Control of the Media!

I was going to lay low for a few days, but I then read the story about White House Communications Director Anita Dunn as to how they "focused on "making" the media cover what the campaign wanted and on exercising absolute "control" over coverage". Now at first glance, as a political campaign is run, this is how it's done, at least up to a point. You want to get your message out! So be it! Quotes to follow.

Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control," Dunn said, admitting that the strategy "did not always make us popular in the press."

She explained that the campaign favored live interviews so that Obama's words could not be edited -- "so that what the voters heard we determined, as opposed to some editor in a TV station."

She said Campaign Manager David Plouffe put out Web videos so the campaign could avoid talking to reporters and focus the media message.

"Whether it was a David Plouffe video or an Obama speech, a huge part of our press strategy was focused on making the media cover what Obama was actually saying as opposed to why the campaign was saying it," she said. "One of the reasons we did so many of the David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters. ... We just put that out there and made them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it as opposed to the press controlled it."

As I wanted a bit more perspective, I found the video and watched it. What struck me was not only how proud she was of this effort, but also her apparent "now that we control the media, we can do anything" attitude that she seemed to exhude. In point of fact, she sounded like a propoganda minister, the type that would make Goebels proud!

Normally, I would just liken this to a showboating football player doing his up your's dance after making a play. But this really points to a much larger problem facing this country!

As we all know, the administration has decided to demonize Fox News! Nothing new here in some sense. Nixon as an example. tried it with the NY Times. Didn't have much success though!
But consider this. Control of the Message! Control of the Media!

A bit of repeat here.

President Barack Obama's chief of staff, said, "It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective." Emanuel appeared on CNN's "State of the Union"Appearing on ABC's "This Week," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said Fox News shouldn't be treated as a news organization. "And the bigger thing is that other news organizations, like yours, ought not to treat them that way, and we're not going to treat them that way," he said.

Isn't this exactly as Anita Dunn is talking about? We have an administration that has in effect told the majority of the media and in turn the American people to ignore one network! They are not a news organization! Ignore what they have to say! The only truth comes from the organizations that support us! Can say dictatorship?

Question here. Who in the hell do these people think they are? What gives them the right to tell me or anyone what we are to believe is news or fact? And we have a co-opted media that allows this!

This country is in great trouble when any administration can in effect order one media outlet to either attack and/or demean another network. These tactics are no different then any other dictatorship when it comes to a Free Press! How dare anyone to try to tell me what to think, what is news or what isn't news?!

Seems to me a Free Press should be one of the purest ideals a liberal would adhere to! So isn't this entire argument against one network the absolute highest form of hypocrisy?

As for me, last time I looked I live in the United States. Supposedly no one has the right to force me how to think or what to do. And our elected officials (our employees) should keep in mind they do not have the right to shut off debate and or the voice of the people! But again, at least in my mind that is exactly what the administration thru it's lap dog media outlets is tryin to do!

One last point. This administration will at all costs use the methods as used by most dictators around the world. And why not? One of his advisors admires how Chavez controls the media in Venezuaela! Should work here. Just make sure you control the message! And "We the People" are allowing this to happen?! I truly fear for my country and it's future! We are in fact being destroyed from within, just as predicted years ago!

In my view, this president and his cronies are intent on shutting off all debate, comment or questions when ot comes to what they have decided is good for us. Any dissent and/or criticism will not be allowed! Any one caught doing this will be denigrated, smeared and lied about until the lie becomes the truth in the eyes of the people.

I asked this yesterday! What does this say about a country that is willing to throw away one of their most precious rights, The Freedom of Speech and the Press and allow this to happen? How can one person in this country ignore something as obvious as an administration controlling their very thought processes? What in the hell is it going to take to get people to realize they are on the verge of losing one of their most precious rights?! When are we going to try once again to live by the ideals as put forward by our founding fathers? WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

As for the Press I ask again! What has happened to a "Free Press!? How is it that the so called watch dogs of Freedom, a Free Press, are so willing to put out shameless lies and distortions of fact? What happened to the Cronkites and the Murrows? What has happened to journalism? How dare almost any of you out there to even compare yourselves with the likes of Cronkite or Murrow! When did it become acceptable in your profession tho serve up lies and bias instead of facts? How can any of you justify "not doing your jobs "as journalists?