History Main / StrawmanNewsMedia

* ''WebAnimation/FreedomToons'': ''The Echo Chamber'' hosted by Dr. Mac is an InUniverse news show with an extreme left-wing bias replete with {{Demonization}}, [[StrawmanFallacy Strawmanning]], LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics, and InsaneTrollLogic.

* The classic example of media controlled by a tyrannical government: Creator/GeorgeOrwell's ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', where the government control was so intensive that they had an entire department devoted to altering historical records. Of course, one of the ''points'' of ''1984'' is [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped that the Soviet government was and had been doing this for the past twenty years]].

* In the first ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' films, J. Jonah Jameson again proves he is the exception and not the rule. When confronted with evidence that photos he published of Spider-Man committing criminal acts were faked, his first response is to fire the offending journalist and lament that, for the first time in 20 years, he will have to print a retraction. It's a subtle line, but it shows that as an editor, he is so dedicated to getting it right the first time, not even tiny slip-ups (like a mistyped data or typoed name) are allowed to go to print. He's just that good.

* The whole premise of ''Series/DropTheDeadDonkey'' seems to revolve around Globelink being controlled by the big company. Sir Royston Merchant is seen only through his underling Gus Hedges and through some of his family members in later series, but exerts a powerful and, yes, sometimes egregious control on what Globelink can report or run. Most storylines actually end in defeat for the protagonists, sometimes merely giving in and shoving the hot story to the bottom of the pile, and sometimes being on the verge of a huge and annoying scoop but then damaging, wiping or recording over the tape accidentally, so that the evidence for their claims is vaporised.

** "[[Recap/LawAndOrderS17E5PublicServiceHomicide Public Service Homicide]]" featured a [[AssholeVictim pedophile being murdered]]. It turned out that the murderer (whom the paedophile had raped many years before) confronted him for a TV show (on victims confronting their abusers), and the investigation then examines whether or not the producer manipulated the whole thing. [[RippedFromTheHeadlines Based on]] Series/{{Dateline}} and the To Catch a Predator show.

* Ice T's song with Bodycount, "Now Sports" criticises the news for its vapidity and indifference to human suffering:

* The various news sources in the ''Xtended'' GameMod for ''[[Videogame/{{X}} X3: Terran Conflict]]'' slide between being legitimate news sources, such as the multi-racial [=GalNet=] News and the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Argon Federation]]'s Interstellar Broadcast Corporation, to crazy nationalist sources like the [[LostColony Solara]] News Network (considers the Solaran military to be the [[BlatantLies most competent]], downplays corruption, Terrans are literally the devil, etc) and the racist and hyper-isolationist [[PlanetTerra Terran]] Morning News (one article, for example, claims that the Kingdom Of [[StarfishAliens Boron]] may be descendants of Terran aquatic life and, [[InsaneTrollLogic therefore, are a Terran colony subject to Terran taxes]]).

* In ''Film/TheChase'', every single news outlet in Southern California is vapid. One of the drinking game rules is drink whenever some reporter tells you their channel is the first to bring you ''any''thing about the chase.

* ''Webcomic/LovelyPeople'': Journalists are mentioned to all be verified by the World Council. According to them, the "Love and understanding" centers used to re-educate people whose social credit score has become too low are like spas.

* In ''[[Fanfic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''/''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:/''Borderlands''/''Halo'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, this trope is surprisingly averted given that the [[StateSec Republic Intelligence Service]] has utterly [[TyrantTakesTheHelm supplanted]] the normal civilian government, but they're perfectly content to ''let the media report everything'', from PokeThePoodle to [[ForScience mad science]] and even [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavery]] to fuel aforementioned mad science. It's a bit of a XanatosGambit, if people see this as crossing the GodzillaThreshold they will support RISE; if people rebel the government has an excuse to crack down even more in the name of galactic security.

