Controlling the news is one of the surest ways to subvert democracy. It's what spin is all about and why it's so popular in a certain band of the political spectrum. Spin undermines informed consent. Media manipulation pays huge dividends. Big Oil knows that. Big Pharma knows that. So do the politicians in their pockets.
It's not uncommon in surfing media websites to find remarkably different takes on the same story. That's usually a sign that one side is manipulating the truth. Too often we're left unable to decide who and what to believe. Fortunately, that may be about to change.
Enter News Trust. It's creators describe it as: a social network model which uses the intellect of the masses to rate all manner of news content and news sources. ... In beta now and due out in early 2008, Newstrust will not only be a stand-alone site where consumers can come to find the best journalism as ranked by an army of volunteer media reviewers, but more importantly it will (we can hope) be deployed over all manner of online news sources so that readers will on any news-related website see an objective rating of that site's quality and of specific news content.
The concept is intriguing. Deceit and propaganda are the creations of a small core of players. Their numbers have to be limited to avoid exposure. An "army of volunteer media reviewers" may just hold the antidote to the spinmeisters.
If you're interested, check it out at http://www.newstrust.net/.
Wouldn't it be lovely if this was the death knell ring for the Sun chain and the Murdoch Chain?
ReplyDeleteAh, hell. There will always be a place for liars and perv's.
Then there is this to support.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.therealnews.com/web/index.php
-Blackstar