“The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it. We would not have been able to do what we did if not for the radio." -Joseph Goebbels, politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany.

1. News Stations Put a Spin on Events

If you're going to watch the news on stations like CNN, NBC, and Fox, that's fine. Just understand, they aren't just reporting news, they're reporting their take on the news. Each station not only decides what to broadcast, but also how they will broadcast it. To use a public relations term, they put their own "spin" on the news.

Spin is a contemporary term for a form of propaganda that relies on deceptive methods of persuasion.

In politics, business, and elsewhere, spin is often characterized by exaggeration, euphemisms, inaccuracies, half-truths, and excessively emotional appeals.

The use of spin and propaganda can be traced back generations. Since the birth of our country, really. But there was one man, Edward Bernay's, who revolutionized how public relations influence the news, and by extension, it's audience.

Bernay's was the nephew of Sigmund Freud. Like Freud, he was fascinated by the mind and often consulted his uncle's work. Yet where Freud sought to uncover hidden motivations, Bernays's sought to mask them. He helped to sell everything from cigarettes, to bacon, to even war.

No one wants to go to war for resources or political leverage. But for nationalism? For pride? For security? Now those are reasons we can all get behind.

Let's use a modern example: Edward Snowden. The man who told us the NSA was sifting through all our information. Which they still continue to do, collecting massive amounts of data that have nothing to do with terrorist activities.

When the news broke, most outlets tried to contain the situation, branding Snowden as a traitor. Most also claimed the NSA was well within their rights to do whatever they do because, wait for it, terrorism. In the United States, 64% of Americans view him in an unfavorable light, 28% see him somewhat favorably, with only 8% seeing him in a very positive light. In Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain, 80% view his actions in a positive light. Maybe because they weren't watching the same news we were. (U.S. and World Report News).

2. Investigative Journalism Is Dying

When I was a kid, I admired journalists. The image I had in my mind was a tireless fighter who broke through police barricades and stopped congressmen after a crucial vote for a statement.That is what I always envisioned journalism should be about: the truth.

But that kind of journalism is slowly dying. Enter a real life example, McNelly Torres (pictured below), a 41 year old investigative journalist from Florida whose work at five different newspapers sent crooks to jail and changed laws. She's uncovered bribery on a Texas school board, deception among South Carolina environmental regulators, and failure in Oklahoma homicide investigations. Torres' reporting has been recognized with the prestigious Southeastern Journalism Award, as well as other lesser known awards. .

The same day she was selected as a finalists for the Green Eyeshade Award for investigative journalism, she was laid off. Now I'm not spouting some conspiracy theory crap here. I'm not saying big business wanted her outed or anything. The head of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the newspaper where she was employed, actually made quite a rational decision.

"The internet is killing mainstream media, sending the Fourth Estate into record-breaking revenue declines. Online ads garner only a fraction of the dropping print revenue. When faced with cuts, investigative reporting is often the first target. Investigative journalism takes more time and more experienced journalists to produce, and it often involves legal battles. It's generally the most expensive work the news media undertakes" -Laura Frank (PBS.org)

Similar trends have been occurring in almost every one of the top 100 newspapers in the nation. So far this year, three major daily newspapers — the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, and the Tuscon Citizen — have closed and five news companies face default on suffocating debt.

You see the problem is that reporting the news isn't cost efficient anymore. "I was seeing first-hand that places weren't putting their resources into in-depth reporting, or training, or actually doing the things that would have ensured efficiency and quality," said Brant Houston, now Knight Chair in investigative reporting at the University of Illinois. "Corporations came and harvested the profits. Even in the worst economy since the Great Depression, top media companies made more profit than they had for the past two decades."

Money isn't made from journalism anymore, it's made from lobbyists and corporations who nudge the news in the direction they want it to go. Check out the full article here.

3.You Can Tell What Side of the Spectrum They Lean

This an easy one. CNN, NBC, Fox. Which lean left, which lean right? I'm sure you could tell me. The official term for this phenomenon is called "Media Bias". Bias can include liberal, conservative, mainstream and corporate varieties. Practices can include the framing and oversimplification of issues. In short, not showing the issue from every perspective, but focusing on the view your audience already has, thereby driving the point home. It's basic marketing. You have a target audience and you must cater to the needs of that audience. Let's get to an example

Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Congress to deliver a speech a little over a year ago. Now on the whole, I thought Netanyahu brought up some good points. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict I think there is blame on both sides. Blame can also be assigned to the Western powers that purveyed over the creation of the state of Israel, but this is neither the time, nor the place for this discussion.

Now Fox News and its outlets often paint Netanyahu in the best possible light, along with Congress, which happens to be Republican controlled.

