The Talking Heads Are Not Our Friends
by James Glaser
August 8, 2016

News Flash!

Those people we watch on television news programs, with the great smiles or those serious looks, are not our friends. They are not out to help us understand what is happening in the world.

Their job is to sell us whatever their corporation is pushing. They might be pushing our nation into a new war, they might be pushing the Republican or Democrat candidate in any number of races, or they might be trying to get support for a new trade deal, fracking, or even a treaty with a government that has been sold in the past as the leading cause of terrorism in the Middle East. And for doing that while appearing to be looking out for us and looking like our friend, they are paid very, very well. Here are the numbers:

In the world of TV news, NBC “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer leads the way, drawing an estimated $22-25 million every year. The highest-paid anchor on ABC News is “ABC World News” anchor Diane Sawyer, who pulls in an estimated $12 million a year, while “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley leads that network with $5 million a year.

On cable, Fox News host Bill O‘Reilly is king, drawing an estimated $17 million a year, while MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow leads her channel with a $7 million a year deal. CNN‘s Anderson Cooper tops that channel with an estimated $10 million a year deal.

Other notable names: Megyn Kelly‘s new deal is estimated to be worth $6 million a year, twice what Hoda Kotb draws, and more than three times as much as ABC‘s Josh Elliott. Ann Curry is still one of the highest-paid reporters at NBC, drawing $5 million a year

So next time you are watching those friendly faces at the news desks on TV, think about what their job really is. See if you can tell whether they are giving you information you need or are just putting out a message in order to mold your opinion of the this “news” story one way or another. Fair warning here: that will require you to truly think and think critically.

If a major media corporation just wanted people to report the news in a clear understandable way, they could get them for less than a hundred grand a year. However,to find people who can pitch a story and with that pitch change the listeners‘ opinions and still sound like they are honestly just telling it like it is, maybe even sounding “Fair and Balanced” in the process, well that costs big bucks.

Basically, this is the reality: Our news media is now selling us products—whatever products their corporation wants them to sell—wrapped up in pretty packages, just like their bosses want them.

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