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In the wake of Watergate Congress held hearings during which it was revealed that hundreds of reporters had working relationships with the CIA. That was the tip of the iceberg. A read of Christopher Simpson's "Science of Coercion: Communication Research and Psychological Warfare, 1945-1960" shows that the relationship existed before the CIA was even created, and that the use of news outlets was a primary strategy for propagandizing the population. The relationships that existed in WWII continue today.
Cable news outlets from their beginnings have been used as propaganda outlets. I look back at the volume of the overwhelming anti-OJ Simpson reportage in 1994 as part of the strategy for the Great Republican Revolution (The Contract With America, etc.).
When one analyzes the purpose of media propaganda directed at Americans, it is easy to confuse the slant as pro-Republican and anti-Democrat. The Republican Party is essentially the party of the military-industrial complex, though, so their consonance with the program should not be confused as their own initiative. Any "conservative" positions that Republicans have historically held (anti-government intrusion, protection of the individual, etc.) has been washed away by the dictates of the MIC.
Here's the scary part: Rachel Maddow's ascension is reason enough to not trust her. For propaganda to work, it has to be fed in proper doses to the various elements of society. What racists and reactionaries willingly gobble must be fed in smaller portions to lefties, mixed with what lefties like to eat. The difference between Maddow and Beck? Pay attention.
Just saying.
