Pretty typical, anti-corporate screed here.
But . . .
Where is it coming from?
I don’t know. And Upworthy apparently thinks I either
already know or (most likely) don’t really care, because informing me isn’t
their goal. Sharing them is.
Obviously, I’m supposed to share this link on Facebook or
Twitter. And, apparently, if I’m reading these pseudo-graphs right, more people
have shared it on the former than the latter. Nevermind I don’t know who this
guy is – Oh, it’s Peter Hart, and he might be from FAIR – I did watch the
video, remember – but then again, he might not. Upworthy doesn’t tell me. I
have to go find out on my own.
And that’s fine. That’s what I should be doing as a critical consumer.
FAIR is, of course, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.
Obviously left-wing, if you go to their website.
Peter Hart is “activism director” at FAIR – a left-wing
title if I’ve ever heard one. but that’s a no-nevermind. FAIR could be
right-wing, and Upworthy would just assume you know that, or don’t care. Share.
That’s all Upworthy seems to want. Share, share, share. “Things that Matter.
Pass ‘em on.” That’s their motto.
They appear young. Rollie Williams, breathless about this
FAIR video, tells us that the “biggest priority for corporations is that sweet
sweet cash money. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but when massive
corporations come together to profit from journalism, it becomes incredibly
debilitating to consumers of that journalism. We’re living in a society that
values the truth yet has insufficient access to it because it hurts corporate
profits.”
As if that’s a new thing. And as if getting news funded by
left-wing or right-wing causes is any better than news funded by advertising.
But all that doesn’t matter. Share, share, share. And design it with an obvious
click-bait title like “This is Why Journalism has Sucked for the Past 20
Years.”
Oh Rollie, you’re so young. William Randolph Hearst loves that
you think corporate journalism is a new thing.
But Upworthy’s plan – kickbacks from “non-profits and
organizations who are looking to grow their memberships via the sign-up boxes
you might have noticed on your way into the site” is more noble, of course.
Advertising disguised as social activism, is always – ALWAYS – better than
advertising disguised as advertising.
Conveniently, this is all spelled out in their viral-ready
privacy policy infographic.
“We work with non-profits and other groups to connect them
with people interested in their causes. If you sign up to learn more about a
particular organization, we receive a small fee for making the match.”
Doed non-profit automatically mean a group’s goals are pure
as the driven snow? Apparently, if they’re left-wing or at least left-of-center
causes, yes.
Nothing right-wing, of course. Not that politics matter.*
Making stuff that matters viral, well, that matters. And if we can make money
at it, why, that matters as well. Remember, folks, this isn’t corporations
making money off the news. It’s high-minded individuals pushing what matters –
or, at least what matters to their paying non-profits and “others” – to the
masses.
Oops.
Aldous Huxley, once again, was right.
*I’m not a right-winger. I sag in the middle, but truth be
told I’m more left of center than right. I voted for Obama. I favor civil
unions. I don’t mind if there are homosexuals in the Boy Scouts of America. But
I may eventually get a gun. PETA makes me itch. I’m a Mormon, for heaven’s
sake.
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