alt Hacker News> MSM today has no choice but to parrot or echo the opinions of those in power if they want to stay in business otherwise they get shut down for $REASON
What a load of crap! There is still tons of "mainstream media" outlets that don't do this. One of the biggest in the UK would be The Guardian, there are hundreds like it.
The decision to toe the line, like the WaPo, are purely because of money (Jeff's and his readership's), not because anyone is "shutting them down" for X or Y.
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I haven't checked the Guardian in dept, but I believe they towed the same messaging during COVID as any other major Western publication and the same regarding the Russia / Ukraine situation right now.
Alternative voices are to be found on tight corners of the internet, like an individual on Twitter for example.
>One of the biggest in the UK would be The Guardian
I used to like the Guardian in 2009-214 but now, I trust someone's "it came to me in a dream", before I trust The Guardian, given their recent flops and biases.
The US is seeing lots of pressure on media because of not parroting the ruling party line. The current US president openly says any news he doesn't agree with is not only a lie but that the media companies are literally the enemies of the people. This doesn't even get into the tweet storms and the canceled programs in order to fall in line!
Your last point seems to be the parent's point as well -- if you want to keep your media business alive (to make money; that's what businesses are) in the US you have to be careful criticizing those currently in power. Unless I misunderstood you to and you meant that parroting the party line is a way to make more money but not doing it is also perfectly effective and not at all a risk.