Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for September 27, 2023

The rich and powerful have always owned the media,

This is why I watch Euronews, France24, etc.

Looking at you Jeff B.

The rich and powerful don’t buy the media, they manipulate it to tell the story how they want it.

I would call it “food for thought” but it is probablynot GMO free!

Democracy dies in darkness. At least that’s the plan.

Gee, Pastis, you hit the nail on the head again. Better be looking over your shoulder…

That is why a variety of news sources is important. Yes there is bias in all news sources, but if you check out enough, you should get a more balanced view.

To get an idea of how biased any one news agency is, look to how much they call the other agencies biased, or how much they tout how unbiased they are.

For my main source I prefer NPR.

Don’t forget that through out history, governments have taken control of the media too.

You can’t get out of bed because we live in a dystopian nightmare.I can’t get out of bed because I gave myself crippling depression and anxiety and guilt and don’t know how to handle it, let alone tell anyone so I can get into therapy (not that it would work anyways) cause I’m only 16 (please help me).We are not the same.

Ha ha ha! The media is becoming worthless.

Latest example:

Q: How can you get a $20 billion media company?

A: Pay $40 billion for the website formerly known as Twitter.

But I’m hoping he runs it down to zero, though it would still be funny in joke form as $1 billion, which still sounds like a lot of money. Or even Dr Evil’s $1 million?

SkyNews-Australia, although most any of the foreign news agencies do a far better job of accurate, unbiased reporting than do any of the US based agencies, and I include NewsMax and The Gateway Pundit, since they, too, are willing to cite proven sources of fake ‘news’ as their source..The funny thing is, that when I was working in the North Sea, nearly 40 years ago, SkyNews in the UK was a laughingstock, with its softball ‘journalism’, and fascination with ‘reporting’ sport, as ‘news’.

It’s now too Autumn to want to get out of bed too soon, anyway…

Funny, but his bed does NOT look like a rats nest.

Exactly.

To look for stories and sensationalize them to get people’s attention, and to make money!

It’s all tied to Reaganomics, let the rich have all the money, all corps to become monopolies.

Not what if, they already have.

Stay away from Fox “News” and MSNBC and you should be okay… well CNN has turned too… um, try PBS.. well, they’ve always been a bit on the flaky side.. perhaps a few select local outlets, and maybe a foreign press or two. Or, do what Rat is doing. Take your pick. I’ve had some luck with unbiased news from a Japanese English as a second language college newspaper. Good luck.

Then you go to new alternative media sources.

Until the rich and powerful get them shut down.

No, the job of the press is to tell the truth, regardless of who it helps or hurts. The moment it takes sides, for any reason, it no longer serves its purpose

Pastis alternates between complaining about mainstream media as controlled by the rich and powerful and complaining about citizen journalism on social media as unprofessional and shallow. He’s basically that caricature of a grumpy old man who says everything was better back in the day at this point.

Or are allowed to buy all the newspapers and radio and tv stations……

To pander to the gullible?

It won’t be long before Disney takes over the world.

Trialsitenews.com is also a pretty good non mainstream media source. Mostly about health but not always.

Good one, Pastis!

cause it’s great watching everyone else’s problems

The role of media is to read the comics, of course.

“And when you trust your televisionWhat you get is what you got’Cause when they own the information, ohThey can bend it all they want.” John Mayer

The point of the media is to bash Trump as much as possible. If Biden does something, the media doesn’t give two hoots!

Then the rich and powerful, most of whom are Democrats, will turn the media into mouthpieces for the Democrat party. Which has basically been the case since FDR’s Administration.

While you may think it’s unbiased, it’s run by liberal elites, recognized as far left by conservatives, and even left-leaning by allsides, which is why conservatives want it defunded. Search also on MRCTV for “pbs leftist”. Looks like they don’t allow weblink citations here now.

I listen to NPR, watch FREE SPEECH TV, PBS, BBC.

Tell me what ISN’T bought today ? Money

This is why we need journalistic standards, media monopoly rules, and the Fairness Doctrine.

Papa Whiskey, Oscar, Charlie Delta response to this political connotation? I am controlling you:

The role of the media is to put eyes on advertisements. Everything else is secondary.

Control the message and you control the people … something that, from time immemorial, demagogues, dictators, and those with wealth and power have always done.

That’s already a done deal.

Hmmm, seems like this would be more of a Pig gag than a Rat gag. To Rat, the role of the media would be; “Rake in advertiser’s dough!” I’m teiin’ ya, Pastis is gettin’ soft.

Strong work here today Mr, Pastis! Well done! Speak the truths.

Funny. I always thought the role of the media had something to do with journalism and objectively reporting the news.

Why buy media companies when you can get a much better return on investment by buying politicians?

It would seem like they mostly have one purpose: Be shills for the Democratic Party (except Fox) Under-report/ignore anything negative about liberals but be ready to pounce on anything that even looks wrong done by the other side. Sorry, but I no longer trust the media.

Just read the sports page and comics

First thing you do in a takeover of a country is to control the press and next take control of the weapons in that nation. That is how Lenin did it in Russia……

It’s been startling to see the changes at the Washington Post since Bezos bought it: slowly at first and then lots at once. A lot of good reporters are gone and the worst of the far right are there.

Another cheap shot, Pastis…sure to bring out the hate…

That does make it hard to get out of bed. Funny cuz it’s true. Depressing cuz it’s true.

I am not sure what “And what if…” means in this context.

Shouldn’t everyone be accountable?

Faux News in a nutshell…

Careful or the trumpets gang of 75 million will come tearing through your house.

The tongue and lips of FOX News commentators and news readers are chunk ridden brown.

Like A. J. Liebling said, more or less, freedom of the press belongs to those who can afford a printing press.

What do you mean: if?

I means you can get rich and powerful by selling new media to them time and again until they’re bled dry.

C’mon Goat, that’s absurd! Right? Right???

Watch NEWSMAX.Then “do an Elvis”.

…and yet we still have to

Almost right. It’s to hold EVERYONE accountable. And since power accrues to those in government, it’s essential to follow that power and make sure it’s held in check.

That’s usually Pig’s routine

Is rat becoming a better person?

Alas, Rat, that only evades and does not solve the problem….

As a journalist I can say, “Amen and amen!”

The function of a newspaper or digital equivalent is to tell you the news. All the rest is garbage.