Internalized Priorities

In the United States there exists an intricate relationship between the government, corporate interest
groups, and the mass media. This relationship is characterized by the mass medias complete and
unwavering support of the government, because both are controlled by corporate interest groups. What
results is journalists with internalized priorities that allow them to systematically rank items of news
based on usefulness to the advancement of corporate sponsored government policy. For example,
recently the conflict between Palestine (particularly the people in the Gaza Strip) and Israel intensified
after three Israeli teens were captured by members of a rogue faction of Hamas (without permission
from their superiors) (1). Immediately after the kidnapping Israeli IDF forces carried out a campaign of
mass incarceration on the Palestinians, looking for evidence implicating Hamas in the kidnapping. Before
there was any evidence of Hamas role in these kidnappings, Israel used speculation to detain 566,
wound 120, and shoot 6 Palestinians. Using google trends to analyze the number of times the word
Israel was searched during this time (13 June to 30 June), one will find that the interest score rose
from 18 to 30, a 67% increase. Then on July 7
th
, Hamas claimed responsibility for the some 117 rockets
fired from Gaza to Israel from June 12
th
to July 5
th
(2). This sparked a massive increase in coverage in the
United States media (interest ratings on google trends jumped from 28 on July 7
th
to 84 on July 13
th
, a
200% increase
1
), because with Hamas claiming responsibility-while at the same time asserting that Israel
will pay for what they have done-the press was able to demonize them and therefore justify any actions
previously taken by Israel, as well as any actions it would take in the future. The lack of coverage during
times of official Israeli aggression and the following period of intense coverage during times of official
Hamas aggression is just one example of how the media serve as yes men for US governmental policy.
Israel being a good ally to the US (they are essentially an extension of US imperial power in the Middle
East) forces the mainstream media to back Israel, never questioning their actions or the legitimacy of
their domination of the Palestinian people. Despite the fact that Hamas repeatedly proposed ceasefires,
they were always portrayed as a radical group unwilling to compromise by the media because they were
not willing to accept western negotiated ceasefires that did not lift the brutal blockade on Gaza (2). In
addition, this point can be further proved by the removal of two distinguished journalists-both with long
histories of objective reporting on the conflict- named Ayman Mohyeldin and Diana Magnay from Gaza.
The actions that led to their removal: Mohyeldin reported about how 4 Palestinian children had been
shelled on the beach after he had just played soccer with them, and Magnay boldly called Israelis
cheering the death of Palestinian children and threatening her if she didnt write a story that conformed
to the Israeli governments story, scum in a tweet on her personal twitter (3). As you can see, all of the
medias actions conform to the US governments stance on conflict. Barack Obama made it clear that he
believed Israel has a right to defend itself, even if that means incessant bombing of civilians targets.
The journalists within the media industry have internalized the agenda of the government and therefore
internalized the interests of corporate executive groups, which in turn makes their reports very patriotic,
biased, and lacking in accurate historical context. The purpose of this weekly blog is to accurately
describe the biggest events taking place during the week, taking into account historical background, the
interests of the parties involved, and the implications that event has on the future. Every claim I make
will be carefully backed up by evidence-a practice that is almost unheard of in todays media-from both

1
Information gathered from http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=Israel&geo=US&date=today%203-
m&cmpt=q
domestic and international sources, in an effort to give the most accurate portrayal of events. I am not
implying that my reports will be objective, for to do so would be a complete lie. However my reports will
not be sensationalized, over-generalized, or lacking in evidence. They will contain for the most part a
distinct dissident tone, for a goal of mine is to give people a sense of responsibility for the oftentimes
irresponsible actions of the US government. Hence the title of this blog: domestic responsibility. People
wanting change are quick to forget that we live in a democracy, and that the people can indeed affect
decisions made by the legislature. True democracy isnt accomplished by going to the polls every 4 years
and picking between two rich males. It is accomplished by constantly bugging the legislature, whether it
be by protest or petition, for the government naturally has the interests of the corporations in their
mind, and will do as little as possible for the well-being of the majority unless urged to do so. The
founding fathers didnt give us the bill of rights, rather it was demanded by people across the newly
United States of America by protest and insurrection. Black emancipation was not the result of Abraham
Lincolns sudden realization that American slavery was the cruelest practice in human history, rather it
was the product of nearly 100 years of consistent agitation from the people-both black and white. For
every good thing the American government has given its citizens, there has been a massive movement
behind it. Now the government is successfully manufacturing consent for its policies, using the
massive corporate media to convey only messages that are supportive of its policies. It is time for you to
liberate yourself from the grasp of corporate media, and to educate yourself on the sinister nature of
our government. It is time to take responsibility for the actions of our country, and demand that we are
to no longer be represented by politicians that are corporate puppets who put profit over human lives.
References
1. Mullen, Jethro and Rahma, Talal Abu. Hamas admits its men abducted Israeli teens, says its leaders
didn't know. CNN. [Online] August 22, 2014. [Cited: August 24, 2014.]
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/22/world/meast/mideast-crisis/.
2. Thrall, Nathan. Hamas's Chances. London Review of Books. [Online] August 21, 2014. [Cited: August
24, 2014.] http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n16/nathan-thrall/hamass-chances.
3. Grey, Barry. US networks remove reporters critical of Israeli attack on Gaza. World Socialist Web Site.
[Online] July 19, 2014. [Cited: August 24, 2014.] http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/07/19/medi-
j19.html.