Welcome to George Orwell's 1984, corporate style

     Fascinating -- in a very bad way -- story of modern media. I'm linking to Salon's interpretation of a New York Times story reporting a deal between MSNBC and Fox to quit attacking each other, at the insistence of each network's corporate bosses.  It's not the first time that News Corp. (Fox) or GE (MSNBC) has interfered in news (see: reporting of the 2000 presidential election results), but this is one of the most blatant examples of a real weakness in American news media conglomeration and control by corporate interests.

     Salon correctly writes about the questions such blatant interference in the editorial independence by corporate owners raises for those of us who value a free press. Frankly, this demonstrates just how fragile our basic freedoms are.

     I was thinking of this while I watched an account on Milwaukee public television's interCHANGE program. Discussing the massive staff cuts at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one panelist -- seemingly serious -- said all that was needed was to just build a staff of conservative bloggers and they'd report all the news. I don't care whether it's conservative or liberal bloggers but there's no way in - - - -  that a staff of partisan bloggers doing the little or no reporting currently in vogue among partisan bloggers can build an informed electorate. Repeating talking points from political groups or think tanks is not reporting. I don't want to live in a nation like Iran, Korea, or the Cold War USSR where all "news" is filtered through censors. And I don't care if they are government, religious, or corporate censors. It's a bad thing. Reading about it, such as the Times or Salon pieces, is a good thing.

      Meanwhile, Politico quotes the Los Angeles Times as casting doubt on the story, citing the MSNBC attacks on Glen Beck of Fox this week for his remarks calling President Obama a racist.