Posted on 02/10/2019 8:32:16 AM PST by Robert DeLong
The media is dying. Read about it in the media.
Facebook is pumping $300 million into the media. And that’s after the Google News Initiative shoved $300 million into fighting “fake news” and helping struggling media outlets like the New York Times.
These aren’t investments. They’re charitable donations by Big Data to Big Brother.
Take Jeff Bezos taking $250 million, a little more than the $215 million he makes a day, and using it to buy the Washington Post, not because it’s a good business opportunity, but a good political one.
The media isn’t worth investing in.
TV and cable news are the weakest holdings of the entertainment giants. That’s why AT&T is none too fond of the CNN white elephant it’s stuck with.
John Stankey, Time Warner’s new boss (and therefore also CNN’s new overlord) told CNN that the news network has a “special social responsibility”. That’s the same rhetoric about public service that has the emerging giant monopolies subsidizing media companies as a charitable cause, not a profitable venture.
Journalism is deader than disco. The shambling monster still squealing about the First Amendment while pressuring social media companies to censor its conservative opposition under the guise of a Russian conspiracy theory has as much to do with journalism as Nabisco’s ad agency or Biden’s spokesman do.
The media doesn’t report the news. It reposts tweets, recycles news stories from a handful of wire services and largely relies on outside interests to do its actual reporting for it. Sometimes that means outside hit pieces covertly embedded, like Fusion GPS’ Russian Trump conspiracy theory, other times it’s more openly financed, like NPR getting $100K from a pro-Iran deal group to report on the Iran deal.
(Excerpt) Read more at sultanknish.blogspot.com ...
“Big Data’s Subsidization of Big Media”
Funny - pretending they are two distinct entities. The article implies they will merge; it already happened. Grim predictions for future elections, too; I was encouraged that Trump was still able to beat Hillary despite enemedia attacks 24/7/365...
That whole story must be re-written for posterity because the only two real lessons from it are 1) Obama was not successful OR popular, and 2) Hillary was loathed by more than half the voters (while she allegedly won more popular votes than Trump, she didn’t reach 50% of votes cast - just her husband didn’t in either of his election wins).
That’s not really what it says. It says that the tech companies keep big media alive for the access it gives them to politicians. It also gives them control over politician’s to do their evil bidding.
He used the 250 from the CIA!
I understand what it says; the fact is that they can no longer claim to be distinct and separate when the tech companies basically control the flow of information and selectively pass along what they choose as “news”.
These aren’t investments. They’re charitable donations by Big Data to Big Brother.
The First Amendment doesn’t make newspapers a public service, nor printers noblemen. The First Amendment assays to, in Mao’s words, “Let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.”The First Amendment famously assays to do so by forbidding the government to regulate speech or newspapers. Our unfortunate situation is that private entities have united to do exactly what the First Amendment forbade the government to do. Namely, to unify the expenditure of money for paper, ink, and transportation of information and opinion in an entity which has substantial sway over the agents of the government. It’s like the Russian joke: “Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Communism is just the opposite."
The often-overlooked consideration is that government schools regulate speech and press in institutions which our most impressionable citizens are pressured or required to spend a very great deal of their time.
The Ministry of Propaganda and the Ministry of Education are linked in their adherence to the goals of the agenda.
The populace that does not make a conscious effort to find the truth is shrinking.
They don’t care how much it costs them.
I got that backwards, the populace that seeks the truth is shrinking, those who imbibe the message unquestioningly is growing.
Facebook is pumping $300 million into the media. And that’s after the Google News Initiative shoved $300 million into fighting “fake news” and helping... the New York Times... Big Data to Big Brother... Jeff Bezos taking $250 million... to buy the Washington Post... AT&T is none too fond of the CNN white elephant it’s stuck with... John Stankey, Time Warner’s new boss... CNN’s new overlord... the news network has a “special social responsibility”... Journalism is deader than disco. The shambling monster still squealing about the First Amendment while pressuring social media companies to censor its conservative opposition under the guise of a Russian conspiracy theory... NPR getting $100K from a pro-Iran deal group to report on the Iran deal.
Meanwhile, George Webb offers this interesting explanation for all the media job cuts—saying they were largely state department passthrough (CIA, etc.) jobs that were being laid off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-no_ZPyJlKU
iHeartMedia (Clear Channel) is $22 BILLION dollars in debt.
All media is tanking.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/1/18052480/apple-iheartradio-investment
Apple is reportedly considering investing in iHeartRadio
By Dani Deahl@danideahl Nov 1, 2018, 2:45pm EDT
iHeartMedia, the largest radio company in the US, is exploring investments with several companies, including Apple, in advance of filing a reorganization plan with bankruptcy court, the Financial Times reports. The company has $20 billion in debt and filed for bankruptcy protection in March.
Sources tell Financial Times that Apple is one of several investors that have been considered, and iHeartMedia is looking for an equity stake worth tens of millions of dollars. An alternate source suggested that deal could look like a marketing partnership rather than a direct cash infusion into the company.
... even with its debt and bankruptcy filing, iHeartRadio has dominance over the radio industry with over 850 stations, and commands considerable power with exposure for acts on big-name events like the iHeartRadio Music Awards...
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