Winds of Change.NET: More on CNN, Gatekeepers, and Media Trends

April 25, 2003

More on CNN, Gatekeepers, and Media Trends

by Joe Katzman at April 25, 2003 5:29 PM

After penning a number of intelligently ferocious Guest Blogs for us about CNN and the modern media (Casualty in An Undeclared War | CNN and The Chicago Way | It's the End of the News As We Know It, And I Feel Fine | The "Holy" Media), "Laughing Wolf" went on to set up a blog of his own.

His latest article, "Pots and Kettles," continues and extends this series.

"Where to start, how much to cover � these were just a few of the challenges facing me in doing a good, concise piece.

That changed a little while ago when the comments of the Director General of the BBC came to my attention. It seems that Greg Dyke feels that the coverage provided by U.S. Networks was so biased that it "threatened the credibility of America�s electronic media."

This one statement vividly illustrates many of the points I have made in the past, as well as the one I face this morning. Nothing could better illustrate the self-obsessed grandeur of The Media; nothing better shows how a self-selected group has anointed itself as the knower of all and protector of the masses who don�t know any better; and nothing better shows the rampant bias of The Media and its so-called elite."

As you might expect, the rest deals with both the BBC and CNN, with lots of links for the curious. He also highlights the likelihood of more strident media attacks on the blogosphere as these trends play out. I'll leave the final word to him:

"As individuals, you need to be informed, so go and read some links and dig. Then, make your decisions and vote with your pocketbook. Your viewership rewards those to whom you give it, and your switching channels does indeed make a difference. Choose wisely, for a lot more than ratings rides on your decisions."

UPDATE: We'd be remiss if we didn't link to this excellent Cox and Forkum cartoon: "Report No Evil."

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Comments

#1 from Jim Watkins at 7:10 am on Apr 27, 2003

You mean someone expected me to believe them? Who in the media gets paid to tell the truth?

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