What You Didn't See, and Why
January 3, 2023 2:44 AM Subscribe
In pursuit of their own interests and investments, media tycoons past and present, again and again, appear to be conveniently oblivious to the main frame through which they filter news — that of class, including class structure and class interests. Consequently, they often overlook (or ignore) conflicts of interest that implicate media owners, funders, investors, and advertisers, not to mention their business clients on Wall Street and in Big Pharma, Big Tech, and the military–industrial complex. from Project Censored 2023: Billionaire Press Domination [Part 1; Part 2}
What a time to be alive!
posted by flabdablet at 8:33 AM on January 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 8:33 AM on January 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
Here's a link to the paper that is part of the first undercovered story (would have been a helpful link to add): Still Not Getting Energy Prices Right: A Global and Country Update of Fossil Fuel Subsidies, by Parry et al for the IMF.
Interesting study looking at the subsidies -- mostly indirect (not charging for the externalities borne by society, particularly climate change) but still half a trillion dollars of direct subsidies for fossil fuels. Key findings (from my perspective) include that gasoline and diesel are priced about half what they should be in the US, Canada and Australia, but at more like 80-90% of what they should be in western Europe. Almost 80% of the cost of coal is subsidized globally; including substantial carbon costs as well as local pollution which varies but is staggering in Russia, Turkey, the UK and China.
posted by Superilla at 9:10 AM on January 3, 2023 [10 favorites]
Interesting study looking at the subsidies -- mostly indirect (not charging for the externalities borne by society, particularly climate change) but still half a trillion dollars of direct subsidies for fossil fuels. Key findings (from my perspective) include that gasoline and diesel are priced about half what they should be in the US, Canada and Australia, but at more like 80-90% of what they should be in western Europe. Almost 80% of the cost of coal is subsidized globally; including substantial carbon costs as well as local pollution which varies but is staggering in Russia, Turkey, the UK and China.
posted by Superilla at 9:10 AM on January 3, 2023 [10 favorites]
Eh, I find the oil industry article a bit weak. Shouldn't there be an article about coastal finance hollowing out the US and allowing all this (financial consolidation/globalized economy/dead local business/no remedy to wage theft) to occur in the first place? What's the cost of that? Should all coastal residents bear it?
I mean the oil industry sucks, but they aren't the ones who declared the personal auto to be the only mode of transportation. That's on us, and the people we elected.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:35 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
I mean the oil industry sucks, but they aren't the ones who declared the personal auto to be the only mode of transportation. That's on us, and the people we elected.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:35 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
It is pretty standard for a leftist analysis to blame media class bias on "media owners, funders, investors, and advertisers, not to mention their business clients on Wall Street and in Big Pharma, Big Tech, and the military–industrial complex." And not without reason!
But I think an underexplored issue is the class bias that comes from most journalists now being required to have at least an undergrad degree, and many having graduate degrees from J-schools.
A couple generations ago, a lot of very smart and insightful U.S. journalists had neither. Now, it's very difficult to get in the door at a major media outlet without those credentials.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:04 PM on January 3, 2023 [15 favorites]
But I think an underexplored issue is the class bias that comes from most journalists now being required to have at least an undergrad degree, and many having graduate degrees from J-schools.
A couple generations ago, a lot of very smart and insightful U.S. journalists had neither. Now, it's very difficult to get in the door at a major media outlet without those credentials.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 12:04 PM on January 3, 2023 [15 favorites]
"Charles Foster Kane is a scoundrel. His paper should be run out of town. A committee should be formed to boycott him. You may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contribution of one thousand dollars."
-Charles Foster Kane.
posted by clavdivs at 12:27 PM on January 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
-Charles Foster Kane.
posted by clavdivs at 12:27 PM on January 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
yeah, the status quo gonna quo...
ok that doesn't really make sense. So zippy though!
Remember when, in "Tomorrow Never Dies" a Media Baron provokes a war between China and the USA and we were all like, "Remember the Marne!" and stuff but also side-eyeing Fucking Murdoch - and how, really, as prescient as that plot was nobody seemed to notice. And despite Twitter and Facebook, we still don't have any control over the information we receive. Musk buying Twitter seems like a gargantuan, a titanic blunder (he's down 200Billion on the year) on the one hand, but playing the long game it might just work out for him.
