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I think it's fair to say the majority of the US "Mainstream Media" is overwhelmingly pro-interventalist and by extension pro-military. MSNBC had a clear conflic
by spamizbad 8y ago
I think it's fair to say the majority of the US "Mainstream Media" is overwhelmingly pro-interventalist and by extension pro-military. MSNBC had a clear conflict of interest in the run-up to the Iraq war, with its parent company being a defense contractor, yet ran overwhelmingly pro-invasion stories. A more modern example was the run-up to our involvement with Syria, where you had major network personalities like Jake Tapper deliver almost nightly pearl-clutching lectures about how we must do something. The efforts to appear balanced and to "both sides" an issue end when it involves interventionist campaigns. All of a sudden those who suggest caution and restraint become problematic and need iron-clad arguments.
One one think committing American "blood and treasure" to these engagements would demand careful reasoning but often it's those pushing for restraint that are tasked with the intellectual heavy-lifting.
- deogeo 8y ago> MSNBC had a clear conflict of interest in the run-up to the Iraq war, with its parent company being a defense contractor I'd be grateful if you could elaborate - I'm having trouble following the ownership chain, since there was a merger with Comcast I think after the Iraq War.
- JeremyBanks 8y agohttps://enterprise.microsoft.com/en-us/industries/government/national-security-and-defense/ https://enterprise.microsoft.com/en-us/industries/government... Make of that what you will.
- riffic 8y agoHistorically, NBC's parent company was General Electric.
- spamizbad 8y agoGeneral Electric owned what ultimately became NBCUniversal between 1986-2009, after which Comcast bought 51% of NBCUniversal and finally fully acquired it in 2013.
- deogeo 8y agoThank you.
- fmajid 8y agoRead this outstanding article by John Hockenberry to understand how the dynamic works: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/409217/you-dont-understand-our-audience/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/409217/you-dont-understan...