Comments by "Tony Wilson" (@tonywilson4713) on "Monopolies Bribed Newspapers For Positive Coverage?" video.

  1. HEY THOM You really need to bring Professor Robert McChesney in on discussions of the media and how its been slowly eroded over decades. He was one of the people who helped make the 2004 documentary "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" He's actually a professor from my Alma Mater, but joined the faculty after I graduated. Circa 2008/09 he was here in Australia on a book tour. I caught the 2nd half of one of his talks on TV. At the time I didn't realise who he was, but I do remember an incredible point that he brought out. After WW2 most American newspapers had people around the country and the majors had people around the world. Journalists actually went out of the office and met people. So if you heard on the radio or read in the newspaper and they quoted someone it was because a journalist had gone and met that person and asked questions and written down their replies. The stories that weren't done that way were about actors, sports stars and businessmen which involved PR people. I remember that after Robert McChesney explained how journalists used to work he then explained that there were around 4 or 5 journalists for every PR person AT THAT TIME. Then when news papers, radio and TV started to merge into larger and larger conglomerates that ratio of 5 to 1 started to change. Shareholders didn't care about facts. They wanted dividends. Into that environment came people like Rupert Murdoch, Robert Maxwell and others. By the early 2000s that ratio of 5 to 1 had flipped to 1 to 5. Journalists didn't go and meet people. They stayed at their desks pumping out story after story chasing clicks. Information in stories STOPPED coming from research and started coming from PR people. Journalists shifted from doing research and investigating to "cutting & pasting & posting" from what the PR people handed them. Think about how many news stories in the media (all types) are just like an advertisement. I'm certain you already know some of this. But you should really try and get Robert McChesney on. he's done a couple of interviews for people like Paul Jay (the Analysisnews)
    2