From: utzoo!decvax!cca!ima!inmet!porges
Newsgroups: net.college
Title: Re: Flame, Anyone? - (nf)
Article-I.D.: inmet.31
Posted: Sun Feb 27 03:22:14 1983
Received: Sun Feb 27 06:27:12 1983

#R:ucbesvax:2900008:inmet:11800002:000:1406
inmet!porges    Feb 25 13:42:00 1983


	I don't disagree with most of what you say, but I think the response
"We have a controlled press in this country" is not the way to express what
goes on.  The phrase "controlled press" needs a subject.  Do you mean that 
the government controls the press (obviously false), that the government 
TRIES to INFLUENCE the press (obviously true), that the government tries to 
influence the press and is highly sucessful (fertile debating ground indeed,
but probably endless source of circling and swirling arguments), or something
else?  You should bear in mind that those on the right also think that the 
press is controlled -- by "forces on the left".  (Of course the mere fact of
both accusations existing doesn't mean that it couldn't be more true in one
direction than in the other.)  The "press" -- even the Big 3 network newses --
is paranoid enough about its independence that efforts to influence coverage
directly are usually not helpful to the attempters.  (Remember how when the
Saudis tried to get "Death of a Princess" off the air PBS ended up having to
make sure they showed it BECAUSE of the pressure?
	If you want to claim that the accumulated prejudices of the people who
do the news influence what gets on, I'll go for that 100% .. but how else would
you have it?

					Thank you and come again,

					-- Don Porges
					...harpo!inmet!porges
					...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!porges