4 ms·

Long time employee of one of those companies, here. To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to bel

Long time employee of one of those companies, here. To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to believe that we are way more organized than reality. Yes, some corporate-synergy exists to cross-promote, especially on morning shows, but when it comes to news, we are usually pushing so close to deadline there's no way to even allow for corporate control. That said, there is a need to meet an ever decreasing budget. That's the parent co's real bias; to be cheap.

longtimegoogler 5y ago
Agree, but it doesn't fit the narrative.
xrd 5y ago
My concern is not how things are covered, but what is covered. The article states that certain things (like the owner's dalliances outside his marriage) will never be covered at all. Chomsky and others talk about constraining the topics for discussion, and this seems the most concerning.
aahortwwy 5y ago
"I'm not saying you're self-censoring; I'm sure you believe everything you're saying. What I'm saying is that if you believed something different you wouldn't be sitting where you're sitting." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLcpcytUnWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLcpcytUnWU
- jessaustin 5y ago
  This is basic. It either calls into question GP's long experience, or completely proves Chomsky's point. They only hire people with no self-awareness.
wolverine876 5y ago
> To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to believe that we are way more organized than reality. I'm pretty sure there are smoking gun memos and insider reports of dictates from the top at News Corp. or at least within Fox News, which they own. Is News Corp. / Fox just a special case?
- muglug 5y ago
  Largely, yes. Murdoch has a hands-off approach with News Corp — his politics are, if you can believe it, to the left of most Fox News viewers, but it makes shit-tons of money for him. Roger Ailes was the one sending out the memos, the one Murdoch trusted to increase add revenue year after year. The other news channels know their viewers, and don’t want them to change the channel so will avoid topics those viewers might find off-putting, but there aren’t the same top-down “here is how we’ll present this story” dictats from above.
  - HWR_14 5y ago
    I do not believe Murdoch is left of most of Fox viewers. Is it a coincidence that his UK outlets are also quite right wing?
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > Roger Ailes was the one sending out the memos It has continued after Ailes, iirc. > Murdoch has a hands-off approach with News Corp — his politics are, if you can believe it, to the left of most Fox News viewers Can you support that? All his outlets have the same politics, including the WSJ (especially their editorial page) and afaik his UK outlets.
HWR_14 5y ago
Well, first off, there are other examples (e.g. Sinclair) where it is far more obvious. Lots of local stations are beholden to advertisers and kill the stories. But it's less "here's today's memo saying how to bamboozle people" and more "person X does Y, the bosses like Y, person X gets promoted/a show/a better timeslot" feedback loop. And the top bosses are selected by the owners. I assume you believe corporate culture can come from the top. Some of this (don't make up stories and sources) is undeniably good. But there is a subtler strain that encourages you to seek out and publish stories you know your bosses will approve of. If, for instance, you started publishing stories about how the KKK was releasing studies that had some really good points you would (rightly) be fired. I'm not saying you or your coworkers are bad or biased. I'm saying the system you are working within is.
guerrilla 5y ago
You don't need to literally conspire (although there's plenty of evidence that that does happen [1][2]) for bias to occur and propaganda be made: [3]. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JournoList https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JournoList 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mockingbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mockingbird 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model
heavyset_go 5y ago
> To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to believe that we are way more organized than reality. And yet exactly this happens[1]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo

longtimegoogler 5y ago

Agree, but it doesn't fit the narrative.

xrd 5y ago

My concern is not how things are covered, but what is covered. The article states that certain things (like the owner's dalliances outside his marriage) will never be covered at all. Chomsky and others talk about constraining the topics for discussion, and this seems the most concerning.

aahortwwy 5y ago

"I'm not saying you're self-censoring; I'm sure you believe everything you're saying. What I'm saying is that if you believed something different you wouldn't be sitting where you're sitting." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLcpcytUnWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLcpcytUnWU

jessaustin 5y ago
This is basic. It either calls into question GP's long experience, or completely proves Chomsky's point. They only hire people with no self-awareness.

wolverine876 5y ago

> To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to believe that we are way more organized than reality. I'm pretty sure there are smoking gun memos and insider reports of dictates from the top at News Corp. or at least within Fox News, which they own. Is News Corp. / Fox just a special case?

muglug 5y ago
Largely, yes. Murdoch has a hands-off approach with News Corp — his politics are, if you can believe it, to the left of most Fox News viewers, but it makes shit-tons of money for him. Roger Ailes was the one sending out the memos, the one Murdoch trusted to increase add revenue year after year. The other news channels know their viewers, and don’t want them to change the channel so will avoid topics those viewers might find off-putting, but there aren’t the same top-down “here is how we’ll present this story” dictats from above.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  I do not believe Murdoch is left of most of Fox viewers. Is it a coincidence that his UK outlets are also quite right wing?
- wolverine876 5y ago
  > Roger Ailes was the one sending out the memos It has continued after Ailes, iirc. > Murdoch has a hands-off approach with News Corp — his politics are, if you can believe it, to the left of most Fox News viewers Can you support that? All his outlets have the same politics, including the WSJ (especially their editorial page) and afaik his UK outlets.

HWR_14 5y ago

Well, first off, there are other examples (e.g. Sinclair) where it is far more obvious. Lots of local stations are beholden to advertisers and kill the stories. But it's less "here's today's memo saying how to bamboozle people" and more "person X does Y, the bosses like Y, person X gets promoted/a show/a better timeslot" feedback loop. And the top bosses are selected by the owners. I assume you believe corporate culture can come from the top. Some of this (don't make up stories and sources) is undeniably good. But there is a subtler strain that encourages you to seek out and publish stories you know your bosses will approve of. If, for instance, you started publishing stories about how the KKK was releasing studies that had some really good points you would (rightly) be fired. I'm not saying you or your coworkers are bad or biased. I'm saying the system you are working within is.

guerrilla 5y ago

You don't need to literally conspire (although there's plenty of evidence that that does happen [1][2]) for bias to occur and propaganda be made: [3]. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JournoList https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JournoList 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mockingbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mockingbird 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model

heavyset_go 5y ago

> To believe that there is some dictate about how a story is covered or why that comes from the top is to believe that we are way more organized than reality. And yet exactly this happens[1]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHfgU8oMSo