Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Media: Keeping Americans Uninformed? I Think So.

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 30, 2013

 Most Americans don’t believe that the mainstream media report     accurately and fairly.

 

Obama Media Sleeping Dog Lie SC The Media: Keeping Americans Uninformed (Part 1)




The majority of Americans don’t believe that the mainstream media reports accurately and fairly. Polls also show that distrust of today’s media is at a record high. It is important to understand where their loyalty lies -- and by their reporting, it’s extremely easy to see that the elite media has an anti-Christian, secular-progressive worldview. Pay attention to how they report the news, especially when it comes to religion, politics, and social issues.

Does the media monitor the power of the United States government, regardless of whether there is a Republican or Democrat in the White House? Do they report on subjects such as abortion or same-sex marriage with no bias, and do they treat conservatives differently than they do liberals? Do they omit certain stories if the facts don’t support their narrative? Most of us already know the answers to these questions.

We’re going to examine the growing March for Life movement and look at the actual numbers, but let’s first look at a few basic Principles of Journalism:

1. Journalism’s first obligation is to tell the truth
2. Its first loyalty is to citizens
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification

4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power

Has the media reported in detail on the hundreds of executive orders President Obama has signed – more than any other president – in just his first four years in office? He recently signed 23 executive orders on gun control alone. Today, however, we’re talking about life.

Approximately 83% of Americans feel abortion should have some restrictions placed on it by law, but only 3% of media elites do. Translation: the media often believe or support the exact opposite of the majority of citizens to whom they report the news. The president’s abortion views are extreme. On last year’s Roe V. Wade anniversary, Obama said he intends to “continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

According to Life Site News, the 2012 March for Life was estimated at around 400,000 participants, likely putting this year’s event at the half million mark. At what other time in America do a half a million people rally for the same cause every single year?  The event was promoted and shared by many on social media through blogs, photos, status updates, and tweets; but the major media outlets either downplayed the story or ignored it altogether.

Instead, they preferred to report on Beyoncé lip-syncing the National Anthem, a college football player with an imaginary girlfriend, Hollywood liberals handing out more awards, gun control, and the First Lady’s new hairstyle. Instead of holding State Department officials accountable for the Benghazi assassination scandal, the media chose to swoon over Hillary Clinton, even though her testimony was calculated, masterfully evasive, and uninformative.

Polls have shown that a majority of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong. According to one Gallup poll, 61% say abortion should be illegal. Next to preaching the gospel/free speech, this is the most important Christian battle in the public arena. We rarely hear much about abortion in the news media.

As a general rule of thumb, esti­mated numbers at pro-abortion marches are doubled or multiplied while numbers at pro-life events – if mentioned at all – are cut in half, minimized, or ignored. This is interesting, given that the pro-life movement is much larger than the civil rights movement ever was.

The culture war in America often intensifies whenever liberals feel outnumbered or threatened. Remember Chick-Fil-A Day last summer? The battle for life is no different.

One of the biggest battlefields in the country is the media. Think about this for a minute: you can search the Internet for, watch on television, or read about nearly everything imaginable under the sun. However, isn’t it peculiar and suspicious that it can be extremely difficult to find detailed, factual information on the truth about abortion?

We’re talking about one of the most common, frequent ‘medical procedures’ in America. Try finding helpful, biological, and medical specifics about exactly how abortion is performed as well as any possible cautions, repercussions, and side effects.

Last week, I wrote about the anguish of abortion, including verifiable symptoms a woman may experience as well as many cases that resulted in death.

Celebrated and sold as choice, freedom, privacy, and rights, abortion has been covered up by the mainstream media or re-framed as a fight for birth control. Sadly, the message to kids and young single adults is sex without consequences. What a disservice, especially to women who’ve gone through the grief, guilt, or regret of their decision.

The new normal where journalism is concerned is if a story doesn’t fit their narrative and their politics, the mainstream media with their anti-biblical worldview simply refuse to report the honest facts to citizens they’re supposedly informing. Rather than telling people about problems in America that affect us, they ARE part of the problem in America.

The media has too much power: power to influence people, affect public opinion, and sway elections – and they do. Know the truth, share information, and help change culture.

If you’re concerned like I am about the lack of truth in journalism today, know what news outlets you can trust and share those sources with others. Talk to friends, write, blog, email, and, most importantly, pray for this nation! We should be asking God to open people’s eyes to what’s really happening in this country. Maybe He will still have mercy on America.

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