Understanding the media
I just thought I'd offer some thoughts on the nature of media bias. In my experience and in my view, the problem is not so much that the media are intentionally manipulative, rather, that they are generally exceedingly narrow-minded and thick, possibly a function of their educations.
I worked for several years in the newsroom of the New York radio affiliate of one of the three major networks. One particular episode sticks out in my mind as representative of the problem.
The day that Theodore Kizinski (aka the Unabomber)'s `manifesto' was published in the Times, the reactions of those in the newsroom were striking to me. I read the piece and felt instantly that I understood it. As I recall, it touched on general themes of social injustice attendant with globalization. It was widely dismissed by the media as garbled and ranting. Whether it was or not, the general thrust of the argument was, to me anyway, clear, or at least I had at the ready a mental framework into which I could place the argument without too much distortion or glossing. Those in the newsroom, however, had no such alternative worldview. As if they had never thought about, in any form whatever, the points Kizinski was trying to make. They all pleaded utter ignorance, insisting that they had no idea what he was talking about. Not that they disagreed, mind you, but that they simply didn't get it.
All right, you say, but this was an unabashed commercial newsradio station, filled with people trained in communications rather than liberal arts. Surely NPR, which would seem to attract more of the latter would offer insight into non-mainstream ideas.
Alack and woe. I remember on Election Night 2000, Mara Liason was wrapping up the Nader campaign and his 3%. I was scandalized when her postmortem offered the view that, in the end, Nader had no real coherent message. First of all, I thought, as if the two major candidates can be honestly said to have offered a coherent message? Then I thought, my God, the Nader campaign stood for so many integrated values and issues, all of which, would constitute a coherent message to whomever bothered to spend a modicum of time studying the campaign. I was profoundly disappointed in Ms. Liason, whose voice I had come to trust and respect. No coherent message. As if by royal fiat, the passions, hopes and efforts of however many supported Nader either in action or in spirit, were dismissed as some inexplicable confusion.
Something is happening here and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
So in conclusion, I'd just like to suggest that we should not demonize the media so much as pity them. Sure, some folks may be diabolical, but the rank and file are just clueless and ill-educated to assimilate truly new ideas. It is to them we should be directing our efforts. We ought to patiently explain ourselves to them at any chance we get. We need to discuss our platform, whatever that might be, in simple and clear language and above all, as good teachers, be extremely patient and seek to educate rather than simply reprimand.