Lou Dobbs and the polarization of the media

The Lou Dobbs story is interesting. This article really shines a light on the "business" aspect of the media.

Especially telling is the part where they are talking about CNN trying to position their "brand" as middle of the road, compared to "left" MSNBC and "right" FOX. So they are crafting their positions, and their commentators have to toe the line or get the boot.

This ties in nicely in my head with the recent New Yorker article about how the Internet really amplified "group polarization" where people only socialize and communicate with like minded people, hearing their own opinions reinforced and creating a feedback loop which drives them to extreme beliefs. One key point that article makes is that while most people think the Internet gives us the ability to find any piece of information out there and so be more informed, in reality, what it gives us is an unprecedented ability to customize our sources of information to filter out anything we don't want to hear.