We’ve linked to Cryptome‘s stuff a couple times over the years. No site does a better job of unearthing secrets the powerful would prefer to keep under wraps. This time we provide John Young’s critique of the modern media landscape in its entirety. As I read it I could help but think of the Uptown paper of record. But you tell me if that is off-base.
Nobody hides sources and non-public operations like the media. And nobody is less transparent and unaccountable. And nobody exaggerates its importance more while braying about public interest and accountability. And nobody abuses its power more while pointing fingers and publishing exposes of those whom it attacks to generate revenue from a gullible public.
The media is unscrupulous in its asymmetrical demand that it have special privileges greater than ordinary people and other institutions (except the church, its spiritual guide) under the law and then fail to live up to those privileges.
The media is lazy, irresponsible, spoiled, vicious and vain. It often lies, misrepresents, distorts, exaggerates, issues faux apologies for grievous errors, brags about its conquests, cries crocodile tears when an underling dies (of which there are far fewer than in other industries), grants awards to heroes (of which there are far more than in other industries), generates huge fortunes for its most immoral practitioners while crapping on its lowest stringers, freelancers, students, and most of all those whom it tricks into providing unpaid information (“we never pay for news” con) for the promise of a bit of attention which is never, ever as good as promised.
These are the common practices of authoritatives, one-way in their favor, like spies they adore open source as a free gift — we take, repackage, mark-up, sell back — camouflage their theft with unctuous proclamations of serving the public. All banker-grade nonsense but well established.
The authoritatives watch each other like hawks to learn what latest flim-flam is working the best. They belong to the same clubs, go to the same schools, live in the same neighborhoods, get soused in the same bars, over-eat in the same restaurants, hide out in the same retreats to regale each other with braggardy and cut deals to fatten their wallets and egos, share tips of vainglorious personsal security measures, gossip on handhelds, sport arm candy, worry about disease and external and internal betrayal, abuse their families and employees, stare in the mirror with exaltation and disgust, toss and turn at night fearful of having overdosed and angered their voodoos.
The media like all authoritatives are obsessed with being authoritative opinion and policy shapers, and behaving, dressing and acting important to impress each other, a sure sign they are not to be trusted for they will always protect one another by biased laws, judgments, exculpations and accusations against those outside their circle.
They deserve unceasing vilification far beyond the tripe they hurl at themselves to appear self-critical.
That’s the tippy tip of the ridicule and opprobrium the media and other authoritatives deserve, and even at its maximum, authoritatives will relish the negative attention so needy is it for any kind — there is no bad publicity, war is hell, a dirty job but somebody has to do it, got a story send it to us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, readers comments, op-ed it.
Oh yeah, they break the rules, that is a given, hide the breakage, that is a given, disclose the shallow version of the deeper abuse, that is a given, apologize and breast beat, that is a given, mount a sustained attack if the fake mewling fails. As in the Wikileaks case, condemn with faint praise, doubt authenticity, mock, dig into the personal and distort the findings to fit advertising exigences.
To feed the beast, as you advertisingly hustle it, they hire attention-seeking critics, that too above all shows the ancient system works. This is how covert spies learn their trade and arrange for comfortable lives kissing the asses of their teachers and role models. They hide, everybody else open up, trust our putting it all in a credible context, believe in us or else our very own version of the nation is at risk.
I think it fairly nails the Tryon Street gang — not to mention the broader media which routinely ignores stories to difficult — or painful to their reality — to tell.
