Short story about media manipulation

[pcmacdonald]

I sure hope someone can help me. I used to avidly read sci-fi short story compilations in the mid-60's to early 70's. I read a story once involving the media ( a newspaper I think). Anyway the thrust of the story was manipulating the masses through being selective in how the news was written and choice of words. This may not be much to go on, but I remember thinking what a great story it was. It was certainly prescient, coming decades before social media!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Hmmm. There are probably lots of stories on this theme. One that comes to mind is "The Silly Season" by C. M. Kornbluth (1950), in which aliens plant stories in the newspapers about various weird things, until the public comes to dismiss them, so the aliens can really invade. It's kind of like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I guess you would have remembered aliens, though.

 

[PaulMmn]

Not a short story, but Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Lang" had words in newscasts being restricted, but a couple of #2 words could get the effect of a #1 and not break the law.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Hmmm. There are probably lots of stories on this theme. One that comes to mind is "The Silly Season" by C. M. Kornbluth (1950), in which aliens plant stories in the newspapers about various weird things, until the public comes to dismiss them, so the aliens can really invade. It's kind of like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I guess you would have remembered aliens, though.

I am convinced this is what children's TV has been about for the past few decades. all those Muppets and Tweenies and Tellytubbies and Boobahs (now they were really weird) all part of a plot by the space brothers to make the current generations of kids accepting of the TinkieWinkies and Elmer's when they land on the White House lawn in a generation or so - when the kids of today are in pisitions of power.