Go
Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

earl watt mugL&T Publisher Earl Watt

 

In a classic scene in what is considered the best movie in the Star Wars saga, “The Empire Strikes Back,”Yoda talks to Luke about being trained as a Jedi, and Luke says he is ready to be trained. Yoda’s response about who should be trained is classic. “Ready are you?” Yoda asked. “What know you of ready? For 800 years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained.”

As I become more disillusioned with news reporting fro the major media outlets, I wish we would all ask this question.

Receiving the news used to be about providing the facts, telling us what was happening in places around the world, in the halls of Congress or at the White House.

Now we have to receive that information along with a multitude of pundits who tell us what those actions mean, or whether we should see a decision as good or bad.

For 48 years, I have learned my own sense of right and wrong. My own counsel will I keep on whether I believe a certain decision good or bad.

On top of feeding us their own twisted view of what the news “really” means, they also love to point out happenings on rival networks.

Why would they bring attention to competitors, even if they believe it is negative?

The popular phrase “follow the money” applies.

Why would Fox News care if Joy Behar and Meghan McCain had a spat on ABC’s “The View?”

I don’t watch “The View.” Why would I care what elitists think about the world the rest of us live in?

Now, if they would create a panel with Joe the Plumber, Susie the Waitress and everyday people like that, then maybe.

But privileged elites from Hollywood or even children of career politicians does little to make me believe they have the pulse of the American people.

My own counsel will I keep on whether I care about “The View.”

But Fox News shares an online story almost weekly about some spat on “The View.”

There has to be a reason.

Turn over to CNN, and they love to interview a disgruntled Fox News employee who was either fired or turned to CNN after their career reached as high as it would go on Fox, or an executive that fell out of good graces.

Why would CNN bring attention to their competitor?

There has to be a reason.

For each network to keep their sheep in line, they have to feed the notion that the other networks are those getting it wrong, “and we’ve got the proof!”

The fact is, they have found their success is not in the unification of America but in its division.

According to Statista, Fox News has a prime time audience of 2.6 million viewers, MSNBC has 1.9 million, and CNN has 1 million.

They each play to audiences that aren’t necessarily interested in “fair and balanced” news but prefer to get a slant to the presentation, with Fox being more conservative, MSNBC being more liberal, and CNN hammering the president 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And they each pay the bills with their approach.

And the more they toe the line, the more loyal their audience becomes.

But it’s not enough to simply slant the news from the perspective their viewers want.

They also crack the whip, just incase there are any wandering eyes, by slamming something one of “the other” networks do.

The one conservative on the panel of “The View” talked over Joy Behar, the ultra liberal on the panel. Who ever thought that might happen? And Fox points it out as though it is major news.

A Fox executive leaves and makes the accusation that Fox News is anti-immigrant. Who ever thought that would happen? And CNN points it out as though it is major news.

They have to keep us divided in order to keep their audience in tact. Since CNN is at the bottom of the heap, they have to be more critical. It’s the same reason so many Pepsi commercials attack Coca-Cola. In terms of business, Coke has a 40 percent soft drink market share worldwide compared to 20 percent for Pepsi, according to Investopedia. It’s no wonder Pepsi runs attack ads against Coke, like the Super Bowl campaign challenging people who would say Pepsi is “more than OK” when Coke is not available.

In politics, it’s called the red meat arguments, where you give your audience exactly what they want and prey on their preconceived notions of concepts that differ from their own points of view.

I have used my own counsel to determine my positions on issues like climate change, abortion, immigration, personal liberties and countless other issues. I don’t need a talking head to tell me what I should think on these issues, and I don’t need a cheerleader telling me what I think is the right answer.

It’s right for me, and I would gladly explain my reasoning to anyone who would ask. The truth is, most of the people who would listen would already agree with me. Those who don’t would find comfort in someone else’s point of view.

The point is we don’t need to be developing our views based on the position of companies that profit from our division.

Recognize that keeping us split makes them rich, not you.

Keep your own counsel on what you believe.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

 

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