All the alleged “independents” worked hard to build up a movement against Trump’s biggest crime in history. Now all of them are slotting back into the Trump cult seamlessly, without even observing the change.
It’s disgusting but no longer surprising. Machiavelli wrote the tech reference manual 500 years ago.
More narrowly, the big “independents” got big by knowing how to attract clicks and followers. Fairness and honesty DO NOT INDUCE CLICKS. Only loyal teamwork gets clicks. “Journalists” are permanent experts in earning clicks, or in earlier generations readers and listeners.
Newspapers figured this out 200 years ago, and the early commercial radio stations figured it out 100 years ago.
= = = = = START REPRINT:
Radio began without any news at all, partly because the newspapers had a monopoly on the sources and partly because of a high-culture attitude.
Associated Press and the other wire services were solely funded by newspapers, who understandably didn’t care to assist the new competitor.
Frank Edwards tells about the high-culture attitude. He tried to offer his news-spicing talents to a station owner, who replied:
Young man, I shall excuse you because of your age and inexperience. For your sake I am going to give you a bit of advice and I want you to remember it. Radio is not in the news business. This station is not in the news business. The principal function of radio is to provide music and educational material, not to compete with newspapers. Good day, sir!
Radio became a non-partisan source of fairly straight information in 1934 because GOVERNMENT FORCED IT TO BE NON-PARTISAN. The FCC required a certain percentage of time for news and a certain percentage for culture and public service. The news had to be non-partisan, and the culture had to be balanced.
Why is reality unprofitable? The answer is easy when you peel back all the layers. Reality is available for free. We have senses and muscles. We can see and hear and smell and feel everything we TRULY NEED TO KNOW. We don’t NEED to know what’s happening in a foreign country or another city. We don’t NEED to know about the endless pointless noises made by politicians. “Informed citizen” is an empty phrase. “Civic engagement” is a cruel fraud.
Real information can’t be monetized. It comes from our work and our interactions with nature and family and neighbors. The “news” networks have tried hard to disconnect us, but they overplayed their hand, leading a large part of the population to disconnect from the networks.
= = = = = END REPRINT.
Polistra's Mill 