Link: http://www.krusch.com/cd.htmlI found this very educational on the topics of Propaganda and Media. I wanted to post it here for all. Much of it is in pdf formate and is free from copyrights.
earthdate 80607.7
Here is an excerpt from one pdf document I found here.
ATTRIBUTION TO AN EXTERNAL SOURCE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The most important category of covert editorializing takes place by
means of attributing the reporter's own ideas to an external source, so
that he appears to be "reporting" impersonally on other people's
opinions. There are two outstanding techniques of this type:
MIND-READING
This is the single most consistently used technique of expressing covert
political opinions. The newsman pretends to he reporting authoritatively
14 Mass Media 101
on the views of various human beings, ranging from individuals all the
way to aggregates of multimillions. Characteristically he "reports" on
the inner feelings, the buried emotions, the concealed thoughts and
goals and the unconscious psychological motivations of: single persons;
small groups; crowds ranging from ten thousand to a half-million
people; entire socio-economic classes; inhabitants of great
geographical areas, states and nations; the whole voting population of
the United States; and whole races. And invariably the reporter draws
vast political generalizations from this "reporting."
This technique, absurd on the face of it, is carried to ludicrous
heights when the reporter is not merely content to inform us what
600,000 people thought at a Nixon rally or what all blacks in Delaware
feel or what emotions "the white middle-class majority" is
experiencing, but engages in "multiple mind-reading." Here the newsman
"reports," for example, on what he believes Humphrey believes that all
Democrats believe about Humphrey. (ABC 10/21, Pro-Humphrey.) Or what he
believes White House Officials believe the North Vietnamese believe
about Johnson and Nixon. (ABC 10/16, Anti-Nixon.)
In fact all this is nothing but a claim to telepathy -- a claim made
incessantly on all three networks by virtually all reporters. It is a
cynical device. No network reporter can read single minds, let alone
unconscious motivations, let alone the unconscious motivations of
unknown millions. This is pure editorial opinion projected into other
minds -- and falsely "reported" as hard fact.
It is significant that all "mind-reading" invariably results in opinion
supportive of Democratic or liberal or left causes. No "mind-reading" is
ever supportive of Republican or conservative or white middle-class
causes, and is usually opposed to them.
ANONYMOUS
Occasionally the reporters hide behind "anonymous" sources of opinion.
Scattered throughout news stories are such phrases as "critics feel,..."
"observers point out,..." "experts believe,..." "it is widely
thought..."; along with "Nixon aides believe,..." "the Humphrey people
think, ..." "the police feel,..." and "the North Vietnamese say ..."
These sources are totally uncheckable and must be taken on blind faith.
The transmission of anonymous opinion by vague "observers" and "critics"
is a remarkable luxury in which to indulge, in a 22-minute newscast
into which the major events of the universe must be stuffed each day.
It suggests that the reporter has a tenacious desire to transmit those
particular opinions.
Not coincidentally, "anonymous" sources invariably support liberal or
Democratic or left causes; never the other side. In all cases of
"anonymous opinion" in this study, the reporter is flatly credited with
it as his own.
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I think you will agree... ooops, I can't read your mind, how Cynical of me! ;-) I hope you derive the same pleasure from adding to your knowledge from this book as I am and have been doing. As a tax payer and citizen of the USA, I say this, not as a liberal or a conservative, for I am neather one nor the other.
As this is posted to all, I took it upon myself not to add a reply area. I may make a blog on this for network contacts so you can do that.
Leo of Leodus earthdate 80608.1 @965
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