"The Rhetoric Beat. Why journalism needs one"

Brent Cunningham reminded me of something I've heard before; something I don't know if I would've ever thought about until professors or others pointed out to me. After listening to the horror stories Jeff Cohen told about working in the mainstream media at the beginning of the War in Iraq, I'd believe anything I heard about the government's link to the media. I've read books outlining ways the media are used to manipulate, rally, and gain support. Cunningham brings up one of the most subtle form of this deception--which goes way more undetected than canceling the Phil Donahue Show. This is the power of words; the power of language. The smallest word--like that three-letter word beginning with a "w"--can make all the difference. Language in the mainstream media has the power to create ideas.

With events at such an astronomical scale, like the 9-11 attacks, it's hard to be the person to fight against the tide of how what is happening is meant to be perceived. As Cunningham points out, it probably wouldn't have been possible to question why these attacks were called "acts of war" versus "criminal acts" or "mass murder."

But I think there's a good side to all this. There is hope. Just as democracy, during its inception, brought hope to nations controlled by corrupt and oppressive leaders, something new is on the rise. This is the independent media practitioners. There are people out there now filling in the gaps the mainstream is missing (whether it's deliberate or not). Someone out there is watchdogging the media as the media watchdogs the government. With the amount of analysts voicing opinions these days, the power of language used by the media might not be as effective. The device can be used by anyone. What we need is someone to keep an eye out for misunderstanding created deliberately to promote skewed images. I'd say in the competitive world of journalism growing today, it'll be much harder for corporate media to gain so much control over people's thoughts.