But what if you push the second story? You're going out on a limb. If it's proven right, you might get a boost to your reputation. But of it is proven wrong, or if it's never proven one way or the other, but the mainstream consensus prevails anyway, you've isolated yourself and laid yourself open to "supporting a brutal dictator" -- and your media experience will tell you just how you'll be treated for that; you'll be treated like George Galloway. . You can't push both stories. There's only going to be four minutes allocated to Syria on tonight's show. . Remember, it's your professional reputation, your family's income and financial security that's on the line. Do you think that such decisions are made without any unconscious input? Don't you expect news workers to prefer pushing stories they feel safe about? Clark, sorry I don't have time to engage properly, but a quick observation -- in the case of my friends and family they really are disinterested rather than otherwise persuaded. These lofty discussions about rights and wrongs are not very relevant to the business of everyday living -- making ends meet, raising children, keeping up with the Joneses. I think this is not surprising -- we all come from a long line of ancestors who prioritised family life. . There are indications from research in the US (referenced by Chomsky) that the public attitudes on many issues of foreign and domestic policy oppose radically the propaganda that is pushed