Freedom of speech is one of America’s most cherished values. But I am concerned that too many Americans are drifting into a state of complacency in which they rely on others to spoon feed them information. And as I turn on the TV or read newspaper headlines, I become increasingly convinced that large media organizations are using their position of influence to sway public opinion.
For example, a few weeks ago I came across this headline from CNN:
Hopefully I’m not excessively paranoid, but nowadays I tend to suspect some ulterior motive in most of the news stories I read. In this case, the article informs readers that Mr. Elbridge Gerry wasn’t the bad guy that everyone thinks he was. But couldn’t it be that since the 2010 census is under way, maybe this article is meant to condition us so that we’re not surprised when the congressional districts get redrawn in unusual ways?
I think it’s obvious that there is bias in media. I’m not talking about a vast conspiracy to brainwash Americans. It’s just that media elites tend to create a groupthink culture in their organizations, and they feel that they know what’s best for America. Most of the bias in mainstream media is liberal. Bernard Goldberg, in his book Arrogance, wrote:
“You have caught them red-handed over and over again with their biases exposed, and all they do is Deny! Deny! Deny! Only now the media have become even more brazen. Simply denying isn’t good enough anymore. Now they’re not content looking you in the eye and calmly saying, “What bias?” Now they’re just as calmly turning truth on its head, saying the real problem is conservative bias.”
But we do encounter conservative bias sometimes as well. Right-wingers find an outlet through Fox News and other places.
The real problem is the underlying assumption in any kind of media bias – that ordinary Americans are too ignorant to form their own opinions and so they have to be told what to think.
It’s Time to Decentralize Media
Media today seems to be getting more centralized. And the information that gets put out by media organizations seems more and more like propaganda used for political purposes.
But it wasn’t always this way. Earlier in our country’s history, decentralized media was a defining characteristic. Alexis de Tocqueville describes it thus:
“The United States have no metropolis; the intelligence as well as the power of the country are dispersed abroad, and instead of radiating from a point, they cross each other in every direction; the Americans have established no central control over the expression of opinion, any more than over the conduct of business. These are circumstances which do not depend on human foresight; but it is owing to the laws of the Union that there are no licenses to be granted to printers, no securities demanded from editors as in France, and no stamp duty as in France and formerly in England. The consequence of this is that nothing is easier than to set up a newspaper, and a small number of readers suffices to defray the expenses of the editor…In America there is scarcely a hamlet which has not its own newspaper.”
Tocqueville goes on to explain the effect of the decentralized press:
“…it’s influence in America is immense. It is the power which impels the circulation of political life through all the districts of that vast territory. Its eye is constantly open to detect the secret springs of political designs, and to summon the leaders of all parties to the bar of public opinion.”
In order to stop the barrage of propaganda, we need to shift America’s culture closer to what it used to be. That’s going to require ordinary citizens like you and me to take on a more active role in documenting and reporting the news.
Documenting Modern History
Most of us know why history is important. We study history so we can learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present. We are indebted to our predecessors who kept a record of what happened.
Scholars spend immense amounts of time and write volumes of literature analyzing historical events. But there are events taking place right now which dwarf the past – unprecedented changes that will affect our society for decades to come. Isn’t it worth our time to try to study and understand what is happening?
During these times of considerable change, we can’t sit on the sidelines. We can’t accept packaged, watered-down summaries from mainstream media. We have to become the producers and analysts of information.
Developing the Right Skills
In order to become effective citizen journalists, we need to take the time to develop new skills and attributes. These include:
1. Independence. We must first decide that we will not rely on the opinions of others.
2. Self-initiative. This means finding the motivation within ourselves to ask questions, seek answers and report on the results.
3. Research and Analysis. It’s not enough to simply find and present data; we have to become interpreters of information. That means we need to read books and understand where things fit in context. We need to develop a big picture view.
4. Record Keeping. It’s one thing to effectively observe the world around us, but we need to go a step further and get into the habit of documenting our observations. A simple way to start is to keep a journal or blog.
5. Persuasive Writing and Speaking. We can’t sit back and let the most vocal dominate the conversation. We have to realize that each of us has valuable ideas and insights that need to be shared with society. And so we need to step outside our comfort zone and find ways to influence others. That takes work and practice. But I’m convinced that by learning how to present arguments, we can awaken a sense of leadership.
Mobilizing the Voice of the People
One of the main purposes of Liberty Discussions is to help ordinary Americans become citizen journalists. This community provides an opportunity for members to share their opinions and present effective arguments to their friends, neighbors, and the general public.
As more and more citizens develop and apply these skills, we will be able to mobilize and find our collective voice. Through healthy discussion and debate, we will be able to find truth. We will learn to effectively communicate our wishes to our representatives, and by so doing, enforce the paradigm of bottom up change.
