let's talk about the press.

so AP released that video of cosby asking that his no comment section not
be aired.

there's a lot going on here.

1) cosby was under the impression that he had an agreement with AP not to ask about this stuff.

when he asked it not to be aired, he almost seemed child-like and meek.
it's easy to feel bad for him in that scene.
if he's innocent, he's asking them to not air this because it will besmirch his good name.
if he's guilty, he's either using psychological tricks to cover his tracks or he's afraid of being branded a rapist.

either way, it's sad.
also sad, is camile next to him, acting as if nothing out of the
ordinary is happening. which means she is either complicit
w/ cosby's behavior or just doesn't believe the allegations.

the interviewer can't promise the clip won't air, so cosby pulls rank.
or tries to. he mentions dude's boss, and also attacks the interviewers integrity.
he does it so naturally, it seems like it can't be the first time he's had this conversation.

but to me, what's chilling, is that AP released the clip.
to me, that was a message to cosby that we aren't reenforcing your narrative anymore.
you've lost control of your image and we ain't backing you up on it.

the reason that's chilling is that regardless of cosby's guilt or innocence,
at one point he was calling the shots on what gets aired and what doesn't.
meanwhile, AP (and most media outlets) try to present themselves
as impartial observers that don't craft the narrative that gets presented.


again, let's put aside cosby's guilt or innocence for a second.
let's look at how this has been reported over the past 20 yrs.
in one narrative, these incidents don't exist.
in one narrative, they do.

no new information came out to warrant the change.
but somehow, the narrative has changed.
and AP leaked the video to let him know that they ain't in his corner any more.


to me, it's unsettling that the media can maintain two different narratives.
they turned on a dime but let's remember-- no new information surfaced
to warrant the switch.

either cosby is guilty or innocent.
so one of these narratives is a lie.

and apparently, the media can switch the narrative at the drop of a hat.
it makes me wonder what else the media
reports (or doesn't report) that shapes our perception of the world.

we can talk all day about cosby's guilt or innocence.
but what's troubling is that the media at one point had a narrative that these
allegations DIDN'T exist...

and now, with no new information,
the allegations DO exist.

and if you are wondering why that matters,
think back to the media coverage leading up to the Iraq war.

is anybody else disturbed that a media machine
can create and destroy stories out of thin air?
if you think i'm exaggerating about that,
ask bill cosby and the alleged victims about whether the media
can create or destroy a world on a whim.

one minute it doesn't exist.
the next minute it does.


a question that i would want the answer to is
what type of person has the power to flick that switch.

and perhaps more importantly, can anything be done
to check their ability to create or destroy a narrative whenever they feel like.