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"We're looking forward to a very exciting political year in '16," CBS chief Les Moonves said. (Photo: Michael Vadon/flickr/cc)
Listen to This Network CEO Revel in the Amazing Profits of Presidential Candidates "Throwing Crap at Each Other"
An inside look at why corporate media eggs on Trump's divisive—and lucrative—braggadocio
Dec 10, 2015
Even as large swaths of the population call for media outlets to do their part in stemming the "dangerous tide of hatred, violence, and suspicion" taking hold in the United States, corporate media--which stands to benefit nicely from the $5 billion 2016 presidential election--is egging on that same divisive rhetoric.
"Go Donald! Keep getting out there!" CBS Corporation chief executive Les Moonves reportedly said during an investor presentation Monday.
Trumpeting the advertising dollars already flowing CBS's way as a result of the crowded 2016 GOP presidential primary, Moonves said: "We love having all 16 Republicans candidates throwing crap at each other -- it's great. The more they spend, the better it is for us."
"And, you know, this is fun, watching this, let them spend money on us, and we love having them in there," he declared. "We're looking forward to a very exciting political year in '16."
Listen below:
Writing for The Intercept, Lee Fang notes that "[t]he call took place right around the same time Trump announced his intention to bar Muslim immigrants from entering the United States, suggesting the CBS chief didn't know about that yet."
However, Fang continues, "Moonves' remarks came after months of similar rhetoric from Trump, including claims that the Mexican government is sending rapists into the U.S. and statements supporting a registration system for Muslim Americans."
As Common Dreams and others have reported, media companies are positioned to benefit from the unlimited campaign spending corrupting the U.S. political system. As Moonves said in 2012, "Super PACs may be bad for America, but they're very good for CBS."
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Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Even as large swaths of the population call for media outlets to do their part in stemming the "dangerous tide of hatred, violence, and suspicion" taking hold in the United States, corporate media--which stands to benefit nicely from the $5 billion 2016 presidential election--is egging on that same divisive rhetoric.
"Go Donald! Keep getting out there!" CBS Corporation chief executive Les Moonves reportedly said during an investor presentation Monday.
Trumpeting the advertising dollars already flowing CBS's way as a result of the crowded 2016 GOP presidential primary, Moonves said: "We love having all 16 Republicans candidates throwing crap at each other -- it's great. The more they spend, the better it is for us."
"And, you know, this is fun, watching this, let them spend money on us, and we love having them in there," he declared. "We're looking forward to a very exciting political year in '16."
Listen below:
Writing for The Intercept, Lee Fang notes that "[t]he call took place right around the same time Trump announced his intention to bar Muslim immigrants from entering the United States, suggesting the CBS chief didn't know about that yet."
However, Fang continues, "Moonves' remarks came after months of similar rhetoric from Trump, including claims that the Mexican government is sending rapists into the U.S. and statements supporting a registration system for Muslim Americans."
As Common Dreams and others have reported, media companies are positioned to benefit from the unlimited campaign spending corrupting the U.S. political system. As Moonves said in 2012, "Super PACs may be bad for America, but they're very good for CBS."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Even as large swaths of the population call for media outlets to do their part in stemming the "dangerous tide of hatred, violence, and suspicion" taking hold in the United States, corporate media--which stands to benefit nicely from the $5 billion 2016 presidential election--is egging on that same divisive rhetoric.
"Go Donald! Keep getting out there!" CBS Corporation chief executive Les Moonves reportedly said during an investor presentation Monday.
Trumpeting the advertising dollars already flowing CBS's way as a result of the crowded 2016 GOP presidential primary, Moonves said: "We love having all 16 Republicans candidates throwing crap at each other -- it's great. The more they spend, the better it is for us."
"And, you know, this is fun, watching this, let them spend money on us, and we love having them in there," he declared. "We're looking forward to a very exciting political year in '16."
Listen below:
Writing for The Intercept, Lee Fang notes that "[t]he call took place right around the same time Trump announced his intention to bar Muslim immigrants from entering the United States, suggesting the CBS chief didn't know about that yet."
However, Fang continues, "Moonves' remarks came after months of similar rhetoric from Trump, including claims that the Mexican government is sending rapists into the U.S. and statements supporting a registration system for Muslim Americans."
As Common Dreams and others have reported, media companies are positioned to benefit from the unlimited campaign spending corrupting the U.S. political system. As Moonves said in 2012, "Super PACs may be bad for America, but they're very good for CBS."
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