Jewish control of media

Great Debates
#1

To my suprise a search of the SDMB thread titles for “control media” yielded no results.

I’m inclined to disbelieve that Jewish control of the media exists as some sort of conspiracy in any meaningful sense. Certainly not in the “Elders of Zion” sense; most likely not in the “subtle bias in favor of Israel sense”. Then I read pieces like this by people who are supposed to be credible like Grace Halsell where the conspiracy aspect fails to be confirmed, but the bias as a result of well-meaning Jews stifles debate and communication.

Even though such pieces still don’t make me buy into the Jew-controlled-media hypothesis, the hypothesis is never actually argued against. It’s usually just blown off with “that’s just the ‘Jews control the media’ stuff we’ve all heard before”. I’ve got to admit that the Halsell essay linked above is pretty powerful. It seems to be the only piece of credible evidence I’ve come across when it comes to this question. Or maybe she’s a big, fat liar.

So here’s what I propose: I would like for you to convince me of one of four things: 1. Jews control the media in a coordinated conspiracy, or 2. Jews control the media but there is no conspiracy, or 3. the Jews don’t control the media, or 4. some other hypothesis appropriate to my remarks above (e.g. the pro-Israel bias is the result of the purchasing power of Christian fundamentalists, or there is no bias and the media constantly harp on the hundred or so UN resolutions censuring Israel, etc.).

#2

Sigh.

The first problem is the notion that The Media is some giant monolith or corporation, that can be controlled. The media, in fact – at least in the U.S. – is a bunch of competiting organizations, and within each organization is a bunch of competing departments. The notion that any individual or group could control “The Media” is the ravings of conspiracy-loonies.

Second, media “bias” is largely a myth. The Chicago Tribune, for instance, always seems to run pictures of Palestinian children and Israeli soldiers. Even if they’re the victims of an attack, it’s Palestinian children crying in the rubble, and Israeli soldiers clearing out the rubble, giving a very one-sided visual impression. The bias is very clearly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, and has been for many many years.

The only media bias is “what sells.”

I guarantee you, if there really was a Jewish control of the media, you wouldn’t see ANYTHING like what you currently see or read.

You want examples of a controlled media, look at the Soviet Union a few decades ago. Or, further back, the Nazi press during and preceding WWII. Those were controlled media, and they weren’t controlled by the Jews.

Next step: do a websearch on the major media companies, and look through the boards of directors and the list of top executive positions for “Jewish names.” I grant you, that’s not a clear test – plenty of non-Jewish people with “Jewish names” and vice versa – but. It’d be a start. You will find very very few Jewish names at the top levels of controls.

Of course, the conspiracy theorists will just say that the Jews control The Media behind the scenes. Aside from not understanding what the media is all about, that attitude doesn’t understand how modern corporations work.

#3

Do you mean to ask if Jews have a disproportionate influence in the media? I don’t think any ethnic group has complete control over the media. But ethnic groups may exercise their influence over some subjects that the media covers. And that’s because they have an vested interest in that subject and they want to promote their viewpoint in hopes that it will become accepted by those outside their ethnic group. This does not mean, however, that they control the media itself.

Take a media watchdog/advocacy organization like CAMERA. The Boston Globe did a special report on them a
month ago:

[URL=http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2003/0209/coverstory.htm]

Unfortunately, the actions CAMERA takes against “biased” media sources only seems to add more credibility to Ms. Haskell’s experiences.

I believe that such media watchdog/advocacy organizations exist for other ethnic minorities although I don’t know how successful they are with influencing the media.

Of course, not every Jewish individual is in cahoots with organizations like CAMERA. I’m sure that many Jews would find CAMERA’s tatics deplorable (actually, I first found out about this article through Eric Alterman’s Altercation weblog at MSNBC.COM). So no coordinated conspiracy here. Just a large group of very
determined individuals who want their viewpoint to be the only accepted viewpoint. And it also helps them that we are more sympathetic and more connected with the Jewish community than with the Palestinian community in this country. Half my life is over and I have met and known only one Palestinian individual.

#4

You could have stopped there. I certainly am.

