Often I update this writing which originally was published as a Facebook Note. [NOTE: Look for names of investigative journalists near the bottom.]
Folks are often unable to distinguish when main media plants or slants a story. They usually have no clue when matters of importance are outright omitted. Sometimes a crucial segment of a story will be buried into deeper paragraphs and often contradict the headline and opening paragraphs, i.e., the slant. Almost always, the network’s "man [or woman] reporting from the White House or Pentagon" are feeding a scripted news feed, rather than actually covering news. This has especially been true with Middle East reporting. Worse, sometimes journalists or the network talking head pundits are CIA plants.
Consider also how main media was complicit with Hillary Clinton's campaign (see Wikileaks-Clinton) during the early primaries and also in the aftermath of the election by pushing her campaign's RussiaGate narrative, helping to cloak her defeat to Donald Trump, while keeping her viable as a potential "comeback" candidate. Clearly, both the Clinton campaign and the media wanted Trump as her opponent. Both viewed it a win-win: Clinton wins the election and the media wins ratings for advertising.
During the early 2016 primaries main media assigned Trump and Clinton intensive coverage but hardly any was provided to Bernie Sanders, a true upsetting challenger pressing hard on issues and filling major civic centers and sports stadiums nationwide -- this, while Clinton drew thin crowds and refused press conferences. The media treated Clinton as if she were conducting a "Rose Garden" campaign strategy even though it was Barrack Obama who controlled the "Rose Garden."
Trump, a terrible candidate for the country, went unvetted by the media before, during and shortly after his presidential announcement. He got a media free ride getting five billion dollars worth of press coverage! When it came time for the media to truly vet him it was too late. Sanders, the true "outsider," got eliminated. Thus, the media left Trump with the "outsider" status, this when the nation didn't want to elect a pedestal "insider."
What to watch for with today’s mainstream media (five corporate conglomerates monopolizing 90% of the media)? Look for lies, distortions, omissions and perversions of truth from reporting sources that once were fairly reliable.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit if every main media news publisher and the top editors had a plaque on their wall behind their respective desks reading as follows: "The Public's Attention Span is Short!!!"
So What’s The Best Way For Getting Solid Information?
Follow closely Twitter accounts of investigative journalists!
Determine what they and their colleagues write about, what they share and reference. Doing this will provide you with leads and links on where to further research. The main media has become so bad I no longer view it as a main source for information. Today, I review it only when excerpted or referenced by someone, or if I discover something from online trending.
If there's something you need to know, investigative journalists and their colleagues will be discussing it on Twitter.
When Reagan took office there were 50 major media companies. Today, there's only five. The budgets for investigative journalism have been severely slashed; repeat/copycat syndicated reporting is now the norm; advertising, marketing and the consultant class now rule over the public’s genuine right to know. Sadly, all major publications have eliminated ombudsmen positions which traditionally critiqued media's manner and accuracy for reporting.
America's Oligarch Enrichment Project and How Today's Media Controls Rather Than Covers News!
Politically, when you factor obscene campaign spending it's easy to understand how members of Congress sport 15% approval ratings but maintain a 95 percent re-election rate. It’s also why voting for president, more than not, becomes a choice of selecting a lesser of two evils. Rarely does the electorate get a quality choice based on important and needed issues.
The pecking order for becoming elected statewide or nationally is determined by the two major political parties each of whom are beholden to America's corporate oligarchy (see Princeton Study on Oligarchy in America). Sadly, both state and national legislation favor corporations over needs of the populace. America functions as an Oligarch Enrichment Project with a beefed up military leading the the way and banks close behind, or vice versa.
Due to internet expansion social media has exploded with alternative news delivery. Main media, hungry only for profit and under oligarch control, has moved beyond professionally-accepted journalistic standards and today even backs censorship while also claiming "fake news" by its alternative media competition. Indeed, some sites are fake but the overwhelming majority are not and include independent journalists searching for truth that won't be found within the main.
Today’s reality shows smaller social media sites digging deeper and fact checking what the main media now reports. This is especially true on issues monopolized main media outright ignores.
No question censorship of alternative media has followed main media consolidation.
It’s up to each of us to distinguish the difference! Referenced verification becomes our quest for true knowledge.
Adorn the truth!
Below is a list of investigative journalists and social media perspective shows. What I respect is their research, their reporting and the communications they share among colleagues.
If you don’t have a Twitter account, open one. Once on Twitter click “follow” to the below-listed names of journalists. When you follow their daily postings on Twitter and keep up with the social media trends, you’ll never need another daily newspaper or advertised-driven network-cable tv news show. In my humble opinion, the establishment pundits can all go to hell for choosing money over the truth in journalism. Indeed, today they thrive under the oligarch-assigned consultant class meant for profiteering only.
I.F. Stone
With these below names, you’ll get up-to-date high quality and accurate information!
Investigative Journalists & Analysts:
Serena Shim (RIP), Julian Assange, John Pilger, Pepe Escobar, Robert Fisk, Robert Parry (RIP), Richard Wolff, Aaron Maté, Abby Martin, Chris Hedges, Gareth Porter, Seymour Hersh, Noam Chomsky, Glenn Greenwald, Craig Murray, Greg Palast, Oliver Stone, Lee Fang, Justin Raimondo, Caitlin Johnstone, Nafeez Ahmed, Bill Moyers, Jamarl Thomas, Vanessa Beeley, Robert Sheer, Paul Pillar, William Blum, Jeremy Scahill, Rania Khalek, Juan Cole, Lee Camp, Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, Jesse Ventura, Mike Whitney, Elizabeth Vos, Benjamin Dixon, Patrick Cockburn, Gareth Porter, Naomi Klein, The Saker, Ralph Nader, Tim Black, Ben Norton, Max Blumenthal, Paul Jay, Michael Moore, Norman Solomon, Eva Bartlett, David Sirota, Jimmy Dore, Randy Credico, Eric Zuesse, Elijah J. Magnier, Paul L. Williams, Adam Carter, The Forensicator, Amy Goodman, Shaun King, Webster Tarpley, Thom Hartmann, Alexander Mercouris, Gerald Celente, Mike Papantonio, Alex Christoforou, Sarah Stillman, Tyrell Ventura, Matt Taibbi, Ben Swann, Ghassan Kadi, Mark Crispin Miller, Peter Kuznick, Garland Nixon, Whitney Webb, James Fallows and Stephen McIntyre. One must also credit George Webb who keeps the plow down and relentlessly digs! I also like the creative edge of Defango, especially on techno matters.
Of course, there are many others but this is a great start!
News sites, YouTube journals and independents offering wide-ranging perspectives:
Consortium News, Redacted Tonight, Moon Over Alabama, Jimmy Dore Show, Progressive Soapbox, Off-Guardian, Gray Zone Project, VIPS, Telesur, The Duran, France 24-English, Al Jazeer-English, RT, Asia Times Online, RT-CrossTalk, RT-On Contact, Moderate Rebels, Veterans for Peace, Wikileaks, Empire Files, Ring of Fire, Anti-War, Watching The Hawks, We Are Change, New Eastern Outlook, The Real News Network, Humanist Report, Public Enquiry, Peter B. Collins Show, Secular Talk, Lionel Nation, Brave New Films, Southfront, The Outer Light, Blackstone Intelligence, We Are Change, Israeli News Live, Florida Maquis, Corbbett Report and when fantasy meets reality nothing beats Stan Lee’s Marvel Comic research staff.
Rachel Carson -- Silent Spring
Good Luck, Folks -- Fare Ye Well!