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"Americans are too broadly
underinformed to digest nuggets of information that seem to contradict
what they know of the world... Instead, news channels prefer to
feed Americans a constant stream of simplified information, all
of which fits what they already know. That way they don't have
to devote more air time or newsprint space to explanations or
further investigations."
Tom Fenton, former CBS foreign
correspondent
BOOKS
from July 2008
"I wouldn't call it fascism
exactly, but [an American] political system nominally controlled
by an irresponsible, dumbed down electorate who are manipulated
by dishonest, cynical, controlled mass media that dispense the
propaganda of a corrupt political establishment can hardly be
described as democracy either."
Edward Zehr
from January 2008
"The people will believe
what the media tells them they believe."
George Orwell
from July 2007
"In a culture dominated
by print, public discourse tends to be characterized by a coherent,
orderly arrangement of facts and ideas. The public for whom it
is intended is generally competent to manage such discourse. In
a print culture, writers make mistakes when they lie, contradict
themselves, fail to support their generalizations, try to enforce
illogical connections. In a print culture, readers make mistakes
when they don't notice, or even worse, don't care."
Neil Postman
ARTICLES
from January 2008
"Books ... are an excellent
container for the accumulation, quiet scrutiny and organized analysis
of information and ideas. It takes time to write a book, and to
read one; time to discuss its contents and to make judgments about
their merit, including the form of their presentation. A book
is an attempt to make thought permanent and to contribute to the
great conversation conducted by authors of the past."
Neil Postman
"When it comes to world
history, politics, and even geography, our educational system
is so abysmal that Americans know little if anything about them
by the time they start reading the news as adults."
Tom Fenton, former CBS foreign
correspondent
"In a culture dominated
by print, public discourse tends to be characterized by a coherent,
orderly arrangement of facts and ideas. The public for whom it
is intended is generally competent to manage such discourse. In
a print culture, writers make mistakes when they lie, contradict
themselves, fail to support their generalizations, try to enforce
illogical connections. In a print culture, readers make mistakes
when they don't notice, or even worse, don't care."
Neil Postman
"The news and the truth
are not the same thing. "
Walter Lippmann
"Debates over Iraq ...
are aberrations. Most of the time, in truth, most of the media
take their cues from the government in deciding which foreign
stories to cover.
Tom Fenton, former CBS foreign
correspondent
"When it comes to world
history, politics, and even geography, our educational system
is so abysmal that Americans know little if anything about them
by the time they start reading the news as adults."
Tom Fenton, former CBS foreign
correspondent
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