Has Mainstream Media Become a Threat to Democracy?

 

We all know that American has transformed from a Constitutional Republic into a surveillance state under run by an oligarchy or kleptocracy. Corporations literally own both major parties. Their lobbyists write legislation which is beneficial to them.  So, what to the greatest threat to the remnant of our democracy?

According to a Gallup poll taken in late October 2022, the biggest threat is the mainstream media. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising. After all, everything we watch, read, or listen to is owned by just five corporations. Our impressions or opinions are largely determined by the spin they put on any given topic. We dance to their tune.

According to the poll, just 34% of the public trust the media. That's a far cry from the days of Walter Cronkite, Chad Huntley and David Brinkley, Roger Mudd, Frank Reynolds, or Howard K. Smith when the overwhelming majority of public hung on every word they said.

We literally put our trust in individuals like these to tell us the truth about what was happening at home and around the world without any political spin or bias, and rarely was our trust misplaced. We could depend on radio show hosts like Paul Harvey or talk show hosts like Merv Griffith and Dick Cavett.  

But those days are long gone. We've gone from journalists and reporters who were interested in uncovering the truth of what was happening and giving it to us unfiltered. They had the conviction of their morals and integrity as media professionals to do no less.

Today, we live in a world of media celebrities posing as "journalists". The news isn't about facts as much as it about their version of the "facts". It's about manufacturing stories for the sole purpose of garnering higher ratings, which translates into advertising dollars, and manipulating or manufacturing opinions.

The Gallup poll goes on to say that 37% of those surveyed had absolutely no trust whatsoever in mainstream media. That's the highest percentage ever recorded by Gallup. 28% of the responded reported having very little trust in what the mainstream media tells them while just 27% said they had a "fair amount" of trust in what they were being told. 

When broken down by political ideology, we find that on 27% of Independents (the nation's largest political bloc) have any trust in the media. Republicans show the least amount of confidence in the media at just 14% while Democrats have the highest with 70%. Perhaps that's not surprising since studies have shown that mainstream or "establishment" media tends to have a liberal or left leaning bias.

Social media has followed suit with its increasing tendency toward censorship under the false guise of "community standards". Most media sites employ the use of bots looking for trigger words or phrases which is a not-so-subtle means of censorship.  Most of the time these bots will block a posting based simply on the words picked up without any understanding of the context.

When broken down by age and education, the level of confidence in being provided with a accurate and balanced account of a given story varies greatly. For instance, among Democrats those in the 35 to 55+ age bracket strongly trust the mainstream media with a 71% to 79% range. Those under 35 years of age have a slight majority---51%---level of trust.

Now compare that to Republicans in the same age brackets that just 6% to 15% have confidence in what the media reports. Among the pre-35 age bracket, its 16%. As for Independents, the younger groups has a 26% level of confidence while the older age brackets run from 32% to 40% which is still significantly less than Democrats.

When it comes to education, those Republicans who graduated from college with a four year degree had a 11% level of confidence in the media. Those without a college degree had a slightly higher level of trust---12%. For Independents, non-college graduates had a 28% level of confidence while graduates had a 40% trust in the information they were receiving.

However, when it came to Democrats the results were dramatically different. Both college graduates and non-college graduates were virtually the same with 71% and 70% respectively. This seems to reflect a preconceived notion that the information they were taking it was accurate and their level of education (which presumably included honing their critical thinking skills) were unaffected.

Of course one could argue that institutions of higher learning were already geared to pushing a liberal or Left leaning agenda. According to one study, 72% of college students believe that their professors have  political agenda or has sought to influence their student's political ideology.

In another study which looked at all faculty  members regardless of their specialty, 72% self-identified as liberal while just 15% said they were conservative. It's worth noting that conservatives failed to have a majority in any major, including business.  

In a 2022 study, more than 80% of Harvard's faculty self-identified as being liberal (37% said they were "very liberal"). That trend is fairly consistent through these Ivy League institutions which traditionally has turned out many of our political and business leaders. Princeton University is considered the most conservative of the ivy League colleges followed by the University of Pennsylvania  (Trump attended their Wharton School of Business). 

In the area of Communications, Political Science, and English, which produces the majority of media personalities, those who identify as liberal are among the highest. 75% of Communications professors identify as liberal compared to 14% who claim to be conservative. 81% of those who teach Political Science say they're liberal as opposed to just 2% who admit to being conservative. Among English professors, 81% are liberal while only 3% are conservative.

It's worth noting that 55% of Economic professors and 49% of Business professors reported being liberal as were 84% of teaching Performing Arts and Psychology. Conservatives reported their highest percentage---49%---in the area of Nursing along with 39% of those who teach Economics.

