The Media Deserve To Be Manipulated

Think about it. The media decide

whether you are worthy to be mentioned.

They decide which events are important

enough to draw attention to.

They decide when to “break” a story.

They determine who’s right.

They decide who’s wrong.

They determine whether

something makes the front page

or is buried somewhere.

Not only do they tell us

what to think but they also

tell us how to feel.

Today’s television “journalists” offer

as much opinion as fact.

And they won’t even apologize for it.

Ever wonder where the

Anthrax killer went?

I guess he just “went away.”

Everything seems to go away.

San Bernardino went away.

Nice’s truck terrorist only

took eighty something people out.

“It” went away.

Orlando shooting?  Say what?

Who cares about the priest who

was beheaded in Normandy or

the Germans gunned down

at the mall?

Wait a minute.

Wait just one minute.

Doesn’t grief last more than

a day?

How many times do we have

to hear “our prayers are with

their families?”

No they’re not.

By the time you read this…

who knows what else will

have happened.

What we do know is that Hillary

and Donald’s every utterance is

of gigantic importance.

Don’t dwell on terrorism…

just focus on their hair.

The media believe

we have no memory.

They think that we believe

everything that they tell us.

Maybe Marshall McLuhan was right

when he observed:

“All media exist to invest our lives

with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values.”

So if the media have no respect for us

why should we respect them?

They deserve to be manipulated.

Not lied to, but manipulated.

We must realize that they thrive on chaos,

controversy and conflict.

They insist on sensationalizing just about

everything.

At times it seems that they speak

another language…

a language  that selectively edits

out the mundane

and hyperbolizes indiscriminately.

What is "news" anyway?

If you are looking to influence the media

you have to translate your message

into their language.

If  you have a new product that

will enhance productivity

don’t describe it casually… describe

it as a revolutionary breakthrough.

If  you manufacture a sports car

don’t say it’s fast, call it a rocket ship…

If  your CD rates are better

than anyone else’s don’t say they’re great,

say they’re the best.

You see, humility, hesitation and any

semblance of introspection is misinterpreted

by “them.”

They see these qualities as weaknesses

and may elect to ignore you because of them.

Or worse, they’ll hyperbolize your product…

Their way.

That’s why it’s better to manipulate them.

That way you control the editor and they print

or air your words not theirs.

Is this manipulation?

Perhaps.

But if you want to win the media match

you have to know how to play the game.

by Ginger Crowley