We all know how news in mainstream media tends to be biased in how it is delivered to the public. But, are enough of us aware of just how much information is lost on the citizens, especially in rural areas. 

Many people tend to live in their own bubbles and ignore the rest of the world around them, which leads to a very narrow, and arguably, misinformed view of national and international issues. 

This is because mainstream media has so much power over what we see and hear, it even affects our politics and our economic balance. 

Let us first direct our attention to the media fear mongering. 

For example, illegal immigration is always a fiercely debated issue, especially around election time. It is often hyped in right wing news sources, such as Fox News, as a deadly “invasion” of “murderers and rapists.” Although it is true there are record numbers of immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S, resolutions were turned down by Republicans in favor of exploiting the issue for political gain, using scare tactics to convince Americans that immigrants are a much bigger threat than they really are. No one said it better than journalist, comedian, and political correspondent John Stewart:

“…There were three hundred thousand crossings in December alone. That’s an all time high and that is not sustainable. But, Republicans turned down the chance to pass a strong border bill…supported by the Border Patrol Union… because of how confident they are that fear mongering will be an effective election year strategy. It’s all about branding” 

So, you may be asking yourself, “What does corporate greed have to do with politics and the economy?” 

Well, consider recycling, for example. Many do our part to recycle plastic, with the promise that we are helping to protect our environment. But the sad truth is that recycling plastic is a ploy developed by the plastic industry to avoid facing real environmental issues regarding plastic pollution. 

It turns out that big oil companies bank off promoting this idea. While we waste time putting plastic into recycle bins, which, by the way, are made of “harmful” plastic, “the fossil fuel industry makes $400 billion a year producing plastic” according to Plastic Recycling is a Lie on Earthday.org. 

So, while some politicians and activists are shifting focus to renewable energy, the fossil fuel industry stresses that increased profits will come from plastic production to its shareholders, which also happens to include many politicians. This is where political and corporate greed go hand in hand.

On the topic of political and corporate greed, inflation is something greatly discussed lately in mainstream media. But we are only given so many reasons, such as imbalances in supply and demand and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

And while these are legitimate reasons for inflation, they are only a percentage of the inflation situation. The other percentage no one ever discusses is the rising profit portion. We only hear about the rising wages and prices, but never the profits. 

Why is this? 

Well, because Capitalism may be to blame for the severe imbalance of corporate profit to rising prices and wages. According to, once again, John Stewart on The Problem with John Stewart, inflation appears to be at its worst right around the same time people start demanding wage increases. 

Once this happens, corporations tend to jack up prices in response. However, it has apparently gotten worse. While the Federal Government consistently provides bailouts for big businesses in economic crises, there is usually no adequate supplemental relief for working class citizens. 

This means that while profits of big corporations are at an all time high, businesses are still raising prices disproportionately to make more money. Now this may seem criminal, but capitalism, baby. It favors big business. After all, corporations are people too.

Now, this may all be very overwhelming and difficult to take in for some. But the good news is that there are plenty of people out there, such as media literate and responsible journalists and activists who work hand in hand with many of our well-meaning politicians to try to find reasonable and effective resolutions to these issues. 

We, the people, just need to educate ourselves and each other, open our eyes to reality, and start working together, not against each other. 

I believe it is possible to create a society and an economy that works for everyone. It does not have to be perfect, just sustainable, for all of us. 

– Amanda Johnson