Bush's Propaganda Machine at Full Steam

Ever notice the video takes of Bush during the nightly network news look much the same? That's because the networks have taken to using the video clips provided by the Bush Administration. This Administration has been given unprecedented propaganda advantage with the American people without their knowledge. As I said earlier, the only free press today is that which is not dependent on advertising. Jonathan Singer at Basie! makes it clear what is at stake:

This goes beyond perception, however; in an era of one party rule in Washington, it is essential that the media maintain a skeptical eye on the government. When this doesn't occur, the nation suffers. What happened during the late 1960s underscores this point as major news organizations failed to question claims about the situation in Vietnam from members of the Johnson administration. The consequences today could be equally troubling should the media continue its complicity in the Bush spin game.


The success of the American Democracy relies on a fully functioning and, more importantly, entirely independent media. Reporters on the dole from the administration and local stations running video news releases that amount to Bush ads serve only to undermine our government, not to strengthen it. Change in the media will not come quickly, and although blogs are playing a significant role in goading the big players into action, much more must be done so the Fox News model does not continue to take hold. The stakes are high in this battle. The fate of the nation depends on it.