1/ When most critique US media, they often misunderstand that there are several forces that limit the parameters of discourse. Advertisers; Government ; Technology; Self censorship by "club" members. In totalitarian countries, it is easy to just point to government.
2/ There are so many examples of stories being "spiked" due to advertising pressures. One can buy editorial coverage if you spend enough money. We have done this before. But advertisers getting stories suppressed is more common.
3/ The US govt OFTEN gets stories spiked on dubious national security grounds. But of course there was Operation Mocking Bird revealed that made this clear. If media criticism does not mention this, suspect they are shills: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation…
4/ The govt. also plants reporters on the payroll of networks, newspapers. Once upon a time Carl Bernstein was a real journalist before he wanted to become a celebrity. He wrote this 40 years ago: carlbernstein.com/magazine_cia_a…
5/ Of course everyone reading this knows how technology in the form of algos limit what shows up in your timeline. And techno-nerds are not immune from putting their thumb on the scale for a POV or creating mischief.
6/ Being part of the club presents significant opportunities for self censorship. Bucking conventional wisdom created by groupthink of one's peers limits independent action/thought.
7/ The most successful propaganda & censorship happens in *free* liberal democracies with "free" media. Take the most authoritarian regime like North Korea and nearly 100% of the population know the media is censored. In US/UK delusions re censorship is more hidden.
