MEDIA PERSPECTIVES - August 24, 2016

Editor's Note:

I just wanted to let my readers know that I've created a blog where I will be posting essays and articles I've written on digital and online marketing. It's an extension of Media Perspectives. I hope you continue to read and enjoy!

Here's the link: Jaffer Ali's Blog - Perspectives from a Media Contrarian

Thanks for Reading!



The Poverty of the MSM Is Why They Are Crashing
by: Jaffer Ali

They are far more servants to political power than adversarial watchdogs over it, and what provokes their rage most is not corruption on the part of those in power (they don't care about that) but rather those who expose that corruption, especially when the ones bringing transparency are outside of, even hostile to, their incestuous media circles.
--Glenn Greenwald

Everywhere you turn, when the MSM is examined in terms of audience, we see a precipitous decline in the size of the audience. Newspapers, news magazines, cable news, broadcast news, you name it.

One wonders how they are staying in business and it is not unreasonable to suggest that MSM is being secretly subsidized by the government. Advertising is not paying the bills, at least my understanding suggests that is the case.

But why would the government subsidize the MSM?



The answer leads to traveling down a trodden path often referred to as the rabbit hole. But the MSM serves those in power. Chris Hedges called the MSM "courtiers of power". Look how the NSA story is being handled as one example.

Rather than really digging in on the substance of the NSA snooping/spying/violations (and collusion with the private sector), the story that is covered endlessly is whether Snowden is a whistleblower or traitor. The story has been diverted.

As long as the MSM serves political and economic powers, they will be subsidized. They are charged with framing the acceptable boundaries of discourse. Their function is to divert attention and define what we are supposed to talk about at the water cooler. But by and large, it is not working!

A year ago I wrote about how the MSM continues to decline. The pabulum served by the MSM is not sustainable. The NSA scandal and how the diversion from Fox to MSNBC and everything in between insist on making Snowden the story. The real issues concerning the NSA are left to online, alternative media sources. And while they may not be subsidized and have questionable business models, alternative media is covering the real story unabated.

Original Article: The Poverty of the MSM Is Why They Are Crashing

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