spade or shovel wrote:
Fen trekker wrote:No, I am not naïve. I just happen to know a bit more about Russia than you do. Try and imagine a world where the best newspaper available to most people is the National Enquirer. That is the reality in Russia today.
The Russian control is much more heavy handed and reflects the old communist style of control. Propaganda is a little more sophisticated in the West, but arguably much more effective considering its finesse.
How much independence actually exists when 6 or fewer major corporations control 90%+ of all media outlets ranging from entertainment to news?
On a lighter note, kudos to the Brojos for keeping it independent and real!
I agree with you about the trouble with corporate monopoly in our press--completely. But we still have the option--as individuals--to find the truth. If you live in Russia, you cannot. Here is a point of comparison: Judith Miller wrote articles that made it seem as if there really might have been weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. She was foolishly tricked into this by deceitful U.S. government informants. 12 years later, most serious people know Miller and the NYT made a grave error and helped legitimize the invasion of Iraq. Compare this to Russia, where many Russians are reading that Obama was going to occupy Crimea. Whatever you think about the U.S. foreign policy, there was never a chance we were going to do something that stupid. So--yes--the U.S. press is in grave danger. But the discerning person still has options to know what is going on. It may get worse--probably will. But we are a long way from what is going on in Russia.