Bad Press vs. Free Press?
The Wall Street Journal recently published an editorial attacking the ruling of federal Judge Emmett Sullivan in a suit against DOD brought by labor organizations of the UDWC over the National Security Personnel System. The Journal piece was filled with out and out lies and outlandish “facts” that simply are not true. One glaring example was the statement that the federal unions would continue to “negotiate wages and benefits”…Duh! Since when did we negotiate federal pay and benefits?
As one of those labor organizations that sued DOD, the Metal Trades Department is accustomed to being attacked by the media. It seems any organization or person who does not agree with this administration on any issue is punished, attacked and discredited by a vicious PR machine manipulated by the neoconservatives and their clarions. The Wall Street Journal isn’t exactly a main stream news outlet, but it enjoyed a reputation for objectivity in its news coverage until a few years ago. Similarly, the NY Times was considered a reliable source of information, until it came to light that they sat for a year on significant aspects of the story about the outing of Ambassador Wilson’s wife as a CIA operative. The Times tried to excuse their behavior by saying they did not want to “influence” the outcome of the US Presidential election. Their inaction may have influenced it anyway.
Up until recently conservatives routinely dismissed the media for its “liberal bias.” In 1973, Joseph Coors, heir to the family beer business and a right wing conservative, along with a few other wealthy neoconservatives, pooled their wealth and founded the Heritage Foundation. It has since become a beacon for the neoconservative movement. This Right Wing “think tank” has developed strategies, policies and trained thousands of so-called “movement conservatives” in ways to influence public opinion including “framing issues” favorable to the conservative movement. Conservatives have been working hard for decades to extend their media ownership and influence. Wealthy conservatives have systemically bought up the so-called “liberal” media. Rupert Murdoch, one of the wealthiest of the new age conservatives is probably the most well known media magnate with the largest holdings of influential print media and broadcast stations.
Take a look at the ownership and major investors of any major US newspaper or commercial broadcast…You would be hard pressed to say the media is owned and controlled by anyone remotely considered as a “liberal.”
I would challenge you all to take this one-week, eye-opening test: For one week tune your TV set to CNN or CNN Headline News for all your news for the same length of time and at the hour that you now watch local and network news. You will see a big difference in what is reported and how it is reported by CNN compared to what you see from Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. The news you and I see reported on the networks is not raw, unedited factual news…it is a rose colored version the super wealthy conservative owners want you to see, hear and believe.
For instance, when is the last time the news media took a shot at any corporation for price gouging you and I? How about the oil companies? Does this sound familiar? “According to oil analysts and our reporters’ research, the reason the price of unleaded regular gasoline jumped 11 cents a gallon today to over $4.00 per gallon is due to the rhino monkey, an endangered species in oil rich Uganda, getting sick with a rare flu, a development which may prompt the government to ban further road building by oil companies in the remote province of Gulliblism.”
Just consider this: When Joe Coors founded the Heritage Foundation in 1973, Forbes Magazine reported that there were 140 billionaires, worldwide. This year Forbes is reporting there are 748 billionaires.
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Metal Trades Department, AFL-CiO • 815 16th Street, NW •Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202-508-3705 • Fax: 202-508-3706 • email: metaltradesweb@gmail.com
