9 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Trust the Mainstream Media

Reasons Why You Can Never Trust the Mainstream Media

For countless decades, the mainstream news media has been the main source of information for people all around the world. However, currently we have plenty of online alternatives, such as various websites and forums. Enormous news channels like Fox News, CNN, and so on, lose audience and so become desperate in attracting more attention. 

However, this doesn’t mean that they do it the right way: actually, to your surprise, we all need to trust the mainstream media less than before, and I’m going to explain to you why...

1. Mainstream media don’t check their sources

It is known that the professional news media always need to check sources and facts before writing about something. However, it doesn’t always work this way: sometimes mainstream media publish unchecked information and other times they do it on purpose for their own reasons (usually related to government and businesses that sponsor them).

2. Freedom of the press is becoming more scarce

Another sad fact: although you may find a press that still remains free, most likely this press has nothing to do with the mainstream media. The only free sources are the independent ones, and so if you want to read news that isn’t clouded by prejudice or censored by sponsors, read such sources.

3. Mainstream media use trivia to hide the most important parts of the stories

Interesting stories occur everyday; however, the mainstream media usually focus on less important parts of them. For example, if a person does something that catches everyone’s attention, the mainstream media start digging and publishing information about their personal life instead of focusing on the parts that are more important. This is done because such things attract more attention – just like the discreditable headlines that hardly ever tell the truth. 

4. Mainstream media are a threat to real independent sources

The mainstream media are always sponsored by government and businesses, and so rarely tell the truth about actual events. However, they still remain dominant in the media sphere, making it harder for independent media to be noticed. It's a fact that the biggest news media sources produce nearly 90 percent of all news media content in America – and these media sources are skilled in deceiving the masses. 

5. All mainstream media want is to make a profit

While most people count the mass media as our most important source of 'accurate' information on big & significant events, it really doesn’t work this way at all. All the mainstream media want to do is to receive more & more profit, and so their work is dictated by profit only. They choose not the most important news and facts, but the ones that will bring them more profit and keeps them in their comfort zone. Moreover, they alter their news content if their sponsor says so...

6. The content is dictated by the advertising

The mainstream media exist because of their sponsors, and to continue to exist, because the media convinces the masses that they are reputable. For example, news about seasonal illnesses stimulates people to buy more medicine (especially the one that is recommended to them in the news), as well as certain trends promoted in the mainstream media stimulate people to buy different things that aren’t necessarily useful to them (like fitness bracelets, for example). 

7. Mainstream media dislike real journalists

Real professionals ask many questions and aren’t afraid to doubt things that aren’t supported by strong facts. That’s why it can be so inconvenient for mainstream media to communicate with the real journalist or hire them: they are too good at uncovering the truth.

8. Mainstream media tend to manipulate people’s minds

Let’s imagine that you receive all information from one media source. This source can manipulate you easily, especially if you consider it trustworthy. The only way to avoid this kind of manipulation is to never trust the mainstream media and choose reputable independent news sources. 

9. Mainstream media can prevent you from thinking by yourself

When all the news stories are presented and analyzed so well (at a first glance), why bother digging deeper? Today the mainstream media offer us all kinds of news reports and researches, simply making it seem unnecessary to analyze things and think on your own. However, independent thinking is important for every person and so you should focus on it more often when reading through the daily news.