by Paul Street

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you really want to see how the dominant corporate-state media manufactures mass consent to American racist, capitalist, militarist empire and inequality, you've got to look at sports, entertainment, and (for the lack of a better phrase right now) personal improvement media as well as the news media. Beyond its functions of mass diversion, distraction, and infantilization, the non-news media is loaded with authoritarian ideology, presented in ways that are every bit as significant (maybe more significant) as what goes on with the more officially propagandistic and openly Orwellian news and commentary wing. Take, for example, the ongoing US Olympics coverage, brought to us by NBC, a subsidiary of leading world “defense” contractor General Electric....

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Aug04/Street0829.htm