Trump controls the agenda because the US media allows it.

[guillaumeb]

Trump is constantly tweeting, constantly speaking, about a wide variety of things.

His tweets and talks are intended to frame the conversation and to control the agenda. In this, he is following the established GOP playbook of framing the debate.

By framing the debate, Trump controls the terms and scope of the debate.

But imagine a country where the media was not mainly right wing and corporate controlled. Imagine a country where the media actually was controlled by liberals, rather than a few corporations controlling 90% of the media outlets, and where research institutes actually conducted substantive research rather than produce right wing position papers.

Imagine a country where, every time the latest Press Secretary lied, the reporters fact checked and cross examined the Press Secretary.

Imagine a country where the media analyzed the impact of the GOP tax scam instead of merely reporting what the GOP says about this latest iteration of supply side fantasy.

Imagine a country where the media reported that 60% of tax revenues go to support a war machine instead of passively repeating the GOP meme that the military is weakened.

Imagine a country where social spending was treated as a positive, rather than a drain on the job creators.

Imagine a country where the Walton family was seen as predators for their model of externalizing their business costs onto the US taxpayers.

Thanks, corporate media.

[RKP5637]

1. Exceptionally well said!!! n/t

[guillaumeb]

3. Thank you.

And I thank Noam Chomsky for his invaluable writing on the media and what is considered acceptable debate.

To me, the Leslie Moonves comment about Trump being bad for the country but great for CBS perfectly illustrated and exemplified the problem.

[Faux pas]

2. Kickin' for the truth!

[msongs]

4. imagine a country where democrats communicated as effectively. nt

[guillaumeb]

6. Imagine that indeed.

But the corporate media decides what is worthy of coverage. When progressive Democrats release their own budget the media ignores it.

When HRC called out Trump for his lies, the corporate media preferred to comment on her tone. Or her fashion sense.

[mountain grammy]

16. True that!

Just like both sides aren't the same, the media treats both sides differently. It can't be any clearer since the fool announced his candidacy. NBC kept the cameras on an empty podium until dummy stepped up to bloviate.

Ratings baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't beat it.

[Doodley]

5. You are imagining most other countries.

[guillaumeb]

7. Well, those where there is a functioning democracy.

The corporate media acts like an arm of the right wing. No surprise when a few billionaires own most of the US media.

[ollie10]

8. Imagine a media that did not publicize all of Trump's tweets....

If all Trump did was tweet, he would not be able to reach the audience he does now.

Who says the media has to publish each and every single one of his tweets? The media is twitter's megaphone.

I can't imagine a media like that....liberal or conservative.....doesn't matter so much. What matters is ratings. That's why each and every Trump rally is broadcast in their entirety, and that is why the media obsesses over each and every tweet.

[guillaumeb]

9. On target. Ratings rule because ratings attract advertisers.

And advertisers become revenue.

[tonyt53]

10. Absolutely!!!!!

[triron]

11. Check out : http://www.citjourno.org/

See if this can go anywhere.

[BillyBobBrilliant]

12. This has been building

Since the 911 attacks, when [The] Dick Cheney headed the push for sequestering the opposition with the Homeland Security frenzy. The "Go Along, or be deemed a traitor" mentality that followed for the entire Shrub presidency. Fear masked the totalitarian push that was ongoing.

[mountain grammy]

17. This has been building since the 70's..

Very dangerous movements afoot.. Civil Rights, labor and anti war all getting together in the late 60's. Capitalist nightmare, people thinking they have power and can bring about change. Conservatives really got cranking in the early 70's.

The business of America is business!

[guillaumeb]

19. True, BBB.

Fear is an excellent motivator, and the conservative corporate media is always willing to promote fear.

[CousinIT]

13. George Lakoff explains how Trump uses social media as a weapon to control the news cycle

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210053459

[IcyPeas]

14. imagine if they gave a press conference....

and nobody came.

[guillaumeb]

20. Or, imagine that the media types actually asked questions and called out lies.

But if they did that, they might lose the all important access.

[uponit7771]

15. K&R

[mountain grammy]

18. Good post, well said.

[treestar]

21. Very true!

Why do they not analyze rather than just reporting what they say? And letting these execrable people get away with lying? How did that not become a value for reporters?

[guillaumeb]

22. They might be terrified of losing "access".

The corporate media places no value on truth. They prefer a narrative.