General Discussion

Proud Public Servant

(2,097 posts)

4. This is absolutely true

Sat May 7, 2016, 10:51 AM

May 2016

Last edited Sat May 7, 2016, 11:30 AM - Edit history (1)

I see it all the time. Unless there's a hot zone like Kabul or Baghdad, the media doesn't have people locally; they just rely on government press attaches (like me) or on the ancho spokespeople back in DC.

Makes my job easier, but as a citizen it's depressing to see coverage of international affairs reduced to taking dictation from the very officials they should be questioning.

Me, I don't blame government or media. Government is pursuing its interests (by handling the media) and media is conrained by their bottom line. The real issue lies with an American public that has never cared about international affairs, and will tune out foreign policy discussions but tune in for the most non-newsworthy if-it-bleeds-it-leads "news."

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Holy moly, this quote from a top Obama official. [View all] kpete May 2016 OP

Interesting. malthaussen May 2016 #1

It's tiresome, I already knew that erlewyne May 2016 #37

Better than just reading press releases SomeGuyInEagan May 2016 #40

A prof in a PR class I took last semester proudly exclaimed that 80+% of news content is generated Ed Suspicious May 2016 #107

Learned that in my first year marketing class laundry_queen May 2016 #110

Lived it, on both sides. SomeGuyInEagan May 2016 #117

The Oligarchy wants to kill the free and independent news media. rhett o rick May 2016 #2

That's not it at all. It's technological change. Print media is just about dead . . . brush May 2016 #8

The Corp Media has become a political propaganda machine for the Oligarchs. rhett o rick May 2016 #16

RT? LOL Spider Jerusalem May 2016 #47

Don't dismiss the complexity. MisterFred May 2016 #51

What's the difference American propaganda from the Koch bros or Wall Street. LiberalArkie May 2016 #62

As long as we recognize that RT and the WSJ are propaganda slanted to favor pampango May 2016 #73

That is what I did as a kid in the 60's listening to Voice of America, Radio Moscow, BBC LiberalArkie May 2016 #78

Slanted? Of course. ALL news operations are slanted. dynamo99 May 2016 #108

There are no USofA networks and very few radio stations that will allow progressives to rhett o rick May 2016 #83

Nope! Don't watch TV news at all (TV is for morons and it makes you stupid.) Spider Jerusalem May 2016 #89

Well, if you think the Guardian and BBC don't have... MattSh May 2016 #116

The internet and the bottom line Maeve May 2016 #18

Yeah, I came up in newspapers too. brush May 2016 #20

Sounds like we are similar in age..so.. pangaia May 2016 #80

I'm guessing combination Maeve May 2016 #93

All makes sense.. same as in the classical musical world.. pangaia May 2016 #96

If the print media only publish 1 % talking points, they shouldn't be surprised that 99% don't buy Betty Karlson May 2016 #36

This here ^ nt ChisolmTrailDem May 2016 #54

Huffington Post, now PoliticusUSA are using many unpaid contributors, diminishing careers in field. TheBlackAdder May 2016 #60

Yep. It's very sad. The quality of reporting and writing has suffered noticeably. brush May 2016 #64

Yeah, writing for "exposure" Maeve May 2016 #94

...! The Decline of Media and Investigative Reporting Goes On! KoKo May 2016 #100

Lol, Rick. zappaman May 2016 #77

Bingo! nt valerief May 2016 #86

yep truth oldandhappy May 2016 #3

This is absolutely true Proud Public Servant May 2016 #4

"The real issue lies with an American public that has never cared..." deserves repeating. n/t jtuck004 May 2016 #7

The Fairness Doctrine was in place to PREVENT the monetizing of the press...so yes, there is blame. Moostache May 2016 #12

What agency does the public have to Bluenorthwest May 2016 #13

Thanks, my sentiments too dreamnightwind May 2016 #66

You are wrong, the interests of "government" and "the American public" are one and the same tularetom May 2016 #34

That has never been true in the entire history of the Republic Proud Public Servant May 2016 #48

That's a pretty cynical view from a public servant, proud or not tularetom May 2016 #57

I do think local government is different Proud Public Servant May 2016 #71

Well, its true that you have more opportunity at the local level to do your own advocacy tularetom May 2016 #76

Yep why report on what a majority the public doesn't want to hear as much as other feeds they have Person 2713 May 2016 #63

Sounds just like White House Press Secretaries too MichMan May 2016 #5

The quote in the OP brings to mind Luke Russert. morningglory May 2016 #28

Stephanopoulos was 31, not 27! scscholar May 2016 #103

Revealing. PufPuf23 May 2016 #6

I remember when old school reporters provided background details on their stories. procon May 2016 #9