Sometimes the media are given a shallow, even vapid, appearance. They are shown as caring more about celebrity hijinks, sensationalized violence and crime, and [[MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome missing white women]] than about things like wars, poverty, and corruption that are affecting far more lives. These news desks will be staffed by men and women who look like they came out of a fashion magazine rather than a journalism school. These are likely to display a bad case of WorstNewsJudgmentEver and simply [[NetworkDecay selling out for ratings]], and only say what people want to hear because people don't want to be told that they're living in a CrapsackWorld; they want to escape from everything. Or they will actively promote the idea that the world is a CrapsackWorld, because IfItBleedsItLeads, and blame all the woes on political opponents.

Sometimes the media are given a shallow, even vapid, appearance. They are shown as caring more about celebrity hijinks, [[IfItBleedsItLeads sensationalized violence]], and [[MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome missing white women]] than about things like wars, poverty, and corruption that are affecting far more lives. These news desks will be staffed by men and women who look like they came out of a fashion magazine rather than a journalism school. These are likely to display a bad case of WorstNewsJudgmentEver and simply [[NetworkDecay selling out for ratings]], and only say what people want to hear because people don't want to be told that they're living in a CrapsackWorld; they want to escape from everything.

* One of the DVD extras for ''Film/AntMan'' features Scott Lang being interviewed by a news program concerning the vandalism that landed him in jail. Although he tries to explain away his reasonings (a demonstration against corporate corruption), it turns out that the news program is controlled by said corporation and so the interviewer makes every effort to ensure that the corporation remains above reproach.

Compare with PropagandaPiece. See also OldMediaAreEvil. Likely to be staffed by the FoxNewsLiberal and the PompousPoliticalPundit. Can sadly be TruthInTelevision.

* Reflecting Music/MichaelJackson's view of the press (see Music above), the Creator/CirqueDuSoleil show ''Theatre/MichaelJacksonONE'' has this trope serve as the primary antagonist -- the Tabloid Junkies are evil {{Paparazzi}} who harass the other characters and the audience, and are revealed to be servants of Mephisto (aka the Paparazzi Monster), a HumongousMecha.

** ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' [[spoiler:reveals in TheStinger that the MCU version of ''The Daily Bugle'' is a political talk show instead of a newspaper, still manned by J. Jonah Jameson (who is [[RoleReprisal still portrayed by]] Creator/JKSimmons), who takes doctored footage of Mysterio's rampage and death (that puts the blame on Spider-Man) as gospel truth and in the space of a single minute turns all of New York against "the menace" once again. Talk about a SuddenDownerEnding.]]

* Military thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' is written by a (very) conservative author, and treats the mainstream media mainly as the blindly loyal PropagandaMachine of the villainous Wall Street oligarchs and corrupt bipartisan consensus insiders. There are exceptions, but they tend to be more of the [[VoiceOfTheResistance underground media]] variety.

* In the first ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' films, J. Jonah Jameson again proves he is the exception and not the rule. When confronted with evidence that photos he published of Spider-Man committing criminal acts were faked, his first response is to fire the offending journalist and lament that, for the first time in 20 years, he will have to print a retraction. It's a subtle line, but it shows that as an editor, he is so dedicated to getting it right the first time, not even tiny slip-ups (like a mistyped data or typoed name)are allowed to go to print. He's just that good.

** An entire episode -- the season 15 finale, "Fraudcast News" -- centers on Mr. Burns' takeover of the local news media upon learning about published reports that had announced his death (he had been thought to have been killed in a landslide when Geezer Rock collapsed, only to have survived) and is outraged that he was being labeled as being a hateful man nobody liked and that the destruction of Geezer Rock did everyone a favor. Burns responds by using his vast wealth to purchase every media outlet in Springfield, then begins a public relations campaign to improve his image, notably as a benevolent philanthropist who is out to improve life in Springfield and ignoring altogether any suggestion of scandals or corruption.
** Another episode to lampoon this was Homer Badman, which insulted sensationalist news media, overblown scandals, one-sided stories, and their ability to ruin people's lives. Homer is accused of grabbing a babysitter's butt and made out to be a sexual predator with mobs gathered outside his house and news cameras pointing through his window. On the DVD commentary for the episode, the writers argue that the episode is ''more'' relevant now than it was when it aired.

