Democracy Requires An Informed Populace

[Mythsaje]

That's the long and short of it. When nearly all sources of information are suspect, particularly those broadcast into nearly every home, democracy is rendered all but impossible. When "news" becomes distraction or spin, when the REAL issues of the day are hidden behind lies, half-truths, or deceptive double-speak, any hope of real citizen involvement becomes little more than a forgotten ideal.

The biggest barrier between the United States and a truly functional democracy at this point is NOT government secrecy, or self-censorship, but a news media that refuses to function as it was intended to function--as a source of information for the citizens to rely upon to make good choices.

Simply put, the corporate media is a blight upon our Democracy. It sells itself to the highest bidder, and panders to the least responsible elements in our society. It turns our public airwaves into a source of gossip, innuendo, and irrelevant garbage rather than valuable, coherent information.

Media consolidation is part of the problem. But it is not the whole source of the problem. Another part is simply the sheer power of advertising dollars, whereupon those who PAY for the news get to subtly manipulate what the people hear.

There was once a time when the news was broadcast as a public service, not as a revenue stream for the networks. When it was actually information we needed, not just another source of entertainment.

Our only unfettered source of information these days is the internet and, because of its very nature, it can hardly be called reliable. Sure, a great deal of what we see here IS reliable, but it does not, by itself, consitute "proof" of anything. When it comes to politics, sites are generally labeled "right wing" or "left wing" and, while the corporate media can be prompted to run a story after it's had too much exposure on-line to be ignored, there are far too many people who regard internet sources as suspect.

Sometimes with good reason.

To reclaim our democracy, we must first reclaim our media. And that's an uphill battle, since it seems that most of our elected representatives are either ignorant of, or beholden to, the very interests that determine what the majority of Americans see and hear.

And even the freedom of the internet is being threatened by corporate interests. They try to paint any attempt at regulation as a "threat" to it, when, in all reality, if it's left to the corporations, they're certainly going to threaten the equal access currently granted to the various sites.

Opposition to net neutrality is just another cog in the wheel of corporate control of information that's currently grinding our democracy into so much dust.

We'd better figure out a way to fight back, and do so effectively, or any chance we have of restoring our democracy will be lost forever. And all too many of us will never realize it's gone because it WON'T be televised.

[niyad]

1. all we need to do right now is point to myanmar, and its blockage of the internet.

[Mythsaje]

2. Good point...

Not to mention China's actions in that regard as well.

[Dr.Phool]

3. I'm not informed I guess.

I have no idea who has won any American Idol contest. Nor Survivor or a Big Brother show. I do think I remember reading that Jerry Springer was on Dancing With The Stars, but that "Big Pussy", whatever his real name was couldn't hack it.

I guess I'll never know nuthin'.