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[branford]

316. Most mass media is not owned by the public, it's owned by its shareholders.

AWe have some public televisions and radio (e.g., PBS and NPR), but they are certainly what we in the USA consider the mass media. It's not even close to other countries like Britain which has the BBC, which represents a continually decreasing share of the airwaves.

Whether for good or ill, most media, including news stations and newspapers, are for-profit enterprises and little more than entertainment. However, we are not forced to watch or listen to any of these outlets, and we have more than ample sources for information, particularly since the advent of the internet. We choose to what we want to consume from innumerable sources.

All news stations distort the truth to some extent, it matters very little if the station is Fox, MSNBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, RT (owned by the Russian State), Democracy Now!, or anything else. Each of us simply agrees, more or less, with the editorial slant and story choice of certain channels. I prefer the liberal stations, but I am under no illusion that the information I receive is slanted and edited to meet certain preconceived notions.

As for the "truth," I'm a lawyer and I often tell many shades of the truth, as do my adversaries. All the information is accurate, but it is certainly not the same. "Truth" is not as black and white a concept as you would like to believe. The world and people in general are not that simple. Context, history, belief and other matters determine what we perceive as the truth.

Regardless, I do not want a government bureaucrat determining what is, or is not, the truth. That has never worked out to the benefit of the people. I'll keep our current system, warts and all. The Founders were wise when they passed the First Amendment. It is certainly not perfect, but it's pretty darn good given human instincts and frailty.

Lastly, as it relates to the OP, it is always better to be exposed to more sources of information, not less. Also, not one of us is so wise and powerful that we get to decide what you, I or the OP get watch or listen to. Such arrogance is antithetical to a free and open society.