At least the Russian people knew the Soviet media were lying

My Russian language professor told of a common saying in the Soviet Union. “In Moscow there are two newspapers. Pravda and Izvestia. Pravda means ‘the truth.’ Izvestia, ‘the news.’ The saying goes in Moscow, there is no Pravda in the Izvestia, and no Izvestia in the Pravda!”

Corporate media have become so cavalier about what they broadcast or print that they have gone from news to entertainment to outright obfuscation. Journalism seems to be a dead art in the US. The latest outrage comes from the sloppy reporting of the discovery of castor beans. Much is made of how castor beans are used to create ricin, a deadly toxin.

Very little is made of the fact that the castor beans were found in a brake fluid plant, or that castor oil is used to make brake fluid. Ever hear of a company called Castrol? And there is no mention that ricin is ill-suited as a bioweapon and is widely regarded as an assassination tool, because of the closeness required to deliver to the victim.

Moving beyond the borders of Corporate America, there are some signs of critical thinking left in this world. A national affairs editor in Australia, for example, is willing to question the veracity of government intelligence.

What's worse, a government-run media that intentionally obscure the truth, or a corporate media that are so lazy they'll print anything, even if it is baseless?

kherr @ 23:11 CDT | link | war