Does America Have A Free Press
by Larry Turner

In the past, we’ve briefly commented on the obvious control that exists over the media by the party in power. In that earlier case, it was the segment on Fox News showing clips from several newscasts on other TV stations where the hosts used identical language to try to justify some action by the White House. One example was where all the hosts and commentators reported that “there is no border crisis.” It was more than a coincidence that everyone used this identical language and repeated it over and over.

More recently, well-respected Reuters aired a transcript excerpt of a supposed telephone exchange where Biden seemed to ask then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to tout the “perception” of stability in Afghanistan during the U.S. military withdrawal despite what was really happening on the ground. Most of the U.S. media ignored that report.

Regardless of the political ramifications of that report, and true or not, the real story is who possesses the position and political power to put the lid on what could have been a bombshell of a story? Although there are many departments of government with terrifying power over our citizens, power of this significance in my opinion could only emanate from the top levels of the White House.

The current President would not have the technological skills or temperament to organize a control station in the White House with the equipment that would be required to accomplish this, but it must be someone in that building who has instant access to every media outlet in the country.

Equally odd is the fact that no one who has ever worked in the White House, past or present, has ever become a “whistleblower” and leaked one such advisory to the national media directing them to report something in a particular light, or to stonewall any reference to it.

Who has such enormous power and who directs that person to initiate such action? Does the President have to approve such a move? Are Congressional leaders apprised of what is happening? Does America really have a Free Press?