You hardly get a byline on online stories. brush May 2016 #22

Yes, that drives me nuts! silverweb May 2016 #35

My favorite are the twelfth-hand new stories Scootaloo May 2016 #44

Those, too. silverweb May 2016 #50

Part of the issue is money.... Adrahil May 2016 #10

this. we only support Americans in theory in practice La Lioness Priyanka May 2016 #23

Exactly... Money. mwooldri May 2016 #88

I'd like something like that, but..... Adrahil May 2016 #101

They no longer even pretend to be news organizations. nt ladjf May 2016 #11

Yep... Wounded Bear May 2016 #19

Are we supposed to work for free? Really? jmowreader May 2016 #87

It's easy money vs hard work. world wide wally May 2016 #14

Thought is was relevant given the thread. iandhr May 2016 #15

Fanfuckingtastic show Stryder May 2016 #31

Totally agree! It was epic! eom BlueMTexpat May 2016 #32

No surprise malaise May 2016 #17

That was perfect, malaise. democrank May 2016 #59

These reporters are basically Helen Borg May 2016 #21

Fucking scary for our democracy. SunSeeker May 2016 #24

Unholy Moly! zentrum May 2016 #25

A tip of the hat to one exception SCVDem May 2016 #26

I think "reporter" is his cover ... JustABozoOnThisBus May 2016 #55

Carl Bernstein wrote a great article about this topic, almost 40 years ago RufusTFirefly May 2016 #84

Too many newspapers cut their own throats Warpy May 2016 #27

Not Stryder May 2016 #29

There's more to it than that AgerolanAmerican May 2016 #30

Obama suggested liberals need to fund their own Fox Nooz. morningglory May 2016 #33

It would pretty much be M$-NBC without the Republicans dreamnightwind May 2016 #67

Sanders not Obama tman May 2016 #102

Many papers laid off or bought out the older reporters LiberalEsto May 2016 #38

Simply confirming what most of have talked about closeupready May 2016 #39

I posted before I read the replies. erlewyne May 2016 #41

K and R nt Rebkeh May 2016 #42

So all of our foreign news is filtered through the government. drm604 May 2016 #43

When Faux News reports stories they refer to Faux News stations. mikehiggins May 2016 #45

Maybe it's because cannabis_flower May 2016 #46

No I believe it is more about serving an agenda dreamnightwind May 2016 #68

And this is how easily the propaganda is catapulted. (tm GWB) WinkyDink May 2016 #49

And that is by design. That is not a bug, but a feature of the plutocracy. Rex May 2016 #52

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe May 2016 #53

Uncle Joe: kpete May 2016 #61

kpete, Uncle Joe May 2016 #85

My memory's a bit fuzzy on dates, but there were at least 2 big journalist purges during Dubya's Lars39 May 2016 #56

Like James Brown said in 'The Boss': I told you so! Octafish May 2016 #58

O_O *jaw drop* Butterbean May 2016 #69

Wow, there are still people in the newspaper business?? GummyBearz May 2016 #65

K&R! This post deserves hundreds of recommendations. Enthusiast May 2016 #70

Great. So the "news" is just what whoever is in charge TELLS us. 7962 May 2016 #72

"They literally know nothing" ... Jopin Klobe May 2016 #74

And independent media is despised nadinbrzezinski May 2016 #75

they know less than nothing. spanone May 2016 #79

80 comments so far. Not one on the Iran angle. 6chars May 2016 #81

So true! So all we get is D.C. propaganda. The American media is a joke. JDPriestly May 2016 #82

and the teevee reality star 24/7... spanone May 2016 #90

Bernie Is The Only Antidote For The Corrupt Nation Once Known As America cantbeserious May 2016 #91

This is why I try to get international news from international sources. GreenEyedLefty May 2016 #92

Do universities have journalism schools or beauty colleges Ilsa May 2016 #95

I've seen Ivy League grads houston16revival May 2016 #97

there is a lot of nepotism going on Skittles May 2016 #105

That's happening everywhere. You see it here on DU too. n/t cui bono May 2016 #98

Drastic budget cuts usually happen pacalo May 2016 #99

We have the Internet now treestar May 2016 #104

But they work cheaper than experienced reporters, and Retrograde May 2016 #106

k&r Liberal_in_LA May 2016 #109

This may go down in history as the most important statement of President Obama. nt SusanCalvin May 2016 #111

Duh! emsimon33 May 2016 #112

Sad Sherman A1 May 2016 #113

For years I have been railing on this, with Ezra Klein my personal whipping boy. AngryAmish May 2016 #114

My dad's been saying that (about the bureaus) for over 2 decades rpannier May 2016 #115