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Sunday, November 30, 2008 12:00 AM

The ongoing disgrace of NBC News and Brian Williams

Another story from the NYT further exposes the corruption of NBC's reliance on Gen. Barry McCaffrey as an "independent military analyst."

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  • Monday, December 1, 2008 11:03 AM

    Our Great American Corporate News Establishment (ACNE) at it's best is the worst thing for a nation that needs honest news reportage

    What this is is a direct result of the wholesale purchasing by large corporate interests of what WAS ONCE our much vaunted free press.

    A freedom maintained not by force of law as much as the multiplicity of strong, independent voices vying for Attn, and who's legitimacy rested on getting the story out

    Once ACNE became the norm, the reasons for "news" changed dramatically.

    The function of ACNE is NOT reporting the news accurately or in a timely manner rather,

    News from the POV of the corporate mindset is part of the mix of "product" that has been purposely doctored and altered as needed to MAXIMIZE the profit potential.

    Corporations see truthfulness and honesty as merely aspects of "news" that can be altered at will to increase the marketability of said news.

    That being the case "full disclosures" are seen as "party poopers, negatives" that can be ignored when the "excitement" a story can generate is higher without that.

    And having "experts" testify "impartially" does add so much weight to the "propaganda news" promulgated by ACNE.

    This will NOT change until the "corporate mindset" is removed wholesale from our media, and "true independence in terms of reason to report the news" becomes the mainstay again.

    Until then we're going to see this sort of behavior over and over again.

    OH and to ensure the "media" never gets in the pocket with our military again, a law needs to be passed FORBIDDING THE EMBEDDING of REPORTERS FOR ANY REASON AMONG MILITARY STAFF AND PERSONNEL - NOT EVEN FOR PERSONAL SAFETY of said NEWS MEDIA PERSONNEL

    Honesty, accuracy and truth are the first victims of this sort of policy.

    IN allowing embedding, reporters became beholden to the military they were supposed to cover honestly.

    It's very easy to ignore wrongdoing on the part of someone who is keeping you alive and regularly saving your life in a dangerous war zone, or giving you great inside information thanks to all barriers disappearing between media and military.

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