by | The mainstream media, a supposed bastion of “balanced reporting” and “objective journalism,” has fallen.
Once mainstream –i.e. corporate – media was celebrated as a courageous watchdog willing to speak truth to power, come what may. Today, much of that body of “journalists” has become hitmen for Rupert Murdoch and those of his ilk.
They’re like a 1960s police attack dog, protecting the racist mobs and the cops, sweat-drenched from beating the black off peaceful protesters with nightsticks, yet willingly and forcefully ripping out the flesh of those their masters target as troublemakers.
Plus, today’s corporate media is more “corporate” than “media,” ruled by that almighty dollar, and the person or entity signing off on their direct deposits.
Has mainstream media been bought off? If you have to ask, you haven’t been paying attention – and the media’s counting on that.
Let’s just say the fix is in, and the receipts are digital, color-coded and stamped with the logos of billion-dollar conglomerates.
The so-called “cable news giants.” CNN, Fox, MSNBC—different seasoning, same dish. These networks are owned by right-leaning billionaires or massive corporations with tax shelters in places where the sun never sets on the wealthy. Their golden rule? Don’t bite the hand that funds the commercials.
Think about it: Do you really expect NBCUniversal (owned by Comcast), or ABC (owned by Disney), or Fox News (blessed by the ghost of Reaganomics) to challenge the economic status quo? Please.
With marching orders from those who make their direct deposits, corporate media live by the adage, “If a critical event happens anywhere on the planet and we don’t report on it, it never happened.” There’s not enough time or space to run down all the newsworthy happenings that got swept under the rug. Don’t believe me? Just roll the tape on all the stories that somehow missed your 24-hour news cycle:
The “Hands Off” Protest, where thousands of Black, brown, and working-class folks flooded streets in opposition to war, police violence, and empire, was mostly ignored.
-Union victories led by people of color—ghosted. You’d think the media would cheer on workers… but corporate owners prefer obedient labor.
-Nearly half of unhoused individuals are employed, yet we’re supposed to believe homelessness is a personal failure and not a system-wide scam?
-The growing number of missing Black women and girls is treated like background noise. If they were blonde and missing in Aruba, we’d have a week-long miniseries.
-African nations rejecting neocolonialism in favor of self-determination? Heaven forbid Americans start thinking Africa is more than a charity case or a war zone.
Big Money Media’ has become anti-worker, anti-living wage, anti- democracy in much of its coverage. The result: a media ecosystem engineered to maintain the illusion of democracy while gatekeeping truth. What you see is not what you get. What you get is whatever doesn’t threaten a billionaire’s bottom line.
We can fight back. You don’t have to be media-rich to be media literate. Here’s a list of ways:
Support the Black Press – Outlets like Word In Black, The Black Agenda Report, The St. Louis American, The AFRO and the Defender Network tell our stories, unfiltered.
-Subscribe to independent journalism – Publications like Democracy Now, The Intercept, Grist, Truthout, and ProPublica still believe facts matter.
-Use social media critically – Follow organizers, whistleblowers, and citizen journalists. And always ask: “Who benefits from this narrative?”
-Host community media circles – Watch, read, and break down the news together. Media literacy is power.
-Call out media silence – Write letters. Flood comment sections. Let them know we see the bias, and we’re not buying it.
Aswad Walker in associate editor of the Houston Defender Network
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