I will say, on the other hand, that the journalism in Germany - the whole media environment generally - is markedly less toxic. Still toxic, but when we go back to the US and watch TV or pick up a 'local' paper it's eye-watering.
posted by From Bklyn at 1:25 PM on January 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
ok that doesn't really make sense. So zippy though!
Remember when, in "Tomorrow Never Dies" a Media Baron provokes a war between China and the USA and we were all like, "Remember the Marne!" and stuff but also side-eyeing Fucking Murdoch - and how, really, as prescient as that plot was nobody seemed to notice. And despite Twitter and Facebook, we still don't have any control over the information we receive. Musk buying Twitter seems like a gargantuan, a titanic blunder (he's down 200Billion on the year) on the one hand, but playing the long game it might just work out for him.
I will say, on the other hand, that the journalism in Germany - the whole media environment generally - is markedly less toxic. Still toxic, but when we go back to the US and watch TV or pick up a 'local' paper it's eye-watering.
posted by From Bklyn at 1:25 PM on January 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Shouldn't there be an article about coastal finance hollowing out the US
If we are talking about the US, it's more like the oil industry hollowed out the coast
posted by eustatic at 1:42 PM on January 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
If we are talking about the US, it's more like the oil industry hollowed out the coast
posted by eustatic at 1:42 PM on January 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
One of the things that lets the status keep on quoing is early training in irrational jingoism.
It seems that the masses can even be distracted from demanding bread if the circuses are kept big and loud enough.
posted by flabdablet at 7:38 PM on January 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
It seems that the masses can even be distracted from demanding bread if the circuses are kept big and loud enough.
posted by flabdablet at 7:38 PM on January 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
In 1984, Orwell had us held by fear, directed by fear, driven by fear, a physical fear. In Brave New World, Huxley shows us driven by social fear, not fitting in with our pre-determined class, absolutely hypnotized by the beauty of our tech, the ease of our lives if we just go along. And soma, let's don't forget the soma.
Both books very accurate; myself, I think Brave New World hits the closest. If you haven't read Brave New World I damn sure hope you will, Huxley has us pegged.
~~~~~
I laugh my ass off, at myself, willing to spend big bucks for a quality phone, and pay monthly dues to let anyone in the advertising world know that I ate a cheeseburger at Mc Donalds last Thursday afternoon, and filled the tank on my pickup using a debit card; Bezos knows what lube I like and he's willing to tell anyone who will give him half a cent for that insider information. How much time did I stand in front of the watches in Walmart last month, and what brand of watch, and what did I end up buying that day in Walmart. What movie did I watch on my birthday? (And "they" know when my birthday is, too.) Hell, half of my life is scrawled on this site, anyone wants to know me they can easy do so, and figure out who I'd vote for, and why, and what delusions I carry, and what truths, and how to scare me, and on and on and on.
posted by dancestoblue at 10:00 PM on January 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
Both books very accurate; myself, I think Brave New World hits the closest. If you haven't read Brave New World I damn sure hope you will, Huxley has us pegged.
~~~~~
I laugh my ass off, at myself, willing to spend big bucks for a quality phone, and pay monthly dues to let anyone in the advertising world know that I ate a cheeseburger at Mc Donalds last Thursday afternoon, and filled the tank on my pickup using a debit card; Bezos knows what lube I like and he's willing to tell anyone who will give him half a cent for that insider information. How much time did I stand in front of the watches in Walmart last month, and what brand of watch, and what did I end up buying that day in Walmart. What movie did I watch on my birthday? (And "they" know when my birthday is, too.) Hell, half of my life is scrawled on this site, anyone wants to know me they can easy do so, and figure out who I'd vote for, and why, and what delusions I carry, and what truths, and how to scare me, and on and on and on.
posted by dancestoblue at 10:00 PM on January 3, 2023 [6 favorites]
Point 8 in Part 2 about Julian Assange seemed way outta place to me in this article. Like, yeah, that's probably bad, but I don't really give a shit about Assange in relation to all the other points in the articles.
posted by snwod at 8:57 AM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by snwod at 8:57 AM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by box at 8:14 AM on January 3, 2023 [26 favorites]