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The
Politics of Media Filtration
by
Norman Solomon
Dissident
Voice
October 25, 2003
Now,
after all the national media have done for George W. Bush, the guy's
complaining. "There's a sense that people in America aren't getting the
truth," he says.
What
an ingrate!
"I'm
mindful of the filter through which some news travels," the president
groused a few days ago, "and sometimes you have to go over the heads of
the filter and speak directly to the people."
Some
con artists are never satisfied.
The
big media's filtration process has worked to Bush's great advantage. During the
2000 campaign, his dismal record as governor -- complete with a truly awful
environmental scorecard and a heinously cavalier approach to executions in
Texas -- got woefully insufficient media attention. During his first months as
president, with many Americans doubting the legitimacy of his electoral victory
and sensing that he had risen way above his level of competence, the overall
media coverage of the new chief executive was deferential.
In
mid-September 2001, with Bush suddenly ascending to the media stratosphere,
Karl Rove and other political strategists in the White House began their
relentless exploitation of Sept. 11.
But
they couldn't have pulled it off without the avid participation of mass media.
Numerous mainstream news outlets swiftly hailed George W. Bush as FDR
incarnate. They marveled at his consummate ability to use TelePrompTers and
talk seriously in front of cameras. Exceeding low and narrow expectations, his
stock spiked upward in the political marketplace.
From
war on Iraq to abrogation of key civil liberties to further skewing of the
federal tax structure in favor of the wealthy, everything on the Bush team's
wish list has been shamelessly pitched as part of the "war on terrorism."
But
even cowboys get the blues, especially when their imperial zeal turns out to be
imprudent. Despite the world's most powerful military under their command, the
global reach of the current empire-builders in Washington is exceeding its grasp.
They're now facing some very tough quandaries.
With
the U.S. economy still slumping and the occupation of Iraq still in what Daddy
Bush might call "deep doo-doo," we can expect the political
exploitation of 9/11 to intensify between now and November 2004. Get ready for
an election year full of efforts to wring every drop of media juice out of what
happened on Sept. 11.
In
the new edition of her book "W: Revenge of the Bush Dynasty,"
journalist Elizabeth Mitchell notes that "the Republican National Convention
will take place in New York City on the latest date in the party's 148-year
history to inch it near to the anniversary of Sept. 11." Only a few days
will separate the GOP convention in Manhattan and the 9/11 commemorations.
The
steady decline of Bush's approval ratings nationwide in recent months has
surely accentuated the Rove administration's view of the 9/11 card as its ace
in the hole.
In
the real world, his complaints notwithstanding, President Bush can "speak
directly to the people" like no one else. The extent of his unfiltered
media access -- including live coverage of rhetorical speeches and smarmy
photo-ops -- is enormous. What's more, every day, media outlets are choking
with Bush appointees, Republican leaders in Congress, supportive pundits and
corporate-backed think tankers who tirelessly tout the president and his
policies.
And
we ain't seen nothing yet. Much of Bush's anticipated $200 million campaign war
chest next year will be devoted to purchasing entirely "unfiltered" access
to the public in the form of commercials lauding the man's supposed greatness.
Bush
does have one thing right: By and large, the news media are functioning as a
filtration system in this country. Of course, he wants it to filter out a lot
more of the news and views he doesn't like. But Bush would be truly shocked if
the nation's mass media acted less like a filtration system and more like a
means for widespread democratic communication.
If
we were to compile a long list of people with perspectives, opinions, analysis
and information routinely excluded by U.S. media filtration, George W. Bush and
his buddies certainly wouldn't be on it.
In
the United States and around the world, impoverished people who suffer because
of the administration's policies are among the real victims of media
filtration. But evidently their complaints aren't newsworthy.
Norman Solomon is Executive
Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy (www.accuracy.org) and a syndicated
columnist. His latest book is Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn’t Tell
You (Context Books, 2003) with Reese Erlich. For an excerpt and other
information, go to: www.contextbooks.com/new.html#target. Email: mediabeat@igc.org
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