It should also be pointed out that one third of students have said their professors have ridiculed them because of their political beliefs and of this one third, 48% believe they've received a lower grade because of their political opinions.

So, if you're like most college students who are focused on maintaining a high GPA, you keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself in the hopes of getting a good grade and perhaps a recommendation from your professor to a potential employer.

What this all comes down to is freedom of speech and expression be it verbally or in print. Our Founding Fathers made free speech and expression first when it came to the Bill of Rights along with the freedom to practice whatever faith we wanted, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition the government to address our grievances. So, is this right under threat by the ruling oligarchy?

In a poll conducted on behalf of Times Opinion and Siena College, some 84% of those surveyed said that our freedom of speech is seriously under threat. Some of the respondents---46%--- admitted that they have had to monitor what they say out of fear of some sort of reprisal. Many claim that cancel culture is largely to blame for this. Only 21% said they felt comfortable with speaking their mind.

Proponents of cancel culture claim that its purpose is to hold individuals and groups accountable for their actions or words, while those opposed say that's its nothing more than intimidation and an attempt to force people or groups to self-censor out of fear of verbal or physical attack.  As an aside, 40% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed expressed the opinion that the First Amendment was "dangerous" and should be changed  to prevent "offensive" speech.

According to a poll by Pew, 58% of those surveyed said that calling people out on social media was justified while 38% said it typically resulted in harsh and often unjustified punishment. a majority of Democrats and liberals---75%----are fine with calling people out while 56% of Republicans and conservatives disagree. They believe that individuals are unfairly being punished or bullied for expressing an opinion, albeit an unpopular one.

So, where does that leave us? It appears that the majority of Americans believe that freedom of speech and expression are under attack. In fact, 59% of Americans who feel we have a serious issued with the First Amendment being undermined. The majority want a media which provides them with the basic facts in which to make their own decision instead of pundits trying to make our decisions for us.

I couldn't agree more. I don't want to listen to a bunch of talking heads trying to talk over one another in what amounts to nothing more than confusing verbal cacophony of noise in an attempt to score more personal rating points which is why I tend to avoid so-called "political talk shows".

At the same time, I don't want some well manicured puppet spin the day's news in a not-so-subtle effort to manipulate my opinion on some issue. They try to talk and act as if they're our most trusted friend, so I for one know I'm being conned right off the bat. It's not so much that I care that they are liberal or whatever. It's the fact that they pretend I'm not intelligent enough to notice!

What Americans want is a media that's honest. Just tell the facts--both sides---and allow us the common  respect to make up our own minds. The same goes for social media which tries to hide its private agenda behind rules and regulations designed to suppress differing opinions. And to borrow from the great broadcaster, Walter Cronkite, "that's the way it is" or, at least the way it should be again.  

 

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Who is the biggest threat to democracy? Most people say themedia

72% of College Students Believe Professors InfluencePolitical Views

ResearchGate: Political Identification of College Professorsby Field

 

More than 80 Percent of Surveyed Harvard Faculty Identifiedas Liberal

Americans and 'Cancel Culture': Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship,Punishment

Is America Headed For A Divorce? Why Our Loss of Trust in the Government Could Lead To A Breakup

 

Americans no longer trust their government. According to recent Pew poll, just 20% of those surveyed said they trusted the government to do the right thing. That means that 80% of America has little or no confidence in Washington. As bad as that is, a mere 2% said they had complete trust in the government! 

In the rest of the world, those kind of numbers would have officials scurrying to the airport for the next flight out to just about anywhere. Those numbers are typically surefire harbingers that a revolution or coup is imminent. You could probably smell the tar coming to a boil and hear the scaffolding being built.

Some politicians thought one was getting underway on January 6th as they locked doors and hide under their desks (and no doubt, at least one grabbing the closest bottle of booze they could find to ease their nerves. I bet that even the ghost of Edward Kennedy was downing shots!). The truth is that something much worse may in the offering.

Americans are more divided than at any time since the 1850's and the "Great Compromise", which briefly held the nation together thanks to the efforts and genius of the "Great Triumvirate"  that was John C Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster. Unfortunately for our nation at this time, there isn't a Calhoun, Clay, or Webster. It seems that Americans can't agree on anything.

A recent poll by Pew pointed out that 73% of Democrats and Republicans believe that we can't even come together and agree on "basic facts". However, it hasn't always been so. Trust in the government was actually in the upper 70% range under Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson's first term. The last time there was an approval plurality was in 1970, under President Richard Nixon, when public trust of government stood at 52%. But that was pre-Watergate days.

