Few journalists ever seriously challenge the Establishment. Why? Because it’s usually not in the best interests of their employers – the select few media barons who run mainstream media these days.
“No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding.” That’s a comment President John F. Kennedy made in a speech to the American Newspaper Publishers Assn. on April 27, 1961.
We include highlights of that speech in a chapter titled ‘The price of a free media’ in our contentious book ‘The Orphan Conspiracies’.
JFK’s speech continues:
“No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary. I am not asking your newspapers to support the Administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed. I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers–I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for as a wise man once said: “An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.”
We resonate with Kennedy’s comments. He was a true champion of both free speech and freedom of the press – unlike other US presidents before and especially since.
In ‘The Orphan Conspiracies’ we remind readers that if media in all its forms is compromised then frankly, we’re screwed! You don’t need to be a former journalist to realize that manipulating the media is akin to poisoning a nation’s water supply; it affects all of our lives in unimaginable ways.
Journalists are the barometer of a nation’s freedom of speech. If they are threatened, gagged or otherwise silenced then who is going to ask the tough questions and keep the authorities honest?
There’s commonly held belief that here in the West we have a free press. However, one only needs to consider the standard of reporting of recent world events including the Covid-19 pandemic to know that ain’t remotely the case.
So, what’s the truth? Do we really have a free press or are our journos being dictated to and told what they can and can’t report on? Are certain topics suppressed from the public’s consciousness by those who own or greatly influence the media? Are there any free-thinking, free-speaking journos left – alive and not retired that is?
We can only repeat: Few journalists ever seriously challenge the Establishment.
The upshot of this is, while their turn of phrase may be eloquent, most journos just report on issues their masters are happy to allow to be aired publicly. This makes them little more than parrots for the Establishment. Unfortunately, few realize that.
The tragedy is major issues remain hidden and the public are continually denied access to the truth. Worse, free-speaking individuals are labeled conspiracy theorists and purveyors of misinformation. Their accusers should remember that, since 2020 at least, the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact has shrunk to around six months.
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‘The Orphan Conspiracies’ is available as an audiobook courtesy of Amazon’s Audible Audiobooks initiative. (Listening time: 13hrs. 44mins.). The paperback is available from Harvard Book Store, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, Amazon and via public libraries…
https://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Conspiracies-Conspiracy-Theories-Trilogy/dp/B08BWGPM6K/
#News #JFK #FreeSpeech #FreePress #Journalists #Reporters
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Morcan Books & Films 