The role for the free press in a democratic society is to inform the citizens so they can make educated decisions. They are supposed to be a watchdog against Government overstepping their bounds, a sentry against issues and trends that might affect their readers. Orwell’s Ministry of Truth’s role was to maintain the illusion that the Party is always right. It can never admit the party was wrong, made a mistake or even changed its mind, for that would mean the party was weak and to maintain power the party must always be in the right even when it is wrong. Do we have a free press or a ministry of truth in the media today?
You really have to wonder when you observe NBC’s Al Roker (AKA the pooper) shouting and cheering for Obama while reporting to the public on the inauguration. Maybe question their integrity when David Gregory of CNN freely admits writing love letters to Obama every day in his first term. That’s 1,460 letters some might even call it stalking. Who can forget MSNBC’s Chris Mathew and his tingling leg whenever he sees Obama.
Do you think you would still have a question of propaganda or press if the White house met with prominent liberal commentators in December of 2011 to lay out his campaign strategy? Not a press conference but as a private chat. “The group chatted with the president about economic messaging, his agenda for 2012, the various campaign arguments against different GOP candidates, the desire among some Democrats for him to highlight his foreign policy accomplishments, fighting corporate influence and the ‘crappiness’ of the Senate filibuster,” as one guest put it.
These types of meetings explain a lot about the news coverage of the last election. Why every jobs report was unexpectedly high no matter whom you watched. When it dropped less than one percent prior to the election a recovery was well on its way. Why Fast & Furious and Benghazi were ignored and Obama’s courage under fire with Osama was highlighted. But Romney’s 47% remark and some Republicans remark on rape were lead stories. It also puts into perspective why NBC waits till January to question if the nation is better off than four years ago.
Do not fear our ministry of truth is hard at work to cover the stories that are important to everyone. Why just this month they attended a seminar (taxpayer funded of course) that offers specialized education on Obamcare reporting. To prepare us for the coming tax hikes the ministry of truth suddenly realizes Obama’s numbers don’t add up. Everyone will have to pay their fair share. Well at least the 53%. When reporting the recent flu outbreak CNBC reassured the masses that if the economy tanks it’s not Obama’s fault it’s the flu.
So is the media living up to Obama’s expectations of them? On one hand you could say they pulled him across the finish line. But at a cost, even the New York Times is laying off writers and editors. If the media had any creditability left then there would not be a cottage industry of Sandy Hook conspiracy theories.
A good rule of thumb when dealing with these types of deceptions and propaganda can be had from an old newspaper editor himself. Benjamin Franklin once stated “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see”.
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