Following Nixon's fall, the numbers began a drop from which they've never recovered, though we've briefly come close such as during George W Bush in October 2001 when it reached 60% before declining to 25% by the end of his presidency. Obama peaked at 29% in February 2011, then dropped to 10% in October of the same year.

By the end of Obama's presidency, trust in government was 19%. Under President Trump, trust in government peaked at 27% in April 2020, before dropping to 20% by August. Thus far under the Biden Administration, it hasn't improved by much, standing at roughly 24%.

Of course, partisanship plays a big factor too. Republicans naturally have more trust under a Republican administration while Democrats do the same under a Democrat administration. The real deciding factor are Independents, who are America's voting majority. Other factors come into play, like race, ethnicity, and age.

When it comes to trusting the government, Asians, who comprise about 6% of the population, poll just 29%. Hispanics, who make up 18% of the population, are the highest with 36%. Blacks, with 13% of the overall population, are close behind with 35%, with whites, with 60% of population, at just 18%.

In terms of age, we look at generational groupings. Only 17% of Gen Z and 19% of Millennials have any confidence in government. 21% of Gen X and 25% of the Silent generations do. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers have the highest amount of trust with 28%. It's worth noting that of these groups, regardless of race or age, none do better than just over a 1/3 when it comes to confidence in the government. That means around 2/3 have little or no faith in the government.

As an aside, a 2020 poll by Gallup also showed that the majority of Americans do not have faith in the government when it comes to domestic or foreign policy. The polls shows an approval of 41% on domestic issues and a 48% in international ones, which underscores the poll by Pew.

The Gallup poll also included a few other results which I found interesting, partly because it separated Independents out from the two corporate controlled parties, which it should since Independents are not just a separate voter demographic, but also the nation's largest which Pew doesn't, but also because of the questions themselves.

The poll, which was conducted during the waning months of Trump's Administration, showed that the majority of Republicans (91%) trusted the executive branch compared to 6% of Democrats. Only 37% of Independents did. 82% of Republicans had faith in the Judicial Branch, while 58% of Democrats and 63% of Independents concurred.

When it came to Congress, 38% of Democrats trusted them, along with 33% of Republicans. Only 29% of Independents did.  In terms of those in government (the bureaucrats or "apparatchiks"), 61% of Democrats expressed faith in them. 44% of Republicans felt the same, but only 33% of Independents agreed.

When it came to trusting the American People, 63% of Independents did. So did 62% of Republicans, but, while still a majority, only 57% of Democrats agreed. In what was the most telling of the questions, when it came to trusting the corporate media, almost two thirds (73%) of Democrats said they did. Compare that to 36% of Independents and a mere 10% of Republicans! Could that be because most Republicans believe the corporate media is biased toward the Left?

When it comes to issues such as gun control, taxes, immigration (especially illegal immigration), not to mention the COVID virus or vaccination, Americans are further divided not just along political lines, but even along religious beliefs, gender, and regional lines. We seem unable to find a compromise or common cause. Americans, simply put, don't trust in the government, and its lost faith in pretty every other institution up and including religion.

America used to be a melting pot. People came from all over the world, bringing with them their culture, language, traditions, dress, music, food, and so forth. However, everyone came here for the single purpose of becoming an "American". That was their highest aspiration. As such, they merged with other immigrants, while leaving behind the petty squabbles, hatreds, and restrictions of the Old Country. Here it was possible to remake yourself and become almost anything you wanted if you were willing to work hard enough for it.  This was the land of second chances and opportunities.

However, over time, those aspirations had to be tempered with reality. Starting in the late 1960's, the concept of a melting pot began to change. Immigrants were encouraged to come, but not to blend in. Increasingly they were no longer encouraged to adopt our traditions, values, political system, or even speak the language. They came, not to be "Americans", but simply for jobs; to create little ethnic or religious enclaves throughout the country. America started becoming a defacto balkanized nation.

Employers defy immigration and other laws by hiring illegal immigrants, often forcing them to work for next to nothing, no benefits, or in unsanitary or unsafe conditions. Simultaneously, corporations offshored not just jobs, but entire companies to second or third world countries where people work in sweatshops for pennies a day with no benefits and poor work conditions. 

Meanwhile, the middle class, the economic and social backbone of this country, has taxed and outsourced into virtual nonexistence. The middle class is essentially seen as the upper tier of the working poor. While the upper elites see their wealth grow, the rest continue to see theirs shrink. The top 10% own 73% of all wealth, compared with the bottom 60% which owns just 4.2%.

