Media myth busters and media myth #1

First, let us dispel some commonly held beliefs, or myths, which many media organizations use to confuse the rest of us common folk. Myth #1: "think tanks" are independent organizations where the deep thinkers hang out and wisdom springs forth like water from a fire hydrant. Fact #1: many "think tanks" and the "thinkers" that work for them receive funding from those with vested interests in the topics that they analyze. Many, in fact, are even funded by major corporations or partisan operatives seeking to advance a particular political agenda.

The funding of think tanks to advance a particular agenda is a form of "idea laundering" or "opinion laundering" which is much like the money laundering performed by international drug cartels. Money laundering's goal is to take dirty money, gained from illegal activities, and make it appear legitimate. Idea or opinion laundering's goal is to take the opinions and ideas of a small group that is trying to advance a particular agenda (for example coal companies that wish to keep tougher emissions legislation from being passed because it is cheaper for them to keep using antiquated equipment), and make these ideas appear to emanate from a disinterested third party "expert."

There are, to be sure, many think tanks that are legitimate. Legitimate think tanks analyze issues and do not have a preconceived "vision" of what the results of their research should be. It is not always easy to differentiate these legitimate think tanks from the illegitimate ones which operate primarily as a means for corporations to launder ideas on topics that affect them. For this reason, we would simply advise readers to be their own one-person think tank. Do some research, ask tough questions (such as "who stands to gain from this?", "why is the think tank taking this position?", etc.), basically do the obvious: think for yourself!

Media myth #2

That brings us to myth #2: all opinions are of equal weight and merit. While we should all think for ourselves, that does not mean we can all be self-proclaimed experts and ignore reality or the advice of experts in areas where we have only casual knowledge. Just because experts occasionally tell us things that we might not want to hear does not give us license to ignore reality or scientific fact. For example, 99 percent of the world's climatologists have concluded that global warming is occurring and that it is being caused, in large part, from human activities. You will find a large number of(corporate funded) think tanks and their spin doctors vociferously objecting to these facts.

When you hear these think tanks trying to contradict the consensus opinion of the world's scientists, ask yourself "where does this think tank get its funding and what do they stand to lose if the US gets on board with the 126 other nations who have signed the Kyoto (global warming) Treaty?" The truth is out there, we must simply dig a little deeper. And when we dig deeper we must avoid the myth of our own opinion being of more weight than the consensus of experts in a field in which we are not familiar.

Media myth #3

Finally, let's present myth #3: coverage of a small, but contentious, topic makes other bigger issues miraculously vanish. Our corporate-controlled media exists to make a profit, not to inform or educate. Many times it is to a media corporation's advantage (or to the advantage of its paying customers, those who advertise with them), to not talk about something that is very important. Often they employ a classic tactic that many of us have used as children when having snowball fights - a diversion. The most effective diversions usually take the form of some hot topic that is sure to cause lots of argument and get everyone's tempers flaring. Examples include: OJ Simpson trial, gay marriage, flag burning, etc.

Now, we're not saying that these diversionary issues are completely devoid of substance and do not merit any discussion whatsoever. We are, however, saying that compared to war, pollution, government corruption, global poverty, corporate crime, and many, many, other issues, these topics are fluff, relatively speaking. And they serve the intended purpose; as long as we waste our time talking about the mouse in the room, we won't ever bother noticing the elephant standing in the corner.

Socorro News and its Mission

Now, let's get to the topic of Socorro News and who funds it. This site is citizen run, not for profit, and operates only to promote political awareness in and around Socorro, New Mexico. We are not interested in using this site to make money, but rather to provide a service to the Socorro community. We look forward to working with all of the Socorro residents. Miners, dig a little deeper!