How does the news and media companies work behind the scenes? We said earlier that one of the main questions you should ask yourself is who is reporting the news. Today, we are going to discuss another very important point.

Many people think that news companies are providing a service to the population with a social obligation to inform, but these people forget that the media is a business whose goal is to make money.

And, like every other business, there is a product. And what is this product? Maybe, you say: “the news”. But the truth is that the product is you. They are selling your attention, your vote, your opinion, your mind, and purchasing power to their sponsors.

In addition to being a product, you are also segmented by media companies as a “class.” When a media company sells advertising space, it informs the customer what kind of class is following it.
Suppose they are people of class “A” (rich), “B”, “C” (which is the standard population), “D” and “E” (which are the poorest classes). They look for our eyes and ears and click. There is, for example, the term “Clickbait.” These ads have flashy titles and photos that attracts our curiosity. And you click and click because the more clicks you give, the more they earn. This is being sold to advertisers.

What we call “news” is not necessarily “useful information”; it is, in fact, what most gets the audience’s attention because the larger the audience, the more people click. Also human nature comes into this too. When we have traffic congestion caused by an accident, everyone passes by, turning their heads looking at someone else’s misfortune, causing the congestion. The accident is sometimes not blocking the road, but congestion happens because of the curiosity of other drivers.

What draws the most attention from human beings? Ninety-per-cent of what you see as news falls into “scandals,” “disasters/tragedies,” “crimes,” and “celebrities.” For example, these are the news headlines about hurricanes or the “six-pack” of celebrities.

What do we conclude? Most “news” is not news; it’s just a way to hold your attention. So, do you need this kind of content in your head?

And like every other business, you must invest money in the media. So, companies profit from sales, their decision to allocate money, and their own interests.

I remember that once, the Universal Church was going to hold an event at Maracana Stadium, and the media in Rio de Janeiro announced that there would be a storm (so that people would not go to the event). Fortunately, people didn’t give any credit, and it was a success. And the storm never occurred; it was a lie.

And I conclude here, talking about money:

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

So, the love of money, which includes the search for profit that the media makes has been linked to the evil in many people’s lives. So, consider whether you really want to give your time and your click to these people who wish to gain your attention and profit from it.

Watch the entire message in the video above.