To put it another way, the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans own 196 x more than the bottom 90%. The ten year period between 2009 and 2019, the wages for the bottom 90% grew at 8.7% while the top 1% saw a growth rate of 20.4% over the same period. The pay rate between CEOs and the average worker is (hang on)...830 to 1. That's $830 dollars for a CEO for every single dollar an average employee earns, meanwhile work productivity has increased by 17% between 1979 and 2019.

21% of all children in America live in poverty, which is higher than any other industrialized nation. Education in America also continues to decline in comparison with other countries, particularly in the areas of math and science. In terms of healthcare, we are rank toward the bottom of all industrial nations, especially in the number of available hospital beds and doctor/patient ratio.

America has become a two tier nation. We have one set of laws for the elites and another set for the rest of us. Politicians serve virtually at will thanks to Citizens United, gerrymandering, and rigged elections. They have benefits that we could only dream of. When they choose to leave office, they take not only those benefits with them, but also their salary...for life.

Over 50% go on to become lobbyists, where they earn triple when they made in office (not to mention perks of their own). Those who don't become lobbyists, usually become paid "consultants" or "advisors". Some make a fortune as commentators on TV or on the book and lecture circuit. 

They all typically live in gated communities, protected by cameras, motion sensors, and security guards. They don't worry about crime. They don't concern themselves with having to choose between buying medicine, paying bills, or buying groceries like the majority of Americans do. Face it folks, we live in two very different Americas.

America is a Corporatocracy. It is governed by a very wealthy oligarchy. This is no America on the road to "socialism" unless you mean Corporate socialism or socialism for the very rich and powerful.  A Corporatocracy is, by their very nature, a form of fascism. The creator of modern fascism, Benito Mussolini even said so. He stated  "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power". Pretty well sums it up don't you think? By the way, the term "socialism", which is often (and falsely) equated with Nazism or Communism, is now used as a scare word to keep people away from the idea of taking wealth and power back from the elites.

Finally, one last survey. This one is from June 2021 by the YouGov/Bright Line Watch. The survey is about support for some sort of secession. It shows that 39% of those on the West Coast favor a secession. Broken down by political ideology, 47% of Democrats, 33% of Independents, and 27% of Republicans support the idea. 32% of those in the Central Western States, which includes Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Nebraska among others, support secession.  By registration, it's 43% of Republicans, 35% of Independents, and 17% of Democrats.

In the Midwest, which includes the Dakotas, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and West Virginia, the percentage is 30%. Broken down by registration, 43% Independent, 34% Republican, and 19% Democrat support secession.

In the South, which takes in the Old Confederacy, including Kentucky, Texas, and Florida, 44% support secession. That's 66% of Republicans, 50% of Independents, and 20% of Democrats. Lastly, the Northeast, which includes New York all the way up to Maine and the Eastern Seaboard. 34% would like to leave too. Here, it's 39% of Democrats, 35% of Independents, and 26% of Republicans. 

There is no question that America has embarked down a dark slippery path. Where it will lead, nobody can say. We can only hope for the best. But with the rise of China, as well as India economically, the potential debasement of the U.S. Dollar in favor of, perhaps, the Yuan, the instability of the EU, growing confidence of Russia, not to mention the influx of illegal immigrants, stress on our social safety net, vulnerability of our electrical grid and crumbling infrastructure, viruses like COVID and questionable vaccines, crime and manufactured social instability, the rise in poverty and homelessness, a non-representing government, I wouldn't bank on it. Want to know more? Check out the links below. 

 

Americans Views of Government:  Low Trust but Some Positive Performance Ratings

Pew: Public Trust in Government 1958 - 2021

 

Trust in the Federal Government's Competence Remains Low

 

Income Inequality in the United States

Support for Secession Dramatically Rises in the U.S.Including on the West Coast Poll Finds

Where Have Our Heroes Gone? America's Loss of Trust in Itself

What has happened to us America? There was once a time where we could trust those in office. We could believe what the media told us. They had integrity. We could trust them. But that's gone. Today we hear voices coming from every direction telling us who to hate, who to fear, or whose fault is was for our problems. They want to rage on about our differences; some real, but most manufactured. Where are the voices telling us who to love or to have compassion for? What happened to those who extolled our commonality and sense of community? What we share is far greater and more important than what separates us.

We've come to expect politicians to lie to us. It's almost automatically assumed they are corrupt. But then, in a nation ruled---not governed---by an Oligarchy, isn't it true? The Oligarchy owns both of the two political parties, and that includes their respective politicians. They underwrite their campaigns. They help to write the bills, which then goes before committees whose members are equally bought and paid for. The only real "partisanship" is between the competing cliques pushing their own agenda and who gets the biggest piece of the financial pie.

