Does it scare you that the media can control the citizens of a country and therefor the government?
926926
It would if the Government controlled the Media. If there was one station and one newspaper owned by the Government like in Italy or similar I would be worried.\n\nIn UK and US there are that many media outlets and stations which have allegiances to all the different parties, they kind of even themselves up.\n\nYou buy the paper that sings from the same hymn sheet as yourself.
892195
The constant barrage of media on this country. Be it TV, radio, cinema... The majority of people in this nation mimic whatever they see and hear.
420949
the newspaper may be privately owned, but you cannot exactly say that it is not government influenced....especially by the United states government.\n\nWe had some elections there.......seems to me kind of like a bad horror movie where they prop up the corpses at the dinner table and put the food in front of them, but it just doesn't seem quite natural for some strange reason, they just sit there and stare at you. One from column a and one from column b.......And now we have a government run by religious intollerants, kind of like the one in Iran....and some would say like the one we have now in power in the united states.  And thus, shiite death squads with badges roam the streets at night AND COMMIT ETHNIC CLEANSING UNDER THE GUISE OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES AND POLICEMEN. Back and forth with the bombing and the hanging and the shooting. It is almost like a civil war, but our president tells us that it isn't a civil war, so I simply must believe him, since he has always been so honest with all of his adoring public.
497852
the government should not do a thing in my opinion\nI fear what will come next if they do
1135257
They don't publish the truth so that they can manipulate the majority of the population. This my friend is what is called propeganda. They use the media to control how people feel about what is going on. It's really sad isn't it. No country is perfect and therefore no country has any right to tell another how it should be ran this includes the U.S. Don't get me wrong I love the U.S. but that does not mean that every other country should love it or even be governed like it. Everyone is different and that is what makes this world beautiful and interesting and the media is destroying this through diplomatic propeganda.\nI wish the truth was what we really read in the morning paper.
159106
Freedom of the press must prevail
694913
Excellent question!\n\nThis is a prime example that I have been trying to get through to ppl whom still believe the media is controlled by the left. \n\nWhile that used to be true, the media today is controlled very much by the right. \n\nThis conversion occurred after a vast behind-the-scenes movement of media legislative changes the Republican controlled Congress completed over 2 years ago.
276778
the media greatly affects what people think. for example, if someone relies on the media for all their news, and the media omits something like: everyone is rioting at the president and changes it to everyone is fully behind the president it affects a persons bias. now in all fairness not all media are like this, but sometimes they fudge the truth (especially if they are corparatley owned and the government is giving them big multimillion/billion $ contracts, that encourages them to support the government. Ex. GE owns NBC, and GE takes multimillion dollar contracts from the government because of the war in iraq, so on nbc they'll be more supportive of the war. yes, they'll show the negatives sides so they can look fair and balanced, but in reality it is a deception.)
441315
For sure, have since the beginning of our country and it won't stop now. When something happens in our country, citizens get very patriotic(which is sad that people can;t be patriotic anyway).
244736
definitely no. i believe that politicians have every right to pass and execute a law that protects the interests of their people for their people only, even in a very authoritarian way. it is one way of being nationalistic.\nin an emergency in an airplane, who are you going to put an oxygen mask on first: yourself or your child? in this case, who do you serve first... citizens of your country or foreigners?
545814
I don't know that I would go so far as to say they would reach for imperialism, but it is true that governments will take advantage of the fear caused by terrorism to usurp some of the citizens rights.  We saw this after 911, and it will be a long time before it gets set right again.
645306
As a people we can only change the government I know your wanting to leave the government out of this but they are the reason we are hated. Yeah fear us thats a good one... Would you fear a pyscho with a gun? Maybe alot of countries already do... Is that a good thing? Is that going to prevent terrorism?
1042160
Seem the clip before. The one thing that will go on ,and it doesn't just happen in this country,is the government of all countrys will cover up things they don't want the people to really know anything about. So don't say when is american people going to wake up, they are all ready awake. You can't fight something that you have no control over. Same goes for the other countrys that experience the same thing but on a larger scale.
716987
You can't...İt is not how it works.You can only rely on what the newspapers giving you.They put special equipment to people's houses who are willing to do that for them.That's how they see how many people watch what...
539151
First of all, the media works for it's own purposes.  The government realizes this and is closly watching the media's reactions. (on both sides of the spectrum)  This is not necessarilly a bad thing, but the media right now is focusing of the negative.  That is the cycle that must be broken, and to stop this, have a petition signed to have more information on both good and bad.  Hope it works well.
537764
No, because the government would really have to do something if they actually got real peace...The government keeps the people scared and themselves in power
272416
The person asking this question apparently has little familiarity with America's deeply revered democratic tradition.  It is this tradition, moreso than any particular laws or constitutional rights, which is the ultimate guarantor of freedom in America.  \n\nIn fact, the scenario the writer describes is similar to the "Pentagon Papers" or "Watergate" scandals, in which individuals did in fact release "information against America's government which every body should know them," knowing full well the risks they were taking.  \n\nIf the scenario the writer describes were to happen in America, a conscientious American would take comfort in several aspects of our democracy: (1) the freedom of the press, (2) the devolution of powers to state and local authorities, and, most importantly (3) the power of popular opinion, specifically the popular support of democratic traditions.  \n\nTo take a concrete scenario: \n\n(1) Freedom of the press -- I place a discrete call to a major television network.  I arrange to meet a reporter with cameras in a public place.  Because of our tradition of a free press, the reporter will be excited to break a major story and will not fear reprisals.  He might be wrong or naive about this, (as demonstrated by several recent examples of reporters going to jail), but Americans in general and reporters in particular feel so strongly about the freedom of the press that journalists are willing, even eager, to risk going to jail or worse in order to defend the principle of a free press.\n\n(2) Devolution of Powers -- I ask the reporter to call the local police to provide protection during the interview.  Or I call the local police myself.  The local police don't know and don't care what the CIA says.  They answer to the mayor of the city, who answers to the people of the city -- not to the government of the United States.  The local police will not allow CIA officers or anyone else to kill people in my city.  If they believe that I really might be in danger, they will come to protect me.  \n(3) popular support of democratic traditions -- the moment I announce my "secret" on television, the CIA would never dare to hurt me, no matter what the "government" says.  If any harm came to me, there would be a national outcry.  The opposition members of the Congress would ensure that there was a public inquiry into what happened.  Each CIA agent is aware that Congress might review what happened, and the CIA agent who killed me, as well as his boss who ordered me killed, would go to jail for murder.  If the president ordered me killed, he would be impeached and go to jail for murder.  \n\nIn case you think this couldn't happen, look at what happened when the "popular opinion" found out that Richard Nixon authorized a "two-bit burglary" at the Watergate Hotel.  He was forced to resign.  The truth is, no one actually "forced" him to resign -- he chose to resign, because he knew what would happen to him if he didn't resign.\n\nTo take another example, look at what happened when Bill Clinton said he "never had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky."  You can argue about whether or not he actually lied, but it was enough that the Congress impeached him.  He was tried for perjury in the Senate, which determined that he probably didn't lie.  \n\nBut if that's what happens to presidents who authorize a break-in to an apartment, or who stretch or bend the truth, you can imagine what would happen to a president who ordered the execution of an American citizen for releasing damaging information.  \n\nAll this happens, not because the law requires it to happen (although the law does require it), not because the local police enforce the laws (although the local police do enforce the laws), but primarily because the vast majority of American people feel so strongly about our democratic traditions, that we DEMAND tha