CNN? Do you actually want to give them power?

I think it was very interesting how, in class, one of the first things cited as a source of universal morality for mankind was CNN. The idea of a media source known to be favored by the US military (most of the gulf war press pool was from CNN), and critiqued as making instant history with repetitive images and catchy headlines is almost…funny. But then again, the fact that it was brought up in class shows that it’s sneaky propaganda scheme is working.

Is it possible that universal morality is just something that, to exist, must be enforced? Professor Mowlana wrote in an article that to have war in the world now, the country trying to start the intervention must be capable of global total propaganda, because of the financial implications of conflict on the rest of the world. So, perhaps CNN as universal morality was a good idea…until someone figured out that it was a biased/kind of government-favored source.

Considering this idea of media as a source for universal morality, I think of the three main moral texts in circulation worldwide now: the Torah, the Bible and the Koran. All three present moral values, and all three are very widespread.

I also thought it was really interesting how then there came the idea of CNN/media activating (by presenting predigested knowledge) a previously existing universal morality that people just didn’t know existed. I don’t like to think that this is the case, but, as Waltzer notes, the actors in war must appear to be in the right. (20) Nobody appears more right than in propaganda geared to muster support…PR has gotten too good for our own good. I think if there was a universal morality, exactly the wrong way to find it would be to conform to what the television