But, this wasn't always so. There was once a time where we had faith in those we elected. Yes, there was partisanship and real disagreements, but at the end of the day, they could still come together and treat each other with civility and respect. We could turn on the evening news and feel that we were getting a balanced and honest reporting of the day's events. But not anymore. Gone are the likes of Chet, Walter, Howard, Frank, and Peter, and with them the integrity we once believed in.

Today's 24/7/365 news cycle is less about facts and all about ratings. We routinely watch as these "talking heads" strive to out shout each other; call each other names. We see rumors and speculation presented as truth. They start with an agenda and work backwards, making the parts fit their twisted puzzle, and when they don't, they manufacture the missing pieces. And it's not just one side or the other which is responsible for this, it's both, and why not? 90%+ of all media, including network, cable, magazines, newspapers, radio, as well as movies and video games are controlled by just six corporations; all a central part of the Oligarchy.

Even our nightly entertainment carries with it a divisive political message designed to divide us. Even our movies seem to carry a political message, often a subtle one, which is aimed to influencing our opinions. We're implicitly told what life styles, political opinions, or attitudes are acceptable while those who disagree are villainized or ridiculed. It seems that whatever we watch, read, or listen to has a message that we have to consciously filter out. I suppose Mrs. Cleaver doesn't live here anymore either and Father doesn't know best.

We've watched as those in power increasingly lost their professionalism; their civility to each other. It plays out on local TV, cable, and satellite. We can watch it "streaming" anytime we want, or even when we don't want. It appears every waking moment of every day of the year. We've come to expect politicians to lie. We watch teachers get busted for having sex with children or graduating from high school with the equivalent of a eighth grade education.

Our kids play video games or go to movies which glorifies violence. They make it seem as if life has no value or some magically "reset" button somewhere will restore everything to right. Yet, we wonder why there is so much violence. We're told the problem is guns or some politician when in fact the problem lays with us and not taking responsibility for what our children are exposed to. We watch as ministers preach one thing and drive away in $100,000 cars to their multi-million dollar mansions; many of whom getting busted for tax evasion or sex scandals of their own.

We must demand accountability, be it teachers, school boards, ministers, or anyone else is suppose to hold the public's trusts. I wouldn't want the pressure a police officer has to endure every day. The vast majority of these men and women deserve our never-ending respect. However, there seems to be a segment which I find utterly disgusting. They tarnish everything they're fellow officers stand for along with the trust of the community. Yet, the system protects them. We see their actions on the body-cams (if they're on). We hear the witness accounts. But, somehow they are typically found not guilty.

That's why independent police review boards comprised of ordinary citizens is so important. We link between the police departments and judicial system is so strong that they're nearly one. A independent review board would, at the least, provide a sense of impartiality for the residents. At the same time, there also needs to be transparency to these hearings. Anything which goes on behind closed doors is going to create a sense of suspension, and in an environment where there is already distrust, it only makes the situation worse.

People tell us to go vote if we don't like how things are being run. Yet, the political system has already been rigged to ensure that change never really happens. Every politician tells us how they're going to "stand up" to Washington or its power brokers; how they are demand change. Yeah, right. The system is designed to filter out any real reformers. For the very few who get through, they are sorted through a system of committees and "door keepers" designed to keep them to bust to focus on any real change.

In addition, they are exposed almost from day one to a strictly enforced hierarchy. Money brokers descend on them like vultures on a fresh kill. If the money and lure of power doesn't convince them, their party leaders will. Barring that, they will find themselves ostracized and facing competition back by their own party. If you won't bite the rotten apple, they'll find someone who will. It reminds me of junkies trying to get others hooked so they'll get more of the drug as a reward. The longer you're there, the deep the hook goes.

I suppose people have stopped voting because they're tired of being disappointed. We've had enough of being lied to. We know that once they're in, they'll either be corrupted or spit out. Political parties control the makeup of their districts through gerrymandering. Essentially, they chose their constituents instead of the voters choosing who they want representing them. Do you think that either party are going to willingly given this up? It practically guarantees that the incumbent will be reelected.

What about term limits? Terms limits would force politicians to focus their objectives to just a few issues which can be accomplished within a set amount of time. It would also limit the amount of corruption which can be imposed as well. It would created a fresh flow of new ideas and energy. Another thing it would do as well is, because of the turnover, it would force politicians of different partied to work together to get things done, which would only benefit us, the voters. The downside obviously is that the old partisan political system would collapse. Frankly, that's not a bad thing at all for the American People. Who knows, it might even resurrect a measure of civility and trust!

