General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why is the American left not as effective as the European left? [View all]laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)the more money the better able to promote yourself. If you own 1 channel, you can promote yourself on that channel. If you own 10 tv channels and 40 radio stations, the cross promotion means you are more likely to get watched. People choose mainstream because it's what they know. You have to make a real effort to find 'real' news and not everyone has that time. Now that I'm working f/t and I'm a single parent of 4, if it wasn't for me already knowing about DU and alternate news sources I probably wouldn't be able to find the time to stay informed. So people don't really choose mainstream media, it chooses them.
Should there be restrictions? I think so. But I'm Canadian and we have hate laws and a clause in our constitution that states we can have reasonable restrictions on rights if it's for the better good that I agree with so my opinion is probably no where in line with where most Americans are. I think the fairness doctrine and restrictions on what can be called 'news' is a good idea.