Old Media On The ropes?
By Sam Weaver (09/19/04)
For years—even decades—the American people had been accustomed to acquiring the bulk of their information and analysis of current events from a very few powerful sources. Three network broadcasting companies, two or three press agencies, two or three major weekly news magazines, and less than a handful of influential newspapers embodied both the standard-bearer and the reservoir of all news and analysis. Stories made popular by any one of these few sources were carried by all of the others. These few sources constitute the Old Media. From at least the late 1960’s through about the mid-late 1990’s, the Old Media monopolized the news.
Most Americans accepted the information and analysis that the Old Media spoon-fed to them each day. They had no other choice. For years, the American public was assured that “that’s the way it is” by “the most trusted man in America” at the end of the evening news broadcast on the “Tiffany Network”. In those days, CBS was a revered and respected network. Few seemed to realize the fact (only recently admitted) that the “most trusted man in America”—an icon of CBS News—was and is a committed, dyed-in-the-wool liberal. I’m not talking about Dan Rather; I’m talking about Walter Cronkite.
For decades, few perceived the mostly subtle liberal bias of the Old Media. Enter the New Media. The New Media consists of talk radio, Internet news and information websites, and, arguably, the Fox News Channel (FNC).
Talk radio is dominated by conservative voices. These conservative voices speak with an obvious conservative slant on current events. But they do not hide their conservatism; rather, they are very honest and up-front about their perspective. They do not generate news; they merely inject their own principles and philosophies into the issues and events de jour.
On-line news and information websites cover the whole realm of the political spectrum. The most popular among them—the Drudge Report, News Max, and World Net Daily, for example—are often labeled “conservative”. In reality, the most popular news and information sites are the most organized, experienced, professional and honest. The American people are smart enough to know sloppiness and outright lies when they witness such. The free market is a wonderful thing!
The Fox News Channel is an alternative to the Old Media because it takes great pains to air both sides of every issue. The headliner of FNC is Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly’s goal in life is to protect the little guy against the evil forces of both the “extreme left” and the “extreme right”. (Please see http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/index.php?021228weaver.) However, most of the commentary on FNC does indeed emanate from a generally conservative worldview philosophy.
The New Media began at least a decade ago to put some perspective on the liberal slant of the Old Media. The current flap over four “allegedly” forged documents obtained by CBS News, coupled with other news stories and events of the 2004 presidential campaign (e.g., the Swift Boat Vets “controversy”), may have finally blown the lid off the increasingly blatant liberal bias of the Old Media.
No rational person would accuse Dan Rather or the producer(s) of the last couple of episodes of 60 Minutes II of initializing some broad conspiratorial plan to smear President Bush by knowingly using fake documents. But the statements made by Mr. Rather and the obvious stonewalling of CBS in this matter, seem to belie a very narrow mindset which is focused on one goal: Make President Bush look bad and help John Kerry win the presidency.
Had the New Media not emerged, the questions of whether or not these documents were false would have probably been raised, but those questions would never have made the news. Dan Rather and CBS were following the old order. A story was broken. It was picked up by other media outlets. Its authenticity was to be unquestioned. Voices that contradicted the story were to be suppressed. The American people would have been “forced” to believe that President Bush lied about his National Guard service, disobeyed a direct order, and was given undue preferential treatment by a powerful Texas politician. Thanks to the New Media, the American people are at least aware of another side to this story. Politically savvy Texans who know of Ben Barnes have a heads-up on the subterfuge of which that slime-ball is capable. Thanks to the New Media, the truth is being told and outright lies are being disclosed. Other voices are given a forum and news that defies the old (liberal) order is not suppressed. Liberal bias of the media is not so subtle any more.
This leads to a long line of “what if’s”. What if the New Media had been around during Watergate? Personally, I believe the outcome—Nixon’s resignation—most likely would have been the same, but a great deal of truth about corruption and evil in BOTH political parties would have been revealed. The surge of congressional power that occurred immediately after the Watergate scandal may have been avoided. What if the New Media had been active during the Vietnam War? I believe that I could make a powerful and convincing case that the Vietnam War would have been won decisively; and that Vietnam would be a free country today.
Those who claim to revere freedom of speech, diversity of opinion, and the American Way MUST learn to extend these ideas to all. But all must recognize that these ideas and principles are rooted in the Judeo-Christian faith. To reject the Judeo-Christian faith means to deny the Source of all man’s rights and freedoms, the dignity of man as the Creation of God, and the American Ideal of individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (You know what I mean by this if you’ve read some of my previous articles.)
For decades (since at least the 1960’s), America’s youth have been “taught” the secular (liberal) mindset in public institutions of “learning” that were forced by judicial fiat to abandon the Supreme Creator and Author of Law. For decades, the Old Media served to reinforce that mindset—the modern liberal, or secular, worldview philosophy.
Praise God! Enough lovers of liberty who truly understand both the meaning and the Source of American liberty finally decided they could not take it anymore. They are the ones who are home-schooling their kids or sending them to private schools to avoid the evils of the modern “education” establishment. They comprise the hearts and minds of the New Media.
A paradigm shift is occurring before our very eyes. The New Media is slowly but surely supplanting the Old Media. Victory in this War of the Worldviews may even be in sight. Fortunately, the movers and shakers of the Old Media are too arrogant to even see it happening!
Americans have a long history of busting monopolies. The Old Media monopoly is crumbling. If the American Ideal is to emerge victorious in the War of the Worldviews, however, Americans MUST unite immediately to raze the most insidious monopoly of our time. It is crucial that we begin planning post haste to destroy the stranglehold of the liberal education establishment.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Sam Weaver
