Starve The Beast

Up to this point, I have not been able to get too worked up about the missing munitions story. I suppose it's because I've become so cynical and jaded about the motives of the mainstream media and the bias inherent in the system (help! I'm being repressed!) at places like CBS and the New York Times that nothing surprises me anymore. I've become so desensitized that I merely shrug when I read that it appears likely that the New York Times, CBS, Democratic campaign operatives, and a UN stooge worried about job security colluded in a last minute attempt to influence the outcome of the US presidential election. Meh. As Homer might say, "Yeah, but what are you going to do?"

This morning, I realized that this story was actually a clarion call to action for conservatives. But not a one-off, write angry letters, boycott select advertisers, kind of reaction. This story once again points out the need for a long term, all encompassing response to the bias in the mainstream media.

The most effective approach to weight loss is not yo-yo dieting, but rather a lifestyle change that includes eating better and exercising. We need to take such an approach to the media. We need to make long lasting media lifestyle changes.

I used to believe that the best way to fight the liberal media was to engage them on their turf. I used to subscribe to the Star Tribune, sent letters to the editor, and submitted commentary pieces.

But now I've reached the conclusion that the proper approach is to delegitimatize and marginalize the most egregious offenders. And the way to do this is to cut them off entirely. The fuel that feeds their fire is advertising revenue. Advertiser revenue that is generated on the belief that consumers are reading, listening, or watching each particular media outlet.

Newspapers and magazines don't make their money on subscriptions. They use (and in some cases, inflate) their subscription base to sell advertising. Television and radio use their ratings to sell advertising.

In order to fight media bias, we must stop feeding the fire. The multi-headed media beast must be starved. I urge you to step back and take an inventory of your media lifestyle. It's time to make some changes.

If you subscribe to the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, or any other newspaper with an outright liberal bias, you must cancel your subscription immediately. There are no more excuses. Yes, you're going to miss out on some sections of the paper that you've come to enjoy and rely on. Tough. The conduct of the these institutions in this campaign leaves no question as to where they stand. Conservatives cannot, in good conscience, continue to subscribe to newspapers that are so obviously committed to doing whatever it takes to promote a left wing agenda and liberal candidates.

Starve the beast.

It goes beyond newspaper subscriptions. You need to take a good hard look at the advertisers who stream revenue into these papers and consider whether you want to continue patronizing them. They are the ones keeping the papers in business and should be held to account. This goes beyond the major dailies too. Why should I buy a product or service from a company that helps propagate the childish political rantings of an alternative weekly like the City Pages? Take your business elsewhere, but be sure to tell those companies that you're choosing not to do business with exactly why.

I don't think that many business owners make a connection between their advertising and the political bias of these papers. But they should. I understand that if you own a business your primary motivation is to succeed, and to do that you need to attract customers. But at what price? Are you willing to sell your political soul for a few pieces of silver?

Starve the beast.

The same goes for "mainstream" magazines. Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report? Gone. Seriously. What are you possibly getting out of them that you can't find on the internet anyway? While you're at it, you might as well throw People on the ash heap of history as well. You'll sleep better at night.

Starve the beast.

Television news. First off, no one should ever watch CBS News again under any circumstances. On Election Night the normal temptation is in flip back and forth between the various cable and networks news channels to try to stay on top of everything. But next Tuesday you must not even think about hitting CBS News. In fact, you really should never watch anything on CBS ever again. Really. What's more important to you: who the next president is or CSI:Toledo? Sacrifices people. We all need to make sacrifices. I will grant a special dispensation for those living in AFC cities to be allowed to watch football on CBS.

I would also encourage you to not watch the news on ABC, NBC, or CNN. If you must, don't tell anyone that you do and if you ever have a chance to fill out a Nielson survey make sure that you shut them out.

Starve the beast.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you are still giving money to public radio or television, kindly cease and desist this practice immediately. You are funding the Garrison Keillors and Bill Moyers of the world. Need I say more?

Starve the beast.

We can whine and complain all we want about the conduct of CBS News and the New York Times and how unfair they are blah, blah, blah. But unless we're willing to make systemic changes in our behavior as media consumers, we're going to be in the same place next time around wondering why we're always on the short end of the stick.

Stop reading their crap. Stop watching their crap. Most importantly, stop buying their crap. Stop feeding the beast.