Re: AMERICA'S YELLOW PRESS

>
> Without getting into philosophy, how does it follow that because yellow
> press exists as part of free press America has become a democracy
without
> citizens (which does not even make sense, since a democracy cannot exist
> without citizens)?

;If you hadn't read the article cited in the beginning post. Please do.
;The author, actually William Lind, lamented that the American press is
;degenerating into yellow press. He did not say yellow press exists as
;part of free press. If you want to relate the two, then American free
;press = American yellow press according to William Lind.

Having been in the news business for over 20 years, I totally agree with
Mr. 
Lind. Yes, unfortunately, the US press is becoming more and more like the 
Chinese press, cedeing their role as independent and critical watchdogs
and 
mindlessly printing "government bulletins". However this process is much 
more complete in China than in the US, and hence my assertion that the US 
press, at its worst, is still light years ahead of what is on offer in
PRC. 
There has also been an big accounting in that regard in the years after
the 
Iraq invasion and occupation, with major news sources such as the New York

Times offering large and sincere mea culpas for their lack of
responsibility 
in uncritically towing the government line. And throughout the darkest
days 
of press kowtowing, there existed a vigorous, if marginalized, sector of
the 
press critical of both the government and the mainstream media. Unlike in 
China, they were neither censored nor prosecuted for their stand.

;As for "democracy without citizens." it is the title of a book by a
;professor Robett Entman. He criticized the American press because it
;is not serving the audiences and enabling them to be responsible
;citizens. Hence America is like a democracy without citizens. The 9/11-
;Iraq case demonstrated that Professor Entman's citicism was right on
;target.  American citizens were misinformed and misled by the so
;called free press to sup****t the invasion of Iraq.

The mistake you make here is that while the press failed in their 
responsibility to remain independent and critical, they remained free, 
unlike in China, where media repression is overt and journalists are 
regularly jailed for exercising their profession. Please read and comment
on 
this:

http://www.campaigns.ifex.org/alerts/content/view/full/87830/


>
> > and the second part is also a non-sequitur. You
> > are very good at twisting information to meet your ends, a true son of

> > the
> > dragon.
>
> "good at twisting information" = "true son of the dragon"
> What is the above for? You don't agree with me, you say it out. Why
> drag in the other issues?
>
> I'll stick to the issues if you will.

????
You have to say derogative thing about  the Chinese people, sons of
the dragon, because I cannot stick to the issues.

No, I say derogatory things about you, as a son of the dragon who does not

have the courage to get out from under the dragon's claw. I have met many 
courageous Chinese who risk much to speak the truth, but you are not one
of 
them.

Toby