After eight years in the White House, Dwight Eisenhower delivered his farewell address on January 17, 1961. The former general warned of “an immense military establishment and a large arms industry.” He added that “we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” One way or another, a military-industrial complex now extends to much of corporate media. In the process, firms with military ties routinely advertise in news outlets. Often, media magnates and people on the boards of large media-related corporations enjoy close links—financial and social—with the military industry and Washington’s foreign-policy [...]
Search Results for: Martin A. Lee and Norman Solomon
Jan
01
1992
Friendly Fascism: National Media Give David Duke a Face-Lift
"There's no doubt in your mind that Duke is a racist?" bellowed John McLaughlin (McLaughlin Group, 10/25/91). His question was directed at Jack Germond, the token liberal in the Group, who hedged and equivocated, unable or unwilling to state the obvious about Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Duke. "I don't know whether in his heart he's a racist or not," Germond finally replied. "How do I know that?" The mainstream press generally doesn't like outsiders challenging the two-party political establishment, and most journalists clearly were non kindly disposed toward Duke. But news media consistently deferred to Duke when framing his candidacy, [...]
Mar
01
1990
Unreliable Sources: Slick Coverage of the Exxon Valdez Spill
In the aftermath of Exxon's 11-million-gallon oil in March 1989, U.S. news media described an Alaskan coast with countless dead animals, decimated plant life, and a massive black blanket covering nearly 1,100 miles of shoreline. But within a few months, a different story gained currency, as reports out of Prince William Sound took on a friendly and forgiving tone. National media began to focus on the damage not done by Exxon's blunder, heralding Big Oil's efforts to preserve Alaska's environment. Out of the jaws of catastrophe, Exxon snatched a news spin increasingly to its liking. During one week in September [...]
Mar
01
1990
Slick Coverage of the Exxon Valdez Spill
Unreliable Sources
In the aftermath of Exxon's 11-million-gallon oil spill in March 1989, U.S. news media described an Alaskan coast with countless dead animals, decimated plant life, and a massive black blanket covering nearly 1,100 miles of shoreline. But within a few months, a different story gained currency, as reports out of Prince William Sound took on a friendly and forgiving tone. National media began to focus on the damage not done by Exxon's blunder, heralding Big Oil's efforts to preserve Alaska's environment. Out of the jaws of catastrophe, Exxon snatched a news spin increasingly to its liking. During one week in [...]
