Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Journalism and 'the words of power'

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, May 10, 2010

Journalism and 'the words of power'

by Robert Fisk from Al Jazeera. This mostly retired, distinguished journalist reveals to us how language is misused by the powerful (mostly agents of the US Empire) to manage the minds (or "manufacture consent") of their audience.

Those journalists who cooperate in this endeavor are rewarded with lucrative careers. This, of course, is how many journalists are co-opted into serving the Empire. George Orwell foresaw this phenomenon happening over 60 years ago in his novel, 1984.