This page exists because NewsScape is a “broad church” information service. We try and keep an open mind, not one pre-filtered and shuttered by the sort of assumptions that often define the agendas of “branded news media”.
All news sites claim to be wide-spectrum information purveyors, in fearless pursuit of the truth, but some news services have managed to establish a general “reputation” that reflects reader/user prejudice. For example, the Guardian Newspaper has a reputation that suggests it represents the views of “liberal elite establishment” - widely referred to by the shorthand “lefties”. It is widely regarded as the BBC’s house journal - not least because the preponderance of Guardian contributors (and readers) that seem to find their way in front of BBC cameras. Another shorthand description of this genre that is gaining currency is “Metrolectuals”.
There is a clue as to the nature of the readership in the style of print adverts - public purse appointments, especially education; creative arts, media. But the days of advert supported news media are evolving now that individual readers can be targetted individually, and fresh thinking was needed. So whilst once upon a time all teachers and civil servants were the audience of liberal “lefties” - not all liberal lefties are teachers and civil servants. Now, thanks to the magic of targeted advertising the same leftie-seeking content missiles can be programmed to target greenies with vegan commercials and electric bikes rather then job vacancies in education and local government.
So all a media owner needs to do now is profile and track the owners of the eyeballs, and then grab their web attention using the cheapest and crudest editorial devices imaginable. Hello Daily Mail!
In fact the Daily Mail is an interesting example - for 26 years until September 2018 the editor Paul Dacre had defined the Daily Mail as the journal of centre-right conservative populism and had nailed its colours hard to Brexit - but then the 70 year old Dacre was replaced by Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Grieg, an avid remainer! It was a curious dichotomy, most likely driven by the belief that the Brexit supporting readers were (literally) a dying breed; and even if not in imminent danger of falling off their perches, they were never going to be as accessible to “modern media” and its invasive marketing as 20 and 30 “somethings” who had already been conditioned by the education process of the past 30 years through long bombardment by leftie social issues around ecology awareness, multiculturalism and the celebration of the “mores” that were hitherto the province of minorities hiding in the discreet corners of the new social media. It was of little consequence to allow these “relic” readers to drift to the Daily Telegraph to see out their days.
The Daily Telegraph is widely regarded as representing a “traditional conservative” viewpoint that does not generally resonate with the editorial stance of the BBC. Since the shift of the Daily Mail to the left and towards remain, the Telegraph is the barely contested choice of “righties”. But its use of an access paywall with clumsy login barrier is a serious disincentive to adoption - as long the DM and Guardian remain free access.
The early online forums (Compuserve, AOL, CIX) had been heaven sent for “special interest groups” to coalesce for mutual discovery and subsequent degrees of “social intercourse”. The early adopters of the online technology were never going to be retried in colonels in Cheltenham and their lady wives. The early internet was indeed driven first and foremost by providing access to sample all manner of forbidden pleasures, and kids had voracious appetites.
(Whilst “other newspapers are available” the Sun and Mail circulations are roughly 40% of the total of all the rest. There is endless online data if the reader wants to google it.)
Welcome to the age of social agenda setting using virtue signalling within the general framework rules of cultural Marxism! It’s a brave journalist that questions the validity of the assumptions and inconsistency of data around climate change! Or is it? The echo chambers are largely portable and can be devised to follow the readers, not necessarily define the content. NewsScape can take a neutral story - facts are facts - and then use the introductory paragraph to spin it into the desired direction, and pitch the result in a carefully selected group or groups (echo chambers). We are news chameleons.
So back to Paranoid.NewsScape
Remember that each NewsScape channel is independent. We can fire up a channel like Nigel.NewsScape - and it’s pretty obvious what is going on. We can equally launch a channel Corbyn.NewsScape (Jeremy has not quite managed to achieve that special status afforded to politicians like Farage, Johnson and Rees-Mogg) ... if someone steps up to curate it.
There are many fascinating conspiracy stories circulating and starting to join up that we needed to have a place to gather them. Most of these stories will also warrant posting in one or more other channels - but we needed to make it clear at the top that the story has evolved through conspiracy channels that the mainstream media (MSM) likes to dismiss and discredit ... but we (generally!) want to leave that judgement call up to you.
The US Deep State is the topic of endless conspiracy theories. The basic idea is that the vast resources of the NSA and CIA will occasionally go rogue and and get involved in political intrigue.: “a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.”
The top conspiracy tale started as that of Russiagate - and that has evolved through partisan attempts and enquiries featuring the likes of Robert Mueller and has become mired in the effort to impeach Donald Trump for inviting a Ukranian politician to help explain what President Obama’s Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was doing with a Ukrainian energy business. See the posts to this page for the unravelling details... it’s fascinating, but remember to be sceptical and cautious - one man’s fake news is another man’s awkward truth.
Always keep in mind that all news is mostly PR that one or more those featured in the story would prefer had not been made public.
So they are indeed out to get us. After they have finished trying to get Trump, of course.
(Banner image ack to http://paranoiawines.com/ a Californian wine maker)
