to Make You Angry, but the cost is heavy, a society that is constantly afraid is a society that is easier to control and less likely to question the structures of power. This brings us to the concept of "Manufacturing Consent," a term famously explored by Noam Chomsky. The theory suggests that in a democracy, the elite cannot rule by physical force alone, so they must rule by controlling public opinion. Reference-

Corporate media as such acts as a series of filters. They decide which stories are "fit to print" and which voices are "fringe." If a viewpoint challenges corporate profits such as questioning the skyrocketing costs of healthcare or the ethics of war the media doesn't necessarily ban the viewpoint, because that will be too obvious, they simply starve it of oxygen. They frame the debate so narrowly that the only "sensible" options are the ones that benefit the status quo. Perhaps the most damaging aspect of this corporate control is the erosion of local news. As big companies buy up local papers and TV stations, they replace local reporters, the people who actually know the community and live within the community with pre-packaged national scripts. When the local watchdog is silenced, corruption at the local level goes unchecked, and people feel more disconnected than ever from their own neighbors. Your lack of faith in these institutions is a form of intellectual self-defense. In an era where "truth" is often just "the narrative with the biggest marketing budget," being a critical consumer is a necessity.

Then again on the other hand Somewhere along the line, you have picked up the notion that ‘the media’ (whatever that is), is supposed to be some kind of oracle of truth. It is what you tune into to be abressed with the real happenings of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Free and open press is critical to a free society. Thus, ‘the media’ is free to publish whatever it wants. Anyone may do this, at any time. This is very essential and very healthy. A free press is messy. It is supposed to be. Now about the ‘lies’, bias and fake media which I’ve talked about. This is a relative term. One person’s truth is another person’s lies. Israeli occupation of the West Bank, necessary for Israel’s survival as a state? Trumps capture of Venezuela for security? Both lies? Both truths? I dunno. It is in the eye of the reporter. The whole point of a free press is that you get a wide range of opinions and facts, and how they are interpreted. Do we like a Free Press? Amazingly, some people don’t. The problem with a Free Press is that it is up to the individual to decide what to believe, what papers to buy, what TV news to watch and to a larger instance, ive come to realise that with bias you will find the “truth” you are looking for.