Faking the voice of the people

[Guest guest]

This is from an editorial in the Christain Science Monitor. It is posted here to

try and make you aware that most " news " is biased reporting, to " sell " you a

point of view, whether for commercial reasons or otherwise.

 

With the advent of the internet, the information available to the average person

is greatly enlarged as we are no longer limited to what we can get only through

the major media outlets, although the big money interests are also trying to

dominate the internet as well.

 

One prime example is the information on natural healing as opposed to the

drug/medical industry information that dominates the major media.

 

 

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0131/p11s01-coop.html

 

 

Commentary > Opinion

from the January 31, 2003 edition

 

Faking the voice of the people

By William S. Klein

WASHINGTON – What happens when the voice of the people gets as fake as a

television laugh track?

That's what's happening to the " letters to the editor " column in scores of

newspapers today, thanks to a tactic known as " AstroTurf. " Borrowing a trick

from lobbyists, interest groups are using phony grass roots letter writing

campaigns to puff up their support.

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This week, the Republican National Committee (RNC) was caught distributing a

form letter praising President Bush that ended up printed, often verbatim, in

nearly 75 papers, according to " Fight Back Against Killer Astroturf, " one of the

many Internet " blogs " tracking this story.

 

Earlier, newspapers in Wisconsin received a number of letters supporting

abortion rights that originated on a Planned Parenthood website.

 

The GOP letter, which begins, " When it comes to the economy, President Bush is

demonstrating genuine leadership, " was purported to be the genuine feelings of

writers from Rutland, Vt., to Palo Alto, Calif. The truth, as Internet sleuths

soon discovered, was that the text was posted on a RNC website that even

included links to local news outlets.

 

The website (www.gopteamleader.com), is described as " an online toolbox for

Republican activists. " Once a visitor registers, they'll receive Republican

e-mail updates and even the exciting opportunity " to collect 'GOPoints' by

completing Action Items [eg: letters to the editor] and redeem them for

collateral of your choice, ranging from coolers to mouse pads. "

 

Well, that's OK then; if there's a tote bag in it, abusing news ethics isn't so

bad.

 

But is it really so out of bounds to plant letters to the editor? After all, you

can find the hidden hand of professionals just about anywhere in the newspaper.

PR firms " place " their clients' messages in opinion pages and advice columns.

Press releases get printed as news. Mass-produced letters flood Capitol Hill

every day.

 

But the letters column is supposed to be a breath of fresh air, an open and

genuine discussion that reflects the community's views.

 

Local newspapers, unlike the World Wide Web, link people together over narrow

boundaries. Readers share their lives by writing letters about the home team,

the new school, or the bears that are getting in peoples' garbage. They also

tell the newspaper how it is doing in fulfilling one of the press' most vital

functions - maintaining public trust.

 

If the letters space is put up for sale, that bond and sense of community is

weakened.

 

Newspapers may or may not be going the way of the dinosaur, but in the meantime

they still provide the lively forum for democratic expression Americans have

always enjoyed. Since the days of Tom Paine, we have looked to the printing

press to harness the power of an informed citizenry.

 

The danger is when powerful interests overwhelm ordinary citizens' voices.

Politicians scheme over two kinds of publicity - paid advertising and " free

media, " or news coverage. Operatives see the letters to the editor column as one

more way to influence the news cycle.

 

This may seem like good political strategy, but it's bad for democracy.

 

One of the reasons Americans are turned off by politics is because of the

inherent cynicism they see in the political debate. Every position seems like a

commodity, espoused not out of belief but for tactical advantage. It's bad

enough when politicians do it.

 

We shouldn't let our views, and the places we express them, be so cravenly

manipulated. Keep off the AstroTurf, and let the sun shine in!

 

• William Klein writes about politics at www.headlineupdate.com.

 

 

 

 

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For further information: • GOPTeamLeader.com " an online toolbox for Republican

activists " • Grand Old Protest Slate • " Replicant " theory emerges in US

Astroturf scandal TheRegister • Fight Back Against Killer Astroturf Failure Is

Impossible • Is it Real...Or Is It Astroturf? Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting

(1996) • Astroturf Troopers Mother Jones • Microsoft Not Alone In Planting Grass

Roots TechWeb (1998) Please Note: The Monitor does not endorse the sites behind

these links. We offer them for your additional research. Following these links

will open a new browser window. • Visit the Monitor Web Directory: sites we

like.

 

 

 

 

 

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