- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Please don't.

Posted by: Dr. Cruel on December 06, 1999 at 11:51:24:

In Reply to: Cheer up posted by MDG on December 02, 1999 at 18:03:01:

: FYI, A.M. Rosenthal was fired a few weeks ago.

DC: Very likely, by the 'conservatives'. Ah well.

In any case, the media is an industry. As such, those who practice this sort of business will do whatever makes them money. When the Vietnam war was "hot", that's where you'd find all the up-and-coming reporters. Since anti-war messages "sold", that's what the public got.

The prime reason that Americans were agains the war is that Americans were getting killed, without this state of affairs likely to end anytime soon. Once this state of affairs in wars changed (i.e. wars did not get Americans killed), it became a great deal easier for the U.S. to get their policy objectives realized. Thus, the Persian Gulf War, and the peacekeeping operations in Bosnia. These issues not being nearly as popular, the press turned to other 'hot' items.

The Left knows what the media wants. The metaphor of Fonda in bed with Turner is apt. Simply, since the media wants a circus, the Left is more than happy to provide it for them. More mainstream groups are not nearly as good at these tactics (there being no comparable figure to Michael Moore or James Carville), the media appears 'Left'.

The only real comparison is that the media cares as little for the poor as those on the Left do. If they're useful (for a story, or a segment, or a particularly lucrative bit of legislation), then they'll be exploited. If not, they'll be ignored. Which is, after all, why they're still poor after all that hand-wringing.

A.M. Rosenthal probably wasn't very popular. If he can't bring in the Lolapalooza market, if he doesn't bring in advertizers, then what good is he? Now Rush Limbaugh, on the other hand (or Mr. Stern, for that matter)...

D.C.


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