It's a strange world sometimes in the media. Indeed, sometimes the "strange" leaks out of the media and into real life. Still, what matters is what's actually real, not what someone says or claims. There may be this modern mantra that "words matter", but the truth of the old adage remains constant, "Actions speak louder than words."
I think of this often as I watch the media cover the national news. For years, we were constantly told what president Obama had to say, and there was very little focus on what the president actually did. Even less attention was paid to the results of the actions (or inactions) by Obama. To a great extent, Obama has come to believe that his words are all that matter. Is the economy growing? It doesn't matter as long as Obama speaks in support of growth. Are we destroying ISIS? It doesn't matter once the president SAYS our goal is to destroy ISIS.
This crazy distortion of reality is now making its way into the coverage of the presidential campaign. Everything is looked at by the media as some sort of symbol. Every event is reinterpreted through what the media can squeeze out of it. Just look at the way the coming Trump rally in Janesville, Wisconsin is being reported. For those who don't know, Janesville is a Republican city in a Republican area of Wisconsin. No sane Republican candidate would campaign in Wisconsin without visiting the city. Not surprisingly, Trump is holding a rally there. But here's the big news according to the media. Janesville is also the home of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. That means that the media is twisting the Trump rally in Janesville as a slap in the face to Ryan. One might wonder why it is an insult to Ryan for Trump to campaign in his home town. Questions like that cannot be asked, however. We are just supposed to take the media narrative at face value. Similarly, we are supposed to accept the media narrative that Ryan is trying his best to prevent a Trump candidacy even though there is absolutely no proof of this. If the media says it, then it must be true. But the media goes further. They tell us that Ryan is the candidate of the establishment Republicans who want to prevent both Trump and Cruz from getting the nomination. Ryan says he will not run, but the media tells us to ignore those statements.
At some point, the American people will have to learn that the mainstream media says anything it wants. Truth is not the issue with them
I think of this often as I watch the media cover the national news. For years, we were constantly told what president Obama had to say, and there was very little focus on what the president actually did. Even less attention was paid to the results of the actions (or inactions) by Obama. To a great extent, Obama has come to believe that his words are all that matter. Is the economy growing? It doesn't matter as long as Obama speaks in support of growth. Are we destroying ISIS? It doesn't matter once the president SAYS our goal is to destroy ISIS.
This crazy distortion of reality is now making its way into the coverage of the presidential campaign. Everything is looked at by the media as some sort of symbol. Every event is reinterpreted through what the media can squeeze out of it. Just look at the way the coming Trump rally in Janesville, Wisconsin is being reported. For those who don't know, Janesville is a Republican city in a Republican area of Wisconsin. No sane Republican candidate would campaign in Wisconsin without visiting the city. Not surprisingly, Trump is holding a rally there. But here's the big news according to the media. Janesville is also the home of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. That means that the media is twisting the Trump rally in Janesville as a slap in the face to Ryan. One might wonder why it is an insult to Ryan for Trump to campaign in his home town. Questions like that cannot be asked, however. We are just supposed to take the media narrative at face value. Similarly, we are supposed to accept the media narrative that Ryan is trying his best to prevent a Trump candidacy even though there is absolutely no proof of this. If the media says it, then it must be true. But the media goes further. They tell us that Ryan is the candidate of the establishment Republicans who want to prevent both Trump and Cruz from getting the nomination. Ryan says he will not run, but the media tells us to ignore those statements.
At some point, the American people will have to learn that the mainstream media says anything it wants. Truth is not the issue with them
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