The news that must not have happened

The news that must not have happened
By Sean Bell

On Oct. 26, 2002, something undeniably revealing occurred in America. Did you notice? If you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t worry because you are not alone. Over 100,000 people in Washington D.C. and over 80,000 people in San Francisco marched and protested against “president” Bush. Not only that, but solidarity marches of the same happened in major cities around the world. Unfortunately, many people in America took no notice of the event, let alone the importance of why such an event even occurred.

The American news agencies in amazing unison virtually blacked out the protests. By nationwide omission, an agenda that many do not agree with will continue to advance. War is the agenda from Washington and the illusion that America is united is what the policy makers want the whole world to believe.

I was a participant in the S.F. protest, which was said to be the largest in that city for over a generation. There was a mix of all kinds of people representing all kinds of life and values in our country. The one unifying belief for all these people however was the public stand in defiance against our selected president, George W. Bush.

How could such a massive protest at such a relevant time in our nations history be omitted from so many different news organizations simultaneously? You would first have to define what a news organization is. There were groups of photographers and people writing about the events, but none of them had a corporate news logo on their person or their equipment. From early in the morning to the late afternoon, I marched from one end of the city to the other and listened to many great speakers at the downtown government center. In all that time and distance, I saw only one corporate minivan. That was it. I’ve seen more news coverage given to the weather than what I observed at this major U.S. anti-war rally.

Could it be possible that corporate controlled news is shaping people’s opinions by choosing what they do or do not show to the public whose daily lives are affected by such news? For those reading who already know that the answer to that question is yes, you were probably either at one of the events or wished you could have been there. For the others, my question to you is how much longer are you willing to allow corporate controlled news to survive and shape the information you see and hear? Shouldn’t you be at least allowed to know the news, or are you content with being told what news is best for you as though you were a child?

You life and your friends and family’s lives can be dramatically changed by the decisions being made in D.C. at this moment. Controlling the availability and structuring the format of the news information is not beneficial to a free society. It leads to censorship and a virtual state sponsored news agenda that could be equated to a form of propaganda.

Tens of thousands of Americans publicly protesting in two major cities of the country for one loud and clear reason is newsworthy. Not only should it have been covered adequately, but actual reporting where a viewer might actually learn why those protests occurred should also have followed it.

Those of us who were there already fully understand from experience that corporate owned media in the U.S.A is full of bull and financed by other corporations who together have one underlying agenda and their agenda is to make a profit.

Corporations controlling the news for profit are not welcome in my home. I stopped watching TV over four years ago. Yes, I miss the Simpsons, but I actually participate more in my own life now. Luckily, there are plenty of independent and alternative sources of information easily available and so I am also much more informed today than when I trusted the Tom Brokavs and other propagandists of the airwaves. I am not sure why people put so much of their trust into corporate news. It is ridiculous if you think about it; that a for-profit company controlling information that directly affects what happens to your life can just change and mold news into something more pleasing to the directions and agenda of politicians in Washington.

But that is life in America today under a virtual corporate dictatorship. While America goes about their lives unaware of the demonstrations, I’ll take some personal comfort in knowing that my news sources come from more grass root organizations that actually care about important issues in my life, and does not come from a monopolized and controlled corporation. Corporate news feels like an elite version of a used car salesman selling lies for the advancement of the corrupt criminals in Washington. Choose your news well America, because the news that is being omitted from you is being done so for a reason and it would be childish to think that it is for your own good. In the words of Gil Scott-Heron, “The revolution will not be televised”.

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Sean Bell is a former US Marine and served during the Persian Gulf War.
He can be reached via his website http://www.anti-sheep.com