DON'T READ THIS! I Blew It. With my faulty memory I mistakenly confused Radio Free Europe with Voice of America. I knew that the people behind the Iron Curtain had received free information from this side. But, I was wrong about who did it. Thanks to Lib Dem FoP for pointing this out. |
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Radio Free Europe was once the only source of information for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union that was not first censored by the communist governments that ruled those lands for 50 years. The programs that were broadcast into the communist block from America and the rest of the free world were informational and free of the propaganda which only showed the people what their governments wanted them to see—and think about. America currently is under a shroud of disinformation and propaganda—either fomented by, or in favor of, the current administration.
The following is from The Hoover Institution (Herbert not J. Edgar) about Radio Free Europe.
The radios came into being after World War II in response to the thousands of displaced persons throughout Western Europe, a large number of whom were housed in refugee camps in West Germany, while others had fled to Paris, London, New York, and Washington from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in advance of the Red Army or as the result of communist takeovers. Many had been incarcerated in POW camps and refused to be repatriated to lands controlled by the Soviets after the war ended.
As communist governments took over in Eastern Europe, the U.S. government realized that these émigrés represented a powerful force against their communist-controlled homelands and it recruited them as writers, speakers, and in other capacities to facilitate the return of democratic governments.
Started by the CIA in 1949 through its front group the National Committee for a Free Europe (NCFE) Radio Free Europe, from 1949 to 1972, was primarily funded by the CIA. In 1950 a funding operation called the Crusade for Freedom was formed. That same year President Dwight Eisenhower announced, in a nationwide radio address, "The Crusade for Freedom will provide for the expansion of Radio Free Europe into a network of stations. They will be given the simplest, clearest charter in the world: ‘Tell the truth.’". A lot of Americans today don’t know the truth and don’t want to hear it if it shows up their precious (false) reality.
Yes, we need a Free America Network. Something that could broadcast free and balanced (oh yeah, and fair) information not filtered through Right-Wing propagandists. Oh--that’s right--we already have individual channels which, when taken as a whole, fulfill the purpose of informing the American public--we have the BBC, the CBC, PBS programs like, "Now", "Bill Moyers Journal", and coming back in October, "Frontline". We Americans have all these resources, but the "mainstream" media outlets have all been bought up by a few rich and powerful people intent on getting what they want. And what do rich and powerful people want? That’s easy: more money and power, of course!
The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees a free press, but our press isn’t free; it’s bought and paid for. When so few people greedy bastards have control over what so many people see and hear everyday there are bound to be abuses and people who are taken in by the slick lies they see and hear everyday. We are seeing the result of this right now. The people in charge of our "libral media" have already used their influence on our media to brainwash a lot of our fellow Americans into believing some pretty crazy ideas. Like the lie that Iraq had something to do with 9/11, or the one about Saddam having WMDs. They have even convinced some people that the best friend the USA has ever had: Canada, is not (and really never has been) our friend. Even without taking into account the 3000 mile fenceless border that lasted for hundreds of years (now being lost) I can prove that wrong. Canadian and British solders died right next to Americans on D-day (I remember Sword Beach) during WWI and in Korea and even in Vietnam (they didn’t lose as many people in Vietnam; the Canadian government held their sons and daughters lives a little more closely than our government did). Even comedy shows are more honest and truthful than out _news_ programs: Comedy Central’s, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", and "The Colbert Report", and even "The Simpsons" ( the only good thing I can remember coming from Fox) give us much more in-depth, insightful, and truthful analysis and information than most of the people who now call themselves journalists in America.
In conclusion: a ray of hope. Blogs are the new media. Progressive Liberal blogs (like dKos) have had a profound influence on the media already and will continue growing as a voice of change. By contributing to and supporting dKos, and the Democratic Party, we are helping to bring America out of its Dark Ages
(Note: Keith Olbermann has recently brought "Countdown" to NBC. Let’s hope NBC puts him on the air full time and let’s hope the rest of the media follow him and kos).