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I read alot of articles written by the mainstream media and they are always ridiculing us nuts who write about politics on the Internet or call into talk radio. Only members of the establishment media can really talk about politics. What do you think about this? Are they really more qualified to talk for America because they are paid well and have a track record. Us Internet people are just a bunch of nuts who can not speak about politics.
The mainstream media is very afraid to offend people. As a result, it tends to ignore positions on various issues that are seen as too 'fringe' or controversial. On any given issue, there might be 70% consensus, and 30% dissent of one form or another. As a media outlet, if the views of the 30% really offend the other 70%, then you don't worry about that 30%.
However, these majority positions do not overlap among all people. I would guess that MOST of us hold at least a couple of positions on some issues that the majority would consider 'crazy' or 'immoral' or whatever else.
The internet makes it possible to express these feelings in relative anonymity, and for people who share controversial positions to find one another. The mainstream media surely finds this frightening, as it is like an end-run around the way in which they try to manage discourse.
There is also a healthy dollop of good old fashioned elitism, too.
The mainstream media can bite me. They have been providing misinformation, sensationalism, and flat out lies for far too long. They can go slide down a sandpaper slide into a pool of rubbing alcohol for all I care.
The immediate word that comes to mind is "threatened." If your bread and butter is in jeopardy, and the news media in general are seeing fewer profits, attacks at the possible competition begins.
I saw a quip about this very subject on "Crooks and Liars" this week, and I'm sure it came from another political blogger.
I'd say these days I gather news information from numerous sources, and the internet might represent more than 50% of that reading...that's 50% less print news I buy, or audio/visual news I watch or listen to---poor ratings; fewer dollars; more attacks.
Much of the mainstream media journalists are nothing more than stenographers for the Democratic party. Instead of reporting objectively, they feel they have to set an agenda and filter the news. And then they wonder why newspaper circulation and TV news viewership is declining as people go to talk radio and the internet to get their news.
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