One has often heard about state-run media in countries where freedoms are suppressed. The reason for the existence of such media is to paint as rosy a picture of the government as possible. Pravda in the old Soviet Union is one such source. At least in the Soviet Union most people understood that facts were not in abundance in that publication.
Sundance has taken the time once again to remind us of the function of different media outlets in this country.
One of the larger misunderstandings, amid the broad U.S. public, stems from a disconnect about specific media outlets and deserves a few moments of clarity.
We are all familiar with the term “State Run Media” as it pertains to several foreign countries. However, the U.S. State Dept specifically saw the need for a similar communication control mechanism when the era of cable television originated.
Prior to cable television, the alphabets ABC, CBS and NBC were the dominant force in media. This made the information control essentially simple for the various U.S. government interests to manipulate. However, when cable television became popular, a more official control shift was needed. The result was CNN and CNNi.
Outside the USA, most foreign national governments accept that CNN/CNNi are part of the official message from the United States Dept of State. For all practical purposes, CNN carries the official narrative as espoused by the U.S. govt though the State Dept. CNN is the domestic equivalent of state media, and CNNi is the international outcome.
In the U.K., the interests of government are represented by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company). In Canada it’s CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company). In the middle east, Qatar controls the dominant news of Al Jazeera. Each of these organizations expresses the perspective of information that comes directly from government. CNN is no different for the official U.S. narratives.
Please remind yourself of this non-pretending truth as you review information. Additionally, as customary in the U.S., we have outlets focused internally to support the various elements of subsections within government. The New York Times represents the interests of the Dept of Justice and FBI – in essence, the domestic federal law enforcement apparatus. The Washington Post represents the interests of the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) – in essence the larger intelligence apparatus.
Combine the stakeholders, and CNN represents the State Dept, The Washington Post represents the CIA, and the New York Times represents the DOJ. The sourcing for information into these conduits is specialized sources, and the pattern of information dissemination never changes. Once you understand how this works, you are more able to discern what the government position is on any specific “story” or information.
Depending on the issue, you will notice this pattern never changes. It is the one constant in an ever-changing information war.
Every once in a while, it is worth reminding ourselves of this fundamental baseline. The pattern never changes.
To recap, CNN and CNNi are the propaganda arms of the US State Department. The Washington Post shills for the CIA and DNI. And the venerable NY Times is the mouthpiece for the DOJ and the FBI. Of course, if you were a reader of the NYTimes back last century, the shooting down of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996 off the south shore of Long Island and the subsequent coverup of that fact by the Times should have destroyed any credibility that the Times had with discerning readers.