The people behind the mainstream media aren't stupid (the people in front of the mainstream media are stupid, but that a topic for another day). They aren't going to start by saying "the following is propaganda, so buyer beware". What they are going to do is be subtle. They are going to be vague. They are going to be honest and quite reasonable 98% of the time. They will claim to deliver what the public wants, or at least their interpretation of what the public wants. Seems reasonable.
Yet propaganda would not be propaganda if it were easily detected. It takes some study and experience to be able to recognize it. There are books, such as Manufacturing Consent which teach how to recognize propaganda (how it developed and why it exists) but here is a quick-start for recognizing propaganda. Look for these aspects or traits in the media:
1) Does a story in the news affect a lot of people, or is it (sad as it may be) just someone's personal tragedy and none of our business anyway?
2) In the case of an on-air interview, is the interviewer cutting off or degrading one of the points of view? A simple yet effective tactic is plain old name-calling, watch for it. Also note if the media is even attempting to present more than one point of view.
3) The corporate media simply omits much of the real news that affects people. Follow the top stories in the independent media (see links below) to see what they are not telling you.
4) Be aware the primary purpose of corporate media is to make money. The secondary purpose of the media is to form your opinions for you.
5) Be aware the controllers of the media are long-term thinkers and planners. And they are not micro-managers. They are quite willing to appear good, to lose a few skirmishes, etc. as they work towards their long term goals.
6) Notice how the media hardly even attempts to challenge government or corporate points of view anymore.
It is amazing how often the media will bring in someone who's point of view is actually total bullshit and lies. You will need to seek-out information yourself, rather than rely on the media to bring it to you. Take the time to independently confirm what your are being told.
The best way to learn to recognize propaganda is of course through practice. Monitor independent news media, such as www.theRealNews.com, www.Reddit.com (excellent source once you have setup your preferences), www.ZeroHedge.com (a bit hard to follow financials, but worth the effort), and many more.
As time goes by you will begin to see a huge difference between the corporate media and independent media. You will realize you are being lied to by the corporate media.
