If you're not actively consuming news, you may be unfamiliar with Project Veritas. If you've heard the name on network news, it's likely you've heard they're a right-wing political action group and not to be trusted. I'm not making a case for or against that. A few days ago, Project Veritas released tapes of CNN technical director Charlie Chester commenting on his network's operations. He was secretly filmed while on dates with a woman who was actually an undercover journalist for Veritas. This is unscrupulous perhaps; the poor guy couldn't have thought the dates were going well when all she could talk about was CNN, but the fact remains that this exposure does not come from any anonymous source as many stories do. The statements below come from Charlie Chester himself.
The only people we let on the air, for the most part, are people that have a proven track record of taking the bait." (below at 7:52)
Covid went gangbusters with ratings, which is why the network kept the death toll constantly on screen doing broadcasts (below from beginning)
CNN isn't any different from Fox (below at 6:12)
CNN thinks Matt Gates is a problem for the Democratic Party, so they'll keep running stories to hurt him, calling that propaganda (below at :17 seconds)
I'm not a democrat or a republican, but this is not what I want from any news source; I want the truth - period.
I'm not happy learning any network pushes an agenda over facts to manipulate the emotions of its viewers. Fake news shouldn't be a dirty word reminiscent of one side of the aisle - it exists, and none of us should accept being treated like pawns.
If your reaction to these videos is skepticism, let me say to you...that's the spirit!
Fake news is a trigger for many, reminding them of the ramblings of Donald Trump. However, many of my friends shudder at that phrase but also believe that Fox News is unreliable - false news, perhaps. Why stop that healthy skepticism at Fox? Let's keep knocking down the deceptive dominoes one by one. CNN's exposure is not a victory for one side over the other, it is a victory for us all! I believe in lifting this veil, there is hope that Americans might come together again. What if your neighbor is not the enemy, as you've been led to believe? Perhaps the true villain is any network misrepresenting the truth to outrage you and stoke fear of the other.
The truth is often in the middle. Anyone who's been in a relationship knows that there's no scenario where one party is 100% blameless and the other is 100% wrong 100% of the time. Even if you engage in political team sports, if you're truly honest, there's no case where everything that's ever been good comes from your team, and all that is evil comes from their team. Let's lift the veil together.
CNN's exposure is not a victory for one side over the other, it is a victory for us all!
Fake news is not about telling blatant lies, although sometimes that occurs. It's about covering certain stories and burying others; silence on one issue and over-saturation of another; or framing a story in a particular way to make the audience arrive at desired conclusion. See the video below at :30 second mark.
Optics > Facts (according to Charlie Chester)
This piece is not to paint Veritas as the good guy or CNN as the bad guy; it is to poke yet another hole in the wool over our eyes. The more we are skeptical of the headlines, the more we take back control of the strings held by our media puppet masters. I'm not saying don't watch any news, but I want this article to keep alive a healthy skepticism when we do. Let's keep these questions in mind:
- Is that the whole story?
- Did they say the exact opposite a few months ago?
- What context might be in video that this clip didn't show?
- Who's agenda is served by this story?
I hope if we can see these networks for what they truly are, we can start to unplug from the fear, outrage, and self-righteousness being pumped into our veins. As Charlie Chester himself says, fear sells. But in selling us fear, the media helped ignite a wildfire and continue to pour gasoline on it every day. Fear drives ratings; shock it good for viewership; hate for the other is a drug that's as addicting as it is deadly. The media are peddling this drug and watching us burn our cities down because that, too, is great for ratings.
I hope it's not too late to write about news pushing a particular agenda and not be written off as the other; a dissident who must be banished for blasphemy against the good side. My friends, we should pledge our loyalty to the truth, not the to the blue or red gang. We have more in common than hyperbolic headlines would have us believe. Let's remove the needle from our arm, and reach out with the same arm and try to embrace the other. Every hole in the wool over our eyes lets in disinfecting sunlight. Nice stories don't make headlines; the feel-good pieces are mere palate cleanser after gorging ourselves on gloom and doom. We are looking through the lens of media whose motto is - if it bleeds, it leads. Let's not be fooled into believing it's only a bloodbath out there.
About the Creator
Get Your Way
My friend is exhausted under the expectations of others. In fact, it's so overwhelming that she is contemplating a solo train trip to get away from it all. As a longtime lover of solitude, I understood this urge and was excited for her; I could even feel the pressure in the room lift as she spoke of this relief. My friend is a wonderful person which both blesses and curses her. She would orchestrate a surprise party for a total stranger, bursting with balloons and cards and thoughtful gifts because she wouldn't want anyone to feel forgotten. A marvelous attribute indeed, but all things in life cast a corresponding shadow...
By Cody Volk3 years ago in Motivation
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
By cacloaidongvatabout 22 hours ago in The Swamp
Iran and Israel: Dangerous Game.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a deadly duel for decades. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, both nations have been at loggerheads. Israel did help Iran briefly, in the First Gulf War of 1980 - 1981. Iraq was a common enemy of Israel and Iran. Israel helped the Iranians with weapons. Sadly, that moment in history is a blip in an otherwise confrontational relationship.
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