Media Machinations - Tricks of Creating Truth
The Media is a powerful tool that can send the public into tears or a riotous frenzy and people rarely question its validity. After all, if it is print or in the news, it must be true.... NOT. People write the news and create the news clips and people have agendas. Those agendas definitely cloud the presentation of facts -- when there are facts. In worst case scenarios, you have a soulless journalist so hard pressed to catch the next big headline that they invent stuff. And then you have the scenarios where you are left wondering if what you're reading or watching is purely agenda driven. If you have ever watched the movies "Wag the Dog" or "Arlington Road" you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The sad fact of the matter is, media has done such a number on the public over the years that there are growing numbers that believe nothing and question everything -- conspiracy theorists run rampant. Who knows, perhaps in many instances they may be well founded -- I just personally don't want to waste my life chasing down a conspiracy theory that even if I proved it was true, I was powerless to change it or even get people to believe it should be changed. After all, the Nation still has a large populace of sheeple that will continue to believe everything the media presents them.
Here are a few tricks for creating *truth* in media:
1) put it in print -- the written word has power
2) tell your story FIRST -- breaking news grabs attention -- don't worry about getting the facts right, just string everybody along with whatever you got -- and if you've got nothing, make some shit up because you can always *update* over it as time goes on -- this gives you lots of sound bytes
3) magnify that power by getting it printed by an *authority* that has clout -- choose that authority by the crowd you want to steer -- CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, NPR....
4) multiply it -- after all, everybody knows if something is repeated enough times, it must be true, right? right?
5) use video -- when you aren't in first chair where you can drive the news, pull them onboard with a video -- videos go viral -- let the video do its job, the media will follow the hype
6) truth? don't worry about it -- even if your story is false, don't worry about it, retractions don't happen -- media doesn't like to admit they were wrong so when the manufactured truth runs out of steam, deploy a diversion -- start the whole process over with something else
So, when I hear people talk about *truth* my first thought is always *who is telling it and what is their agenda, what are they leaving out and what are they adding in* because in the end folks, *truth* is generated from a recipe of ingredients that gets the maker the end result they desire. Remember that and you will go far. You will get more truth from the mouths of babes than you will ever get from media, administration or politicians.
[I do hope you recognize the dripping sarcasm of this post]
Here are a few tricks for creating *truth* in media:
1) put it in print -- the written word has power
2) tell your story FIRST -- breaking news grabs attention -- don't worry about getting the facts right, just string everybody along with whatever you got -- and if you've got nothing, make some shit up because you can always *update* over it as time goes on -- this gives you lots of sound bytes
3) magnify that power by getting it printed by an *authority* that has clout -- choose that authority by the crowd you want to steer -- CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, NPR....
4) multiply it -- after all, everybody knows if something is repeated enough times, it must be true, right? right?
5) use video -- when you aren't in first chair where you can drive the news, pull them onboard with a video -- videos go viral -- let the video do its job, the media will follow the hype
6) truth? don't worry about it -- even if your story is false, don't worry about it, retractions don't happen -- media doesn't like to admit they were wrong so when the manufactured truth runs out of steam, deploy a diversion -- start the whole process over with something else
So, when I hear people talk about *truth* my first thought is always *who is telling it and what is their agenda, what are they leaving out and what are they adding in* because in the end folks, *truth* is generated from a recipe of ingredients that gets the maker the end result they desire. Remember that and you will go far. You will get more truth from the mouths of babes than you will ever get from media, administration or politicians.
[I do hope you recognize the dripping sarcasm of this post]
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