Media Control & 9/11

I just viewed an excellent film this morning at The Mills River Progressive concerning the 9/11 attack, specifically a film that's not available in this country due to the, apparently, objectionable material. I wasn't even aware of this film's existence, so I sat down with a cup of coffee, one of my loving cats on my lap, and watched it. It's called 9/11 - The Falling Man, and it focuses on one particular man...one specific photograph...that created such anger, consternation, and outrage in this country that it's been essentially banned and censored. While watching, I was, and still am, awestruck by how such a simple act...an image of an act...one where a choice was made, could create such deep and profound emotions. It seems Americans...people in general, I suppose, cannot deal with the reality of life-and-death decisions. It's almost as though it's "okay" that those people burned or suffocated to death, because nobody was forced to see it, but with the falling man, it was openly exposed with no walls to separate the truth and unbelievable suffering that occurred.

In the same way, I feel, most Americans refuse to acknowledge the truth about their own corporate-run government; that in the best case scenario it covered-up the reasons, the motivations, and even the perpetrators behind this horrible act of murder. It's easier to cling to simple and easy explanations. The real truth is too incomprehensible and frightening. Even when the facts are in plain view, they still refuse to acknowledge their existence. Such is the world we live in, one where we're manipulated through corporate media to believe a certain "approved" viewpoint; softened and manipulated, and too often skewed to present only the accepted and sanitized version. 

Here's a very interesting video of a speech given by Paul Jay, a senior editor with Real News Network, immediately after the 2008 presidential election. In his "free media lecture" he discusses the founding of the Real News Network (TRNN) and the reasons it came into being. He discusses a few areas of prime importance, but starts with what justified the beginning of TRNN. In this country, for-profit journalism, during good economic times, is compromised journalism. Ratings remain the primary goal; sponsorship drives the next headline, and revenue is the all-important factor in any and all decisions regarding content and in-depth study. During any crisis, real or imagined, journalistic motivations turn politically imperative and versed. Mr. Jay presents his case and touched upon these realities in the segment dealing with 9/11. Watch and tell me what you think. Be forewarned, it's somewhat lengthy, so you might also want to pour your libation of choice beforehand.