Media

We live in an age that is very much dominated by the exchange of information. Years gone by, people would not know what is happening in the next village, never mind in other countries throughout the world. Now we have access to news and information all around us. Newspapers, TV, Internet. Information = power = money.

Where do most people go for their information? The main stream media. Most people think the media exists as a champion of the people, getting information and news and reporting it to us. Fighting for free speech and the free exchange of knowledge. They couldn't be more wrong.

The media exists for one reason only. To make money. As much money as possible in the most efficient manner. Normally I wouldn't question this purpose, what I do question with the media is the methods they use. They make money through the sale of advertising space (Obviously the BBC is a bit of an anomaly but they do exist for the same reasons). The more high profile advertising space you can sell, the more money you can make. Sale of advertising depends on the number of people who read your newspaper or watch your television programme.

The media have a number of weapons at their disposal to make you part with your cash and buy what they have to offer. Take newspapers for example. The headline:

Famous actor denies gay sex romp

will sell more newspapers than

British food production up by 4.5%

even though the latter will be the more important to the reader. Look at the wording in the first headline. Maybe the actor denied having a gay sex romp because he just didn't have one.

 There are possibly millions of stories that could be written every year. The papers only pick the ones that will sell the most copies. They cherry pick the news they think you should know and ignore the rest based on sales. The stories they do choose to print will often play on your fears or guilt. We live in a society full of some very fearful people so a story about

Terrorist threat at all time high, or
Iran builds nuclear weapons, or
Domestic violence is at epidemic proportions

will have the terminally scared parting with their money in order to get the latest "information" about the new scare.

People can often be particularly frightened by stories about kiddies.

New paedophile threat discovered, or
Children affected by video nasties

will have the parents clamouring to get the latest info they need to protect their idiot spawn from the latest threat.

And the terminally guilty will always fork out good money to see pictures of starving babies in Africa or polar bears dying in the arctic.

The people that go out and buy these papers for the reasons above will never actually take any action. They will not hand over their bank accounts to the starving babies or sell their 4x4 to help the polar bears. Just reading the article and saying something should be done gives them the illusory comfort that they need.

Apart from money, there is something else the media has in abundance. When an organisation can decide what you are scared of or dictate what you should feel guilty about, it has a lot of power over you. That power can be used to mould your life, alter your spending habits, change your beliefs and influence your voting habits.

What most people do not realise is that they are not being given the full story; they are not been given the information they need to make the decisions they are making as a result.


Television often has a very subliminal left wing message buried within. Film and TV producers in most areas tend to lean towards socialist viewpoints. If you know anyone in "the arts", ask them if they believe the arts should be subsidised by government money.

I watched Only Fools and Horses at on Christmas day. It's not a program I normally watch; the episode was called, "Time on our hands", and it seemed to be one where the Trotters finally made the big time after all their years of effort. After they had made a few million and got everything they wanted, Del goes back to the old flat in a state of depression. He's suddenly bored of the rich lifestyle and is pining for the good old days. The message was that money is bad and if you get it you will not be happy.

Have you seen the film, Titanic? The one with Kate Winslet and Leonardo De Whatshisname? The message there is the same. The poor people down in steerage are dancing, laughing and having a merry old time, whereas the rich folk are sat round a table with straight faces and acting all stuffy.

Money = bad, poor = good. It's everywhere.

How many cop shows are on TV now, showing our gallant police force upholding the law and fighting crime. To get the real picture of police harassing photographers, stealing children or detaining innocent people, you have to go to Youtube.

The media is not a public service, fighting to get information to the public. Most newspapers are nothing more than gossip columns, the more upmarket appeal to our guilt's and fears to sell papers. The TV spreads the message of poor is good and don't aspire to be anything more as you won't like it.

If you take notice of the media, treat it simply as a format for entertainment or diversion. It's not the champion of the truth that some people deem it to be.