Free the Media
Before the 2012 presidential election, I researched Clear Channel, the largest radio station owner in the country, to determine the boundaries of what I could say on the air. All of the sudden Bain Capital popped up. It turned out that Mitt Romney’s company owned Clear Channel during his presidential run. Coincidence? I had thought the glowing reports radio stations gave on Romney’s campaign were humorously odd, while they downplayed President Obama’s. Now it made sense. Unsurprisingly, I have never heard any form of media mention this conflict of interest.
Oftentimes, if you want a more honest perspective of what is going on in the world or even within the United States, you have to go to a foreign news service. There are two elements here: the gathering of the information itself, and its dissemination. The information source is just as important as the means of sharing. If there is a single organized source, the information can be real or manufactured. Pertinent information that could have drastically affected public reaction can be left out entirely. The result is that we know only what the source wants us to know; whatever steers us toward the conclusion they intend us to draw. For this reason, we must minimize information filters, let the bits come in, disseminate them raw, and draw conclusions as an informed populace once all available data is gathered. To assure legitimacy, nothing beats uncontrolled, independent sources.
Today, everything is predigested: conclusions are drawn for us, leaving us not the respectful role of mature contemplation and decision-making, but resistance to the decisions made as our only alternative. This is an affront to a sound republic, as a sound republic requires our involvement at the decision-making level. But information is power, and the Fear-driven never seek to share power. The Bible is a perfect example. The populace was left in the dark, vulnerable to the interpretation of those in control. No one knew what the text contained except a privileged few, who were then the sole authorities gauging moral adherence, able to control the conduct of the masses. Those who wish to build media empires must structure their enterprises to assure they do not disrupt the free flow of ideas; the risk to our freedom is just too great.
American media has undergone a massive consolidation since the 1980’s, from over 50 companies to just five owners who control 96% of the America’s information flow. In the 1940s, the banking monopoly admitted having total control over the media when they attempted to replace Roosevelt in a coup (see the congressional record). Legislation has gone back and forth over the years to regulate or deregulate ownership, and the thieving rich are winning. This consolidation by a few groups at the top, whether by open government decree or private means, reflects state ownership of the media. They control all dissemination and decide everything we know. Media prices escalate when there are few avenues to turn to. Small voices are barred. They favor large advertisers and government agendas over the good of the people. They stop citizens groups from advertising if the message of the people conflicts with their own. They can easily blacklist authors, artists, and professionals who offer viewpoints they don’t want the public to hear. They protect affiliated politicians and keep hard questions and scrutiny from ever reaching them. One central message syndicated nationally sounds efficient until you raise the question of whose voice it will be. We must encourage diversity in media, not discourage it.
With a few rules in place to protect a free press, monopolies on information and its dissemination can become endangered species:
- No media group may own or control more than 25% of a local market.
- No media group may own or control more than 5% of the national market.
- No government entity, intelligence service, or affiliate may act as a sole source of information regarding foreign or domestic matters.
- All retractions must be printed in the same size font as the original story (headline and text) on the front page.
The greatest men human history has to offer—Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison—were well attuned to the machinations of the thieving rich. All fiercely opposed the evergreen conspiracy in finance, which in our time has taken the name of Federal Reserve; another topic considered “absurd” and off-limits today. My fellow Americans: when it comes down to it, whom are you going to trust, the giants of our past? Or the modern-day media inquisitors with faked popularity ratings? We are being conditioned that it is not intelligent to question the conclusions prepared for us; that it is foolish to disagree; that it is not patriotic to think for ourselves. If a sneering commentator bars free and thoughtful deliberation, then we, as responsible, truly patriotic Americans, need to inundate them with calls and/or boycott the network until such people are removed and the network’s “news” and commentary becomes honest and wholesome again.
Nothing threatens the prevailing order more than access to the information we need to make decisions. Whoever controls information controls the outcome. The Fear-driven’s mortal enemy in all cases is free will. So let’s free Willy! End the media monopoly. End their ability to cover things up and our risk of being victimized by high profile crimes will drop dramatically.