#DannySchechter #MediaCorporations
#HerdOfJournalists #MediasSominant #MainstreamMedia
#DiffusionNetworks
#Programmers #ThinkCorporate
#ShutUpAndShop
#Quotes #essay

2/2

"This makes frightening sense in a globalized economy where consumerism is more desired than active citizenship, where power is increasingly concentrated and the public is increasingly unwelcome in a public discourse defined by the powerful.
If your goal is to numb people and drive them away from active participation, then TV as"weapon of mass distraction"and wall to wall entertainment makes sense.
Shut up and shop is the now the message, one that makes sense to advertiser dominated media outlets.”

- Danny Schechter -
(2002)

Schechter (1942-2015) was an inependent tv producer and filmmaker, very critical about media corporations and their practices.
He was censored and put aside by the "industry" all his carreer for that.

#DannySchechter #MediaCorporations
#HerdOfJournalists #MediasSominant #MainstreamMedia
#DiffusionNetworks
#Programmers #ThinkCorporate
#ShutUpAndShop
#Quotes #essay

1/2

“Like blackbirds in flight, packs of reporters darken the sky, moving in swarms at the same speed and in predictable trajectory.
When one lands, they all land. When one leaves, they all leave.

The programmers and channel controllers from all the stations are part of the same well-paid elite, steeped in the same values, committed to the mission of maximizing audience share and profits.

They are chosen for their ability to play the game and not challenge the audience with too many controversial ideas or critical perspectives. It's no surprise that they circulate easily within the commanding heights of media power, moving from company to company and job to job.
A kind of group think corporate consensus, steeped in market logic and deeply inbred by an un-brave news culture, breeds conscience-free conformity and self-censorship.