Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2005
Source: Valley Echo, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Valley Echo
Contact:  http://www.invermerevalleyecho.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2140
Author: Alan Randell

MEDIA JUST CORPORATE LACKIES

Re: Alberta residents busted prepping crack cocaine, June 8.

There is no more reason to punish users and sellers of certain drugs than
there was in the past to hang witches, lynch blacks or gas Jews. So why in
blazes did you describe this bust as if it were a normal and acceptable
occurrence and exclude any comment from those like me who oppose our
Hitler-like drug laws? Since when was pro-government propaganda masquerading
as news a feature of your publication?

Describing drug busts in this fashion makes you complicit in these evil
programs, does it not?

There's little chance our drug prohibition law will be deposited in the
dustbin of history, as it should, until our media stops suppressing the
opinions of those who oppose this law.

I'm old enough to remember the good old days when the media sided with the
people against the enormous power of the state. Well those days are gone for
ever, it seems, because today's media is focused entirely on lining their
owners' pockets while encouraging the government to oppress the noisy
rabble" that is us.

This is not a media that is serving a democratic society, where a diversity
of views is vital to shaping informed opinions. This is a well-oiled
propaganda machine that is repackaging government and corporate spin and
passing it off as journalism.

Alan Randell, 

Victoria
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