Of course, we know Citizens United, which created "individuals" out of corporations (except they have more "rights" than you and I). We must get corporate and other special interest money out of politics. Period. We need to make it possible for the average American to be able to run for office rather than multi-millionaires who have little, if anything, in common with ordinary Americans. Our Founding Fathers intended on this being a nation of "Citizen-Legislators", and not professional politicians. In fact, they also opposed the notion of political parties which they saw has being corrupting special interest groups which would gradually seize power from the people; making government subservient to the parties rather to the American People. Can you imagine that ever happening?

Americans have long lost trust in their institutions, and here's proof. According to a 2019 Gallup poll, only 36% of those surveyed had any trust in organized religion. The Supreme Court only got 38% while the criminal justice system saw a 24% level of trust. Congress, regardless of party, saw just 11% overall. The Presidency had a 38% confidence level. Yet, we still have a 73% level of trust in our military.

Trust in Organized Labor was just 29%, which is still better than Big Business which had only 23% but Americans still little their local businesses. Small business had 63% trust ranking which may be why big businesses try to portray themselves as being "local". Surely our schools would do better. After all, they caring for our nation's future. Well, not so much. Confidence in our public schools was 29%. Despite all the bad press, the police still saw a 53% level of trust.

How about the media? Newspapers, which has been in serious decline for decades, saw only 23%. TV news (including cable) ranked a lowly 18%. News on the internet ranked just a bit lower with 16%. Our trust in the medical system was surprisingly low at just 36% (think about the next time you visit your doctor or have surgery). Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) didn't fare any better. Their trust ranking was a unhealthy 19%. Banks received just 30% which isn't perhaps to surprising. Who trusts banks anyway? As an aside, 73% of Americans believe that artificial intelligence will eliminate more jobs than it will create, thus increasing unemployment among blue collar workers and the lower middle class.

The systems is broken across the board. The question is what we're going to do about it. I've presented some possible solutions. There are other things we can do such as demand citizens referendums and initiatives; voter approval for all rate and tax increases (including salary increases for elected officials); a level playing field to allow ballot access for third parties and Independents (who also happen to be the nation's largest voting bloc) and voter recall of those not doing the job we elected them to do.

We can also start taking charge of our neighborhoods and communities and squeezing political corruption out and partnering with other such groups (remember, politicians have no real power without our cooperation). We can start home educating our children; instilling in them the values we want them to have, not the ones the State decides on. We can form block watches. These will not only help to make for safer neighborhoods, but also as way to assist first responders, as well as make it more difficult for corruption to get sweep under the rug too.

We, dear reader, are not powerless. Far from it. We just have to realize that we are the ones who still hold the real power. Without out tacit approval, those in power, even the Oligarchy, can do nothing. They require our cooperation and obedience in order to control us. If we deny them that, they can be defeated and we can take back our government and restore our society.


Gallup Poll: Confidence in Institutions

A Matter of Trust: America's Declining Distrust of the Media

Readers of Another Opinion and other sites where I am a semi-regular commentator, have often noticed that I occasionally make mention of the fact that approximately 96% of all media outlets are owned by just six corporations (some estimates put that number a little lower, at 90%). It's hard to imagine that in a country which prides itself on entrepreneurship and innovation has its media dominated by mere half a dozen corporations, especially in this age of technology. Sadly, it's true, and it says a lot about the state of decline we're in.

So, before we get into the reasons why this is such a bad idea, let's take a look at who is on this list. First of the "Dirty half dozen" is National Amusements, which owns Viacom, CBS, BET, Showtime, MTV, Paramount and Paramount Home Media Distribution, Showcase, TV Land, and VH1. The owner of NA is Summer Redstone, whose net worth is estimated to be around 4.6 billion (give or take a few million). Next comes Disney. They own ABC, LucusFilms, ESPN, A+E Networks, Marvel Studios, Industrial Light and Magic, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar, and Walt Disney Studios (wouldn't ole Walt be surprised?). Disney also owns the video gaming company, GameStar as well as approximately 20 print media companies The CEO, Bob Iger, brings in right at $45 million.

