Selling The News

Today I have a short reminder about how capitalism is ruining the Fourth Estate, and with it our democracy.

The term "Fourth Estate" refers to the press and news media, and is in fact an extension of a government's separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. As such, the press and news media are the guardians of our democracies; by informing the public about the government's dealings, they enable us to make informed decisions during elections and set the agenda for public discourse over the topics that influence our daily lives. It doesn't take a genius to see that the media, mainstream and alternative, are currently failing at these tasks. I have to add that "setting the agenda" isn't an explicit task of the media, but a by-product of what they choose to report on and what they choose to stay silent about.

It is in that choice where the mainstream media are dropping the ball, and this is true for alternative media as well to a certain extent. You all already know why the ball id dropped; it's because the news has become a commodity and has to be sold for a profit, just like everything else in this late stage capitalist world. In the below linked video Jon Stewart discusses this "ratings game" with other colleagues from the media. What I like about this discussion is that it is an honest one, where journalists openly admit that they start out with an idealistic mindset, intent to provide the public service of honest information, but gradually become aware of how they have to "pitch" or "spin" the news in order to score the higher ratings that are demanded from high up above.

This video is on YouTube, the main platform for alternative news-media where basically the same rule applies. Headlines are almost always a form of "click-bait," formatted to elicit outrage or indignation and always of a sensationalist nature. Like sex, outrage sells. So the news is becoming a highly profitable tool that increases polarization and discontent. It's the general rule of making a profit; consumers have to be made to feel unsatisfied with the current state of affairs so that they buy whatever is sold to them to make their lives better. If you've ever wondered, like I have, why so many people vote against their own best interest, this is why; they've bought the belief that they are voting in their own interests. It's a market. The much touted "marketplace of ideas" where the truth comes only second after what sells. I'm selling the below linked video about the deplorable state of "the news"; I hope you buy it :-)

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