* In ''Film/StarshipTroopers'', the Federal Network reported on the (probably) coincidental asteroid strike as an attack on earth by the Arachnids on Clendatu. The disaster is twisted in such a way that makes it seem like the [[TheEmpire Terran]] [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Federation]] has no choice but to declare war on Clendatu. The Network also espouse anti-Arachnid propaganda, with one interviewee stating "the only good bug, is a dead bug!" and a mother [[EvilLaugh gleefully cheering]] as her children squish some insects on earth. The Network also glorifies the military, and is putting a very positive spin on how [[BugWar the invasion of Klendatu]] is [[ForeverWar quickly becoming a quagmire.]]

[[caption-width-right:318:Welcome to Fox News]]

Sometimes the media are given a shallow, even vapid, appearance. They are shown as caring more about celebrity hijinks, [[IfItBleedsItLeads sensationalized violence]], and [[MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome missing white women]] than about things like wars, poverty and corruption that are affecting far more lives. These news desks will be staffed by men and women who look like they came out of a fashion magazine rather than a journalism school. These are likely to display a bad case of WorstNewsJudgmentEver and simply [[NetworkDecay selling out for ratings]], and only say what people want to hear because people don't want to be told that they're living in a CrapsackWorld; they want to escape from everything.

* Surprisingly largely averted by J. Jonah Jameson in the ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' stories. While he is obviously biased by his stubborn hatred of superheroes, especially Spider-Man, Jameson otherwise has an impeccable reputation for being an honest and courageous journalist, whom even death threats by mobsters like ComicBook/TheKingpin cannot intimidate from exposing their villainy. Even with his bias against superheroes, he believes most of the stories he publishes slamming them to be true, and will make retractions if shown otherwise.

* In ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse'', Umbrella covers up the virus outbreak and uses its power to convince everybody that Raccoon City was destroyed went the reactor exploded. In addition to the media, the state governor approves of Umbrella's actions. No mention is made of the people who escaped the city. WeWillNotUsePhotoshopInTheFuture is used in reverse, the video showing the truth is declared a forgery.

* ''Film/BroadcastNews'' shows a bit of this. Notable is an early scene where Holly Hunter's character, while addressing a conference of local TV newscasters, screens some of the vapid, fluffy clips that are presented as "news" in place of genuinely important stories... and the assembled anchors spontaneously applaud at the clips.

* In the first ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' films, J. Jonah Jameson again proves he is the exception and not the rule. When confronted with evidence that photos he published of Spider-Man committing criminal acts were faked, his first response is to fire the offending journalist and lament that, for the first time in 20 years, he will have to print a retraction. It's a subtle line, but it shows that as an editor, he is so dedicated to getting it right the first time, not even tiny slip ups (like a mistyped data or typoed name)are allowed to go to print. He's just that good.

* ''Film/HometownStory'' (notable today mostly because it is an early appearance of Marilyn Monroe) is essentially an entire film of this. A former senator returns home to run the town paper. Wanting to increase his popularity so that he can retake his senate seat, he starts looking for a "cause" that he can champion. After failing to prove that the local factory is polluting the river (because it isn't), he starts running a daily opinion piece about the dangers of corporate profits run amok. Unfortunately, he completely ignores the real social and economic arguments on this issue and instead basically just asks "why should big companies make so much money?" This makes it easy for the local business tycoon (who owns the aforementioned factory) to show up and decimate him with a short speech about how "the real profits are all the benefits consumers get from these products." Then to drive the point home, the newspaper man's little sister is trapped by a cave-in, and the "big corporations" jump in to save her.

* Another example of traditional media outlets failing during the zombie apocalypse comes from the ''Literature/{{Newsflesh}}'' trilogy. Television, news and radio spent far too long denying the truth about the threat; meanwhile, the speed and ubiquity of bloggers made new media a far more effective means of spreading information.

