Is Your Favorite News Host Manipulating You? — How to Know Who to Trust in the Media

Consider for a moment the insidious influence of the media, as it permeates our daily lives, seeping through our radios, infiltrating our screens, and saturating the printed pages.

Reflect upon how easily we succumb to its seductive sway, often without a second thought. We have grown accustomed to the notion that we can simply reach for our phones and encounter a multitude of faces and voices, randomly assigned, yet fervently espousing their persuasive arguments about politics.

This virtual carousel of opinions, revolving ceaselessly before us is often taken for granted. We listen, initially seeking to find resonance with a particular speaker, someone whose words we find compelling or whose worldview mirrors our own. We identify with them, embracing their perspectives as our own, unwittingly ingesting talking points on a myriad of topics.

But let us not be deceived into believing this process to be organic or without consequence.

The path to becoming an influential figure in the media landscape is not a random, haphazard one. Those who hold sway over our thoughts and have the power to shape our understanding have acquired their positions through extremely calculated means.

A fact often overlooked by the majority of the populace is that a certain privately elected individual assumes the responsibility of public influence and tells millions of viewers exactly what to think. Few pause to consider the route taken by these figures to attain such a position, or the origins from which they emerge, or even question their underlying motivations.

In a democratic society, where information should flow freely and abundantly, the power and persuasion wielded by those who occupy the grand stage of media influence and discourse must be carefully selected.

They possess the ability to shape public opinion and to mold the minds of the populace by crafting a distinct persona for themselves.

It is no small matter when scores of individuals begin to identify politically with these media figures, to hang upon their every word as gospel truth.

Imagine for a moment your favorite news anchor.

They have undoubtedly garnered a large following, presenting themselves as an impartial source of information and analysis.

Their viewers tune in, believing they’re receiving unbiased news and insights, unlike ‘the other side’.

However, a much forgotten detail is that this news anchor is employed by a large media corporation that has its own interests and agenda.

The corporation’s primary goal is to maximize profitability and maintain a certain narrative that aligns with its stakeholders’ objectives. Consequently, the news anchor, though appearing independent and sincere, is in fact operating within a framework that restricts their ability to express opinions contrary to the corporate agenda.

They’re ordered to favor a certain political viewpoint, and omit certain perspectives that could challenge the established narrative. Otherwise they wouldn’t hold their position.

This should highlight the discrepancy between the public perception of media figures as honest truth-seekers, and in turn reveal the underlying realities of their employment, corporate, and federal affiliations.

Can just anyone be appointed to such a position of immense influence? Of course not.

Does the average person assume that these positions are accessible to all, without consideration of their path? Unfortunately.

We all must ask ourselves if our system is indeed constructed upon the premise that independent-minded heroes are granted access to the airwaves where they genuinely and honestly articulate their beliefs to millions of impressionable minds.

But this is not how a stable and dependable system operates.

And after acknowledging the facts, nobody can truly imagine that a billion dollar media company like Fox News is primarily driven by a noble quest to enlighten and educate, rather than maintain their profitability.

We either believe these media personalities and influencers are earnest fighters of freedom and truth, openly sharing their genuine ideas and opinions, telling us exactly what they think,

Or we recognize the importance of the roles they play as national security influencers and narrative manipulators, intentionally curbing our ability to think independently and shape our beliefs according to their agendas, in turn, stifling the need for us to think independently;

….And perhaps ending up with beliefs they want to prevent us from having.