#5

Respectfully, what I was asking for was what I stated in the 4th paragraph of the OP. If I read you correctly, special interest groups are made of like minded people, some of whom are black, some pro-choice, some against drunk driving, some Jews, some for greater gun control. Palestinian-Americans are a smaller and less influential group than Jewish-Americans, hence the news balance allows some slob on Fox to actually repeat the calumny that Arafat rejected Barak’s “generous offer”. These special interest groups don’t represent all American Jewry.

Am I reading you correctly? [For the sake of argument] If so, why aren’t groups like Not In My Name more widely known? Or are they, but I’m just in the wrong neighborhood? [/For the sake of argument]

#6

“I think the Jews are doing a pretty bang-up job of controlling the media!”

-The Onion

#7

We Jews control the media.

And we control your precious bodily fluids.

#8

And I bet the Fluoride in drinking water is one of your evil plots too.

#9

I never said they weren’t. :smiley:

#10

Filter out the hate and focus on facts.

There is you answer.

http://www.americandefenseleague.com/mediain1.htm

Once again, no need to criticize the source…focus on the facts.

Intelligent people can do that.

#11

Well, if you’d like to provide any facts, I’d be happy to focus on them.

As for what you’ve got there, why even bother refuting it? Blatantly false information (Gerald M. Levin is not the CEO of AOL Tiome Warner, that position is held by Richard D. Parsons (who isn’t Jewish, btw); David Geffen of Dreamworks is not Jewish) and a whole lot of worthless drivel. So the President of ESPN is Jewish. Why should anybody care? ESPN, in case you don’t know, is not even a news company. It’s a sports network. Does it strike you as strange that the article claims to prove Jewish control over Disney’s News Media divisions, but doesn’t even list one single Jewish person working in the news divisions? Does it strike you as strange that the article makes numerous claims without as much as a single cite, or a proper bibliography? Are you aware of the fact that just because something gets printed on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true? Are you aware of the fact that people who spread such idiotic garbage on this message board shouldn’t expect a very warm reception?

#12

I guess you cannot separate fact from racist propaganda.

I think that it was too much to ask to have someone provide and intelligent reply.

#13

Yes, I control the media. For instance, I love Fututurama. That’s why it’s on six times a week.

Any requests?

#14

Thanks, I love Futurama.

My request is that I would like “The Family Guy” back on TV…oh yeah…and The Tick!

#15

I thought you were an atheist.:confused:

#16

I guess you cannot separate fact from racist propaganda.
You’re right I’m looking at that link you provided and I can’t seperate the fact from the racist propaganda.

#17

Bring back Battle of the Network Stars. Yeee-haw!!

Perhap it wasn’t brilliant, but I don’t see how it wasn’t intelligent. The link you provided made factual claims. ITR champion disputed those factual claims both for their veracity and their impact.

#18

Jews are an ethnic group? Hmmm, always thought we were a religion! Ya learn something new every day . . .

As for me, I do control the media! I am a copy chief at a magazine, and it’s up to ME what size typeface the pull-quotes go in! What order the photo captions are in!

BWA-hahahahaha!

#19

Of course. That is how we control your precious bodily fluids.

The amusing thing, if you think about it, is that the “we control your bodily fluids” conspiracy has exactly the same legitimacy as the “we control the media” conspiracy. Neither can be disproved. I am sure, if I really try, that I could find lists of civic engineers responsible for the water supply with “Jewish names” …

So go ahead, everyone - prove that Jews do not control the water supply. It cannot be done. Similarly, it cannot be “proven” that Jews do not control the media.

So believe it if you want.

#20

The “facts” of your cite are dubious at best. The one that sums up the biased nature of the article is:

The fact that the word Holocaust is in quotation marks shows that the writer has his or her own agenda.
I also like this one:

Well, yes Eisner is jewish and he is a ‘control freak’, but be honest, that term is used to describe many people in many different arenas. Also, when was the last time you came home from a movie put out by one of those companies and said to yourself, “man those Palestinians really are bastards”?
And who classifies The Crying Game as “ultra-raunchy”? I’ll tell you who, the same people who “accuse” Viacom of being

2Thick, if you cannot see the overtly biased nature of a website whose home page states

than I doubt that any exposure to the Straight Dope can fight your ignorance. Or is the Chicago Reader part of the giant Jewish/Zionist plot?