In fact, according to CUNY professor of journalism, Eric Alterman, who is himself Jewish, debate among Middle East pundits, “...is dominated by people who cannot imagine criticizing Israel”. In 2002, he listed 56 columnists and commentators who can be counted on to support Israel “reflexively and without qualification.”

CNN, on the other hand, while still quite pro-Israel, was quick to point out everything from a more liberal perspective. Like the fact that the President wasn't informed that Netanyahu would be speaking, and that Congress "snuck him through the back door."

Alterman only identified five pundits who consistently criticize Israeli behavior or endorse pro-Arab positions. So to get a fully unbiased view of the Netanyahu visit, you'd have to read or watch media from both outlets, as well as a third party that is pro-Arab to be truly informed on the issue. Seems like quite a lot of work. The truth is like that. It eludes simplicity. But most media outlets try to whitewash issues with generalizations and oversimplifications.

4. Frankly, It's Misinformative

In all honesty, spin isn't such a big deal. I mean you are always going to have some kind of bias in the news. Whether from the new station itself, the script writer, or the anchors. But sometimes news stations report things that are inaccurate or even down right lies. Let me give you some examples.

While I understand that breaking the story before anyone else is good reporting, you have to have your ducks in a row before you broadcast to the American public and tell them things that are speculation at best, and outright fallacies at worst. Enter Fox News. In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, Fox News reported that there were, in fact, "No Go" zones in Paris. These zones were supposedly places in the city where it was dangerous for non Muslims to enter and where Shariah Law superseded French sovereign law. And they didn't just broadcast this once. Over several months they continued to spin a web of myths regarding these so called "No Go Zones."

Whether this was to inspire more anti-Arab/Muslim sentiment among its viewers or not, the story was full of discrepancies and downright lies. The "forbidden neighborhoods" included Belleville, Barbes, and Père-Lachaise.

After the Paris Council voted to green light a lawsuit to hold Fox liable for slander and false reporting, Fox later issued a report, billed as a retraction, stating that “there was no formal designation of these zones." A lawyer representing Fox said that the lawsuit over the no-go zones was “antithetical to free speech”.

The vote in favor of the lawsuit was not unanimous. One Paris councilman said that it would “not serve any purpose to pursue a defamation case against a veritable bloopers factory” such as Fox, and the “no-go zone” insult was not the first and would not be the last, referring to the campaign Fox waged against the country in the wake of the U.S. Iraq Invasion, which was opposed by the French government. Check out the link to the full article here.

Now that we've picked on Fox, let's rag on CNN a little. I was in my friend's room the other day and saw a blatant show of misinformation. The story they were running was about the rising tensions with Russia. The anchor was going as far as saying that the conditions right now with Russia were akin to a "Second Cold War." Vladimir Putin on America and ISIS

However, earlier that same week, Vladimir Putin was interviewed by an American journalist, stating, "The U.S. considers us a threat, but we do not feel the same way. I never said I view the United States as a threat to our national security...we have the same long term goals as the U.S., we should be working together." So unless you're one of the 5,000 people who watched this video in the U.S., you might be convinced that we are on the brink of another Cold War. While relations aren't great between the West and Russia, I doubt an Iron Curtain will be dropping anytime soon.

All this Cold War banter brings me to my next point.

5. They Inspire Fear

Whether this is a latent or manifest function, the effect is the same. Media networks inspire fear. Fear of the other, fear of the unknown, fear of the cat down the road. You wake up, brew some coffee, throw the news on. The first story is regarding the brutal rape and murder of a young girl in Boston. Suddenly, you don't want your daughter going into Boston. Or you watch a short clip of a silver back gorilla maul a little kid and get shot for it. Then everyone has to take a side and decide who they think was at fault. All it does is create division.

I feel like you're whole day is ruined if you watch the news in the morning. You have to go to work or school or whatever with this black cloud hanging over your head. It's like the news is constantly reminding you that terrible things happen everyday to good people.

And the reaction of the anchors is the worst. It's like, "Yes, the poor woman was stabbed 37 times and left to bleed out before the cops arrived. *Cue clip of cops standing around police tape* Now back to you Linda and Steve." And the two plastic looking anchors say something like, "terrible isn't it?" in a perfunctory way, shuffle a few papers and then say "Now over to Danica for the weather. How's this week looking?" Like am I the only one who finds it so ridiculous its almost comical?

I need to be inspired in the morning. Show me clips of an entrepreneur finally making it after years of hard work and determination. Show me a dyslexic man who managed to write a book. Show me a group of Muslims who invited Christians into their home for protection and prayer, or vice versa. I know it happens, but if you'd never think so if you only watched the news.

