You can’t fool all the people all of the time
But if you fool the right ones, then the rest will fall behind
Tell me who’s got control of your mind? your world view?
Is it the news or the movie you’re taking your girl to?
Dead Prez — “Propoganda”
If you watched the National Geographic George W. Bush 9/11 Interview and were wondering why they billed it as an “interview,” you’re not alone. As interesting as it was to see and hear the former President describe his personal experience during September 11, 2001, I could not help but feel as if it were produced more in the fashion of a reality television inspired confessional monologue than an interview. Maybe it was because nothing too critical was asked of Bush, or maybe perhaps it was because the interviewers were not as impartial as they outwardly appear.
One of the more shocking facts that I learned during the News of the World scandal earlier this summer was that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation holds 75% ownership of the National Geographic Channel. It was horrific when I first heard it because I felt as if I had been duped. Wasn’t the National Geographic Channel supposed to be reputable? It carried the yellow square box logo of the non-profit National Geographic Society. I learned the hard truth: the same people who run Fox News and the News of the World run Nat Geo.
So is this propaganda? I wouldn’t go as far as to say that, but knowing the favoritism that News Corp has historically had towards the Bush Administration and the Republican Party, it’s difficult to imagine that nothing is going on here. Out of all of the media requests (there must be hundreds) that were asked of George W. Bush for a 10th anniversary interview, it went to News Corp’s seemingly respectable holding.
This post was edited 10:24 a.m.