Political liberty cannot survive in a country in which public “debate” consists of statements made by dishonest law enforcement agencies, a lying and ignorant press corps, and the self-abusing white trash who infest the blogosphere.In the days of the late Soviet Empire, they had a national newspaper, Pravda - the name meant Truth. The name, of course, was a joke - it was the official "truth" that the Soviet government wanted to spread - what we in the US call propaganda.
Too often, we are surrounded by - not news - but propaganda. Contrary to the Soviet experience, it is LESS likely that the propaganda is promoted by government. It is more often the role of newspapers, various TV media outlets, and all-too-many in the blogosphere to spread these slanted version of "truth".
Sometimes, the media outlets actually believe the "truth". They leap eagerly on the reports that verify their opinion, and publish them widely. This is true of many who unthinkingly spout the "data" about Global Warming or the Fact that the War on Terror is A Failure (which I DON'T believe). But, in all fairness, the dupes actually DO believe their own reports.
Sometimes, the media actively work to plant "information" they KNOW to be false. That appears to be the situation with the Rueters photographers, who used Photoshop to spread their lies.
Warning to all: If the news source is not American, it really needs to be examined carefully for accuracy and bias. Most non-American news outlets do not work from our own American premise of a free press. The presses are owned by partisans.
Lastly, and most commonly, those that spread false "truth" are simply too lazy to do more than re-print the press releases of those with an agenda. They make no effort to find out the facts.
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