Inspire me, don't make me fear for my life. It all really comes down to what you want to live your life according to: love or fear. All the other emotions stem from those two. Are you doing things because you love them or are you doing them out of fear of the consequences? When I watch the news, I always find it hard to prioritize my day around love when fear is what I consumed along with my breakfast.

6. Six Corporations Own 90% of All Media Outlets

You have the deluxe Infinity package and have access to over 500 channels. You don't just watch one news station, you could watch them all. You're an informed individual am I right? Well not exactly. 6 corporations own 90% of everything you read, watch or listen to (Business Insider). 232 media executives control the information diet of 277 million Americans. The combined revenue of the big six in 2010 was 275.9 billion dollars. That's Finland's GDP +36 billion. That's 5 times what the government allocated to bailout the automotive industry.

The big six control about 70% of all the channels on your T.V., with 5,000 other companies forming the other 30%. So who are the big six? GE, News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. Recently, Comcast, a cable provider, merged with NBC, a station. This monopoly will guarantee GE control of 1 out of every 5 hours of television content. Let me put that in perspective. For every 5 hours of television, there will be one hour where everything being broadcasted is owned by GE/Comcast.

Time, CNN, and the Huffington Post are all controlled by Warner Brothers. 178 million users will use one of these sites for news every month. If you combined the traffic for Digg, Tumblr, and Reddit, all independent companies, and doubled it, that's the amount of influence Time Warner has.

News Corp owns the top three newspapers on three continents: The Wall Street Journal in NA, the Sun in EU, and the Australian in, you guessed it, Australia.

In 1995 the FCC forbade companies from owning over 40 radio stations, yet Clear Channel owns 1,200 stations. In Minot, North Dakota, they own every radio station.

How did this happen? In 1982, the FCC deregulated the industry allowing for an orgy of mergers, acquisitions and buyouts. In 1983 there were 50 corporations sharing the media world. Now there are 6 that control nearly everything Americans see, hear, read, and consider important. These statistics were collected by Frugal Dad, and the article and sources can be found here.

7. It's Someone Else's Opinion

A news cast is meticulously constructed. The news comes in. People read it. People doctor it. They write scripts. The anchors read off the script verbatim. They have no choice as to what they want to say. This is their job. The orders come down from up high.

The problem with the news is it's someone else's opinion disguised as fact. I'm all for people offering their opinion, but the problem comes when they clothe the information in an aura of factuality. This post is my opinion. I invite you to question everything you read here. That's why I leave the sources for you guys. The worst part about news stations is you don't even know whose opinion you're watching.

8. You Waste Time

This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to the news. When I wake up, I make my tea, throw a breakfast together, do some push ups, shower, pack my bag and I'm off. I don't have a half hour to sit and half watch the news.

At least with an app like the BBC app, you can choose what to click on, what toi read, what to consume. With an app, you have the power. With the news you're stuck. You watch what they broadcast. Even if you just wanted to see the weather or a new development in a story, you have to watch whatever they choose to show you before your two minutes. Who has time for that?

9. They Decide What's Newsworthy

Following a similar note, the news stations choose what's newsworthy. And that's fine, its their right since it's their station and their money. I just won't be subscribing to it. I feel like news stations are those friends you have that always talk about how other people are living their lives. We all have a couple, don't lie. I'm talking about the people who are like, "Jenn and Mark got back together like three days ago, and now they're going out for Valentines day. This is like the third time Jared has gone to the bar this week. What's his deal?"

News stations do this, but with celebrities. Lady Gaga went out in a meat suit. Drake and Meek Mil are beefing. Charlie Sheen has HIV. Scott Discik and Courtney Kardashian broke up....again. Sometimes even the news casters get sick of it. Check out this hilarious reaction by an anchor who had enough Kardashians.

10. Each Outlet has an Agenda

News stations, unfortunately, aren't out to provide the most factual information as efficiently as possible. In a perfect world, this might be the case, but it isn't. The big six didn't make it to the top by playing nice, they got there by worrying about their profit margins. And I'm not vilifying them for that. It's a dog eat dog world out there and you have to look out for number one. But people have to understand that the information they are consuming from these sources is biased, skewed, and not all together factual.

These stations have responsibilities to their sponsors. People fund them to run the news a certain way. What worries me is I don't know what these motives are. I don't know why Fox runs stories about France that aren't true. I don't know why CNN rarely attacks Obama even when he does something worthy of criticism. I don't know. And I don't like not knowing. I don't like being manipulated. I don't think anyone does, which is why I don't watch the news anymore.