(Via the Drudge Report)
Those of us (at least on the conservative and libertarian sides) who followed the recent elections have noted that the old or mainstream media was almost completely “in the tank” for Barak Obama. A number of pundits have noted that thisobvious bias will probably cost them heavily.
It would seem that Rupert Murdoch understands the problem and the potential consequences:
Of course, I think he’s understating the problem a bit. It isn’t “some of the editors, reports and proprietors”, it’s most of them, at least when looking at the national level. (Local media seems to be somewhat more even-handed, although still tending toward bias.)
Murdoch goes on to say, “The complacency stems from having enjoyed a monopoly–and now finding they have to compete for an audience they once took for granted. The condescension that many show their readers is an even bigger problem. It takes no special genius to point out that if you are contemptuous of your customers, you are going to have a hard time getting them to buy your product. Newspapers are no exception.”
We can see that in the decreasing sales of large daily newpapers, as well as the declining viewer share of major network news organizations, while the use of the WWW for news has increased–especially the rise of news-related web sites that are not connected to “major news organizations”.
The rise of talk radio in the 80s and 90s, as well as the rise of the conservative and libertarian websites and blogs, can be taken as a further sign that those with a conservative/libertarian bent have given up on an obviously biased media and went elsewhere to find their news and speak their piece. Considering that we represent around half of the US population, it’s pretty obvious (at least to me) that our departure from the old media is why readers and viewership is off so badly. We’ve stopped buying their crap.
Now, our job is to expand our viewer/readership, as well as avoiding the bias trap ourselves. It’s imperative that, as the 2010 elections approach, that we bypass the old media and get our word out there unfiltered.
If you’re a supporter of our Constitution and the civil rights acknowledged therein, if you care about the future, if you’re tired of the same old crap coming from your state and national capitals, it’s time to get involved. For cryin’ out loud, you can use Blogger for free! Add your voice to the debate. Talk about the things you’re passionate about. Be heard and make a difference.
(If you’re really ambitious, start a podcast.)
If you don’t want to start your own blog, comment on the blogs you read. Write letters to the editors–even though the audience is shrinking, it’s still large enough to be worth reaching. Talk to your friends, acquaintances and coworkers. Don’t be silent.
Barak Obama got elected, at least in part, because too many people on our side bought into the media hype of his “inevitability”. They allowed themselves to be manipulated by his propaganda machine, and they stayed home. They never spoke out, never put up a yard sign–nothing. They just sat it out.
(Yeah, I know McCain was hardly Mr. Perfect. That doesn’t mean that he would have been as bad as what we got.)
Because they did not act, the nation faces 4 years of leftist government policies and initiatives. We need to start now to be sure that in 2010, we begin our counter-offensive.
I’m doing my part–are you?