Astroturf and Manipulation of Media Messages - a TedX talk by Sharyl Attkisson

I watched this video 8 years ago when it first came out. Maybe you did too? But someone just sent me the link in an email message and I was having my morning coffee (2nd cup at this hour of the morning 😜) so I decided to watch it again. I’m glad I did!

I have followed Sharyl Attkisson for many years. She is one of those very rare creatures - a true investigative journalist. She doesn’t think that authority is above question or that those who are rich should have the ability to choose what does or does not get told to the public.

She has suffered greatly for her ethical stance and has been the target of illegal wiretaps, threats and things that would have made a weaker person decide to shut their mouth on controversial topics.

Instead, she has set up her own channel and is still doggedly plugging away at exposing those in ‘authority’ who abuse their power. She has a lot of those to choose from!

Her books are must-reads. I do need to go back and look them over again - it’s been a few years since I read them last. (Please note - I’ve put the Amazon link down for convenience sake but you can pick these up at your local bookseller or get them from the library as well).

The reason I’m sharing this video with

you now is that it seems especially apt at this time to consider where we were 8 years ago and how the media behaves today - in whole or in part because we put up with being constantly lied to. Astroturf on steroids! It is up to us to make the choices that will weaken the mainstream #fakenews media’s hold on the narrative.

For example, my last 3 Under the Wire episodes have been removed from YouTube. I only have one more video to go (when they allow me to stream once again) before the channel is removed forever. That will be the next video I upload since I refuse to self-censor.

So if you are paying for access to YouTube, just stop. Let them know why you’ve cancelled. And if you buy things you saw on Facebook or Instagram, instead of clicking the link and making your purchase that way, take an extra minute to find the company in your web browser and purchase it without giving Meta its pound of flesh.

We have to power to starve the censors. We just need to take that little bit of extra time and care. If we don’t do this now, we will all pay for it in the end - Caveat Emptor - buyer beware.