* The more of a celebrity the protagonist of the ''Literature/JessicaChrist'' series becomes, the more she grows to hate the press, most members of which seems to be out to make her look as bad as possible. It doesn't help that she gets easily flustered when interviewed and tends to provide a ton of statements that are easy to quote out of context - at one point, she [[EpicFail somehow managed]] to assure the reporter that she was [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial definitely not]] raising an army of TheUndead.

* ''Series/{{Flash Gordon|2007}}'': Both of the [[http://flashgordon.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_110:_Conspiracy_Theory TV stations]] shown are obssesed with ratings and Dale's attempts to promote the value of integrity are ignored.

* Hunter Helquist in ''{{VideoGame/Borderlands2}}'' works for the Hyperion Truth Network, and always badmouths your characters, as well as the Crimson Raiders, a resistance group run by the original Vault Hunters from the first game. No matter what happens during the story missions, he always paints you in a bad light while glorifying [[BigBad Handsome Jack]]. Fortunately a sidequest is available later in the game that allows you to shut him up for good.

* In VideoGame/StarCraftII, UNN is blatantly pro-Dominion. Kate Lockwell, one of its anchors, isn't, but is constantly shut down by her boss.
* The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games feature recurring [[ButtMonkey Designated Punching Bag]] Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani of Westerlund News, who makes a habit of flagging down [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] for an interview and barraging him/her with loaded questions. Each time you encounter her, the option is eventually presented [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential to lay her out with a right hook]]. The third time, however, she will [[TookALevelInBadass duck your punch and try to lay one on Shep in return]]. [[spoiler: Also in the third encounter, if you elect ''not'' to hit her, al-Jilani will break down in tears in fear and frustration over what is happeneing [[DoomedHometown on Earth]], and you can [[VideoGameCaringPotential win her over to your side.]]]]
* The various news sources in the ''Xtended'' GameMod for ''[[Videogame/{{X}} X3: Terran Conflict]]'' slide between being legitimate news sources, such as the multi-racial [=GalNet=] News and the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Argon Federation]]'s Interstellar Broadcast Corporation, to crazy nationalist sources like the [[LostColony Solara]] News Network (considers the Solaran military to be the [[BlatantLies most competent]], downplays corruption, Terrans are literally the devil, etc) and the racist and hyper-isolationist [[PlanetTerra Terran]] Morning News (one article, for example, claims that the Kingdom Of [[StarfishAliens Boron]] may be descendants of Terran aquatic life and [[InsaneTrollLogic therefore are a Terran colony subject to Terran taxes]]).

** Another episode to lampoon this was Homer Badman, which insulted sensationalist news media, overblown scandals, one-sided stories, and their ability to ruin people's lives. Homer is accused of grabbing a babysitter's butt, and made out to be a sexual predator with mobs gathered outside his house and news cameras pointing through his window. On the DVD commentary for the episode the writers argue that the episode is ''more'' relevant now than it was when it aired.

* In ''Film/TheChase'', every single news outlet in Southern California is vapid. One of the drinking game rules is drink whenever some reporter tells you their channel is the first to bring you ''any''thing about the chase. And given this movie was made in 1994, it's become even ''more'' HilariousInHindsight.

* Raptor News Network (RNN) and it's chief anchor Bob Barbas in ''VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry'' is the propaganda arm of Mundus' demonic empire, used to keep the human population docile through a mix of lies, banality and outright brainwashing as well as slandering any threats to their control, such as Dante.

* ''WebAnimation/FreedomToons'': ''The Echo Chamber'' is an InUniverse news show with an extreme left-wing bias replete with demonization, strawmanning, outright manipulation of statistics, and InsaneTrollLogic.

* ''WebAnimation/FreedomToons'': ''The Echo Chamber'' is an InUniverse news show with an extreme left-wing bias replete with demonization, strawmanning, misreading of statistics, and InsaneTrollLogic.