It comes as no surprise that the American media is nothing more than a ideologically partisan entertainment industry. To be fair, it has been this way for a long time, and the idea of an “objective” press has always been something of a fallacy.
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Hearst-Publishing-1024x669.jpg)
Of course, everything gets better with practice, and over time the major “news” outlets have gotten very clever about hiding their agenda by actually hiding the news.
Here’s a little history for our younger readers who get their infotainment from that little brain-sucking device in their hand:
It use to be that to find out what was going on in the the city, the country or the world, a person would have to read the newspaper. A paper- and the news- was still considered current if it was only a week old.
Readers understood that the most important (to the news outlet) stories were placed “above the fold” of the newspaper, often with big eye-catching headlines to grab a potential customer’s attention as they were walking by. The slightly less important items (or the meat of the lead story) were placed “below the fold”. The reason for this was simple: back in ancient times, newspapers were folded, bundled, and dropped off at newsstands. The stand proprietor would position a bundle such that the headline was visible to all passers-by, cut the twine holding the bundle together, and sell them that way. For marketing purposes, the headline was always “above the fold” of the newspaper.
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Old-Newstand.jpg)
In an early example of “push” advertising, one of my grandfather’s first jobs was as a “paper boy” in the 1920s: he would walk up and down the street trying to sell papers to folks going about their business. The fold, with the lead story, was always facing out- toward the customer.
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Paper-Boy.jpg)
Of course, times change. Hardcopy newsprint is going the way of the dinosaurs, tabloid or broadsheet (unfolded) papers have become increasingly common, and online versions of the newsprint are now the norm.
This presents a challenge to the news organizations: how to highlight the lead story (the one that will sell or capture interest) while burying the less marketable (but often more important) stories?
The Washington Post and its ilk have figured it out:
Put the noise big and loud “above the fold”, and put the real news discretely at the bottom where nobody looks:
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Full-page-596x1024.jpg)
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CloseUp-1024x468.jpg)
Yes. While the banner headline is about a story that has been repeated ad-nauseam, and, ultimately, will have little impact on anyone (spoiler alert: the Deep State will win the next election), illegals have once again flooded the southern border, and the overall credit worthiness of the nation has been downgraded.
![](https://www.amerikaerwache.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-02-at-08-26-52-Border-arrests-surged-in-July-a-blow-to-Biden-migration-plan.png)
The catch-phrase for the Washington Post is “Democracy Dies In Darkness”. It’s pretty dark at the Post.
So for the younger readers who occasionally glance at a full-page of news, be sure to read the fine print. Often that’s where the real information is.
Amerika Erwache!
One response to “Schnell Post: Bury the lead”
You nailed it.