Time-Warner is next on the list. Time Warner owns CNN, Castlerock Entertainment, Global Media Group, the CW, HBO, DC Entertainment, New Line Cinema, TBS, TCM, the Turner Network, TNT, Warner Brothers and all their affiliates, Hulu, and Cinemax. In addition, Time-Warner owns DC, Time, Life and Time-Life. It owns seven video companies, including Rocksteady and Monolith. In the world of music Time-Warner own Warner and Watertower Records as well as investments in 25 other media companies. Finally, Time-Warner owns Time-Warner Cable. The president of Time-Warner is Jeff Bewkes, whose annual income is around $32.5 million dollars. Time, Inc was acquired in November 2017 by Meredith Corporation for $2.8 billion dollars after being spun off in 2014. The deal was concluded in January 2018.

Comcast, whose CEO, Brian L. Robert, earns a cool $40.8 million a year, owns corporations like NBC Networks which includes CNBC, MSNBC, NBS Sports, and NBC Universal News Group, along with NBC Universal, "E" Channel, the Weather Channel, SyFy, NHL Channel, NBL Channel, Bravo, DreamWorks Entertainment, Esquire, Fandango, Gramercy, Telemundo, and the USA Networks. In terms of the internet, Comcast owns Xfinity, which is the world's top internet provider, and, of course, Comcast. It also has a strong financial stake in 62 other media companies including Vox Media, Tripwire, and TiVo.

The next corporation on our list is the News Corporation, which may be the least known, but its owner is certainly very well known, the very colorful Mr. Rupert Murdoch. News Corp as it's commonly called, owns FOX and all its affiliates, 20th Century Fox, FX Network, National Geographic Network, BlueSky, Sun Sports, MYTV, FXM, and FSN Sports. It owns Fox Music and the Wireless Group LLC. In terms of print, which has been at the heart of Murdoch's media empire, in addition to News Corp, it owns Barrons, the Wall Street Journal, Smart Money, the New York Post, Harper-Collins Publishers, Financial News, Harlequin, Market Watch, Smart Source, Down Jones Newswires, and Courier Life, plus several more. Surprisingly, Forbes Media isn't owned by Murdoch. The company is owned by International Whale Media Corporation, with a minority share owned by the Forbes family.

Finally, Sony rounds out the "Dirty half dozen". Of course, everyone is familiar with Sony Electronics and its numerous subsidiaries including Sony Pictures, but the company owns far more than that including TriStar Pictures, True Channels and its affiliates, Triumph Pictures, Imageworks, Cine Sony Television, Animax, Screen Gems, Starz, Left Bank Pictures, CSC Media Group, and Destination Films. When it comes to music, Sony dominates the other five with, of course, Sony Music, EMI, Epic, and about 11 other music related corporations. In terms of the internet, is owns So-Net Entertainment which serves primarily the Asian market. Sony also has expanded into the non-media market to include Sony Bank, Sony Life, Sony Financial Holdings, and Sony Creative Software. It also has holdings in Olympus and FelCia, which is a RCIF smart card system used in electronic money cards. The president and CEO of Sony is Kazuo Hirai. I'm sure he uses his smart card to deposit his $4.9 million dollar salary.

I want to be clear that the various subsidiaries and affiliates I've mentioned aren't assumed to all of the holdings owned by these companies. They're not. They are just a sampling of their vast holdings. Also, there are other, individual companies, which may own are larger share in a given market, such as Pearson LLC of the UK, which is ranked as the largest publishing company in the world while the Woodbridge Company, owner of Thomas-Reuters is the third largest (Apollo Global Management, which owns McGraw-Hill, is the largest in the US, is ranked 8th). While Comcast Xfinity is the world's largest ISP with over 110 million subscribers, other leading internet providers include AT&T Internet, Charter Spectrum, Version Fios, HughesNet, and about 15 others.

In addition to these six corporations, there are other industries which have a lock on their particular market niche. For instance, just four corporations the aircraft industry (Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and Bombardier). 80% of cars are manufactured by just six companies, Toyota, GM, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and the Chrysler Group. Five companies control 90% of the cell phone market, namely Apple (which controls the lion's share), Samsung, HTC, Huawei, and Motorola. Only two companies, iOS and Android control 98% of the operating systems market. Meanwhile, only four sites, Twitter, YouTube (which is owned by Google), Facebook, and Reddit, control 76% of their market. Lastly, only five corporations dominate the private intelligence industry on which the US Government depends. They happen to be CACI International, SAIC, CSRA, Booz Allen Industries, and Leidos. These are the companies that the NSA, CIA, DIA, and other intelligence agencies farm our their work to, and these five companies get 80% of it.

So, while these six corporations I've detailed may not be dominate in every aspect of the media, their individual and collective dominance of the market makes them impossible to ignore. Their collective revenues, $430 billion dollars, is more than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 1/4 of world's countries. But what's key here is the absolute influence they have over every single American as well as anyone else whoever watches movies, television shows, reads newspapers, uses the internet, or listens to the radio in the world, which I suppose is one benefit of being a transnational corporation. Nevertheless, these six media companies have the ability, which they use on a regular basis, to determine what is and isn't news, how it's spun, and influence what we think.

