Cold War vs. modern day US propaganda

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by Anastasia Churkina
     What do Cold War and modern day propaganda have in common?
“The two are connected to one another. What we’ve seen is the continuation of Cold War propaganda under new conditions,” said Rutgers University professor Norman Markowitz.

      The lack of substance and narrow context is becoming all the more obvious in the age of the Internet, which makes alternative and often more relevant information available to anyone.
      While the establishment – politicians, corporations and media giants – embrace, and widen the circle of buddies.
“It’s not only Government. It’s in coalition – tacit or otherwise – with think-tanks, with pundits, with others who have big money interest, certainly with lobbyists. Planting stories,” said Norman Solomon, the founder and president of the Institute for Public Accuracy in Washington DC.
      Russ Baker, an investigative journalist and the author of “Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty”, explained the US media in general, mainly large corporate media, is driven by profits and not good journalism.
      The media tailors to those in power to aid in their mission to grow and profit, this means not offending the government.
      “That’s why George W. Bush got so much coverage, uncritical coverage, of his own new memoirs whereas a book like mine which is full of staggering new information, really shocking well documented information, I can’t get on there,” he said.
      The US government security structure subverts true democracy, Baker argued. The media helps the government sustain a state of conflict because it benefits the elites who are in charge.
      “Our own country [United States] is basically run by a kind of an oligarchy and this begins to explain why the media is owned by a fairly small number of corporate interests, and why irrespective of what party holds the White house, the policies always seem to be the same. They always benefit a wealth interest,” said Baker.