As a result, these six corporations have both a direct influence on government policy through their direct financial contributions to candidates and their campaign, but also a indirect influence by how a candidate or issue if presented (if it's presented at all). In addition, to deciding what story is picked up, they decide how it's presented and through innuendo or images, manipulate our opinions, our actions, and in many cases, whether we should support this or that issue or politician. If there's any doubt, one need look no further than how the 2016 Presidential race was presented.

If the media presented a balanced approach to its news, that is just the facts without any political bias, I think most Americans could make up their own minds. However, these days finds the media not just controlling content, but also spinning it with a decidedly Left tilt (compare this with the late 1940's,the 1950's and early 1960's in which the media had noticeable Right leaning tilt). We can catch a glimpse of this by examining several polls which asks for our opinions regarding the media. One Pew Poll noted that Americans are divided as to how much they trust the media. Not surprisingly, they divide largely fall along political lines. 89% of those who identify as Democrats trust the media to keep politicians of both corporate parties in line, but only 42% of Republicans did (this, by the way, was the largest divide ever measured by Pew Research on this question of trust in the media).

On a related question, when asked how biased the media was toward or against their particular party,72% of Americans overall felt that the media was politically biased. When broken down along party lines, 87% of Republicans thought the media was biased; 53% of Democrats agreed. When asked if they thought the national news services were trustworthy, only 11% of Republicans agree along with just 34% of Democrats. When asked if they trusted the media "a lot", the numbers were expectedly dismal.34% of Democrats said yes compared to just 11% of Republicans. As an aside, only 33% of Americans trust social media in providing accurate news. 52% said they had "some" trusted national news organizations. 60% said they trusted local media "some", while most trusted family and friends with 61% (which is probably why the local media tries to create that "one of the family" image and likes to use phrases like "honest", "trust", and "confidence" in their advertising). Perhaps more telling of the public's attitude toward the media is that a pitiful 1/5 of adults thought the media did "a very good job".

Once upon a time, newspaper declared that they were the sole arbitrators of what was "right" or moral; that they were the public's "watchdog", which gave birth to activist newspaper writers and editors ("crusaders" they liked to call themselves). This in turn led to editors "endorsing" various issues and candidates. Perhaps their hearts were in the right place, but many quickly used their position to try and influence specific pieces of legislation or help friends and associates get elected. Some simply and brazenly got bought off, while others engaged in the practice of "Yellow Journalism" which relied on hype, misleading quotes or stories, and outright lies; a practice which still continues. Fortunately, the majority of Americans no longer pay any attention to these partisan "endorsements". The public is demanding more transparency, such as the names and political registrations of those on these editorial boards, complete and unedited copies of the interviews, or better yet, release of unedited video of the interview process.

So, what we are seeing here through the use of polls is that even despite the partisan divide, the public doesn't trust the media to present an honest and balanced picture. This disconnect, of course, isn't unexpected. Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court have suffered through decades of low (sometimes single digit) approval ratings regardless of which party is in the majority. Sadly, Americans are more widely and more deeply divided across a myriad of issues. Many academics cite that, as a nations, weren't even this divided in the decade preceding the Civil War. That's scary folks. Most Americans feel they have no institution and certainly no party, group or individual they can trust to look after their interests.

America now has just six mega corporations controlling (or maybe "managing" would be a better word) what we see, hear, and watch. It has a major impact on our entertainment, be it sports, TV shows, movies, video games, or internet content. It even contributes to what we buy...and when! Nazi Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels could only dream of such power. It reminds of the movie "Matrix" by its insidious worming into our lives. Of course, thanks to the Supreme Court's two egregious misrulings (Citizens United and McCutcheon) corporations now openly buy and sell candidates and completely own both the Democratic and Republican parties, while ensuring that third parties and Independents (the nation's largest voting bloc) are denied participation in debates, funding and endorsements, and outright ballot access, and these six corporations are nose deep in it. It's no wonder that we've lost our treasured democratic republic and have now become a defacto Oligarchy; a plutocracy if you will.

Trust, once lost, is something very hard to regain in the best of circumstances. In today's political and social environment, trust of the government and public officials has long been at the level where in other countries there were would be very serious concerns of revolution. The corporate media, whose very credibility is based on trust, has now found itself on the outside, along with ambulance chasers, used car salesmen, bill collectors, and politicians.



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