Where are the Anti-War Voices?

Anti-war voices have faced censorship and legal restrictions when challenging those in power.

We hear about wars going on all the time. The jarring headlines grab our attention and tell us what to think before we can even form a thought of our own. The news tells us where the wars are happening, who is involved, why the wars are supposedly necessary, and how we can support our country fighting in it.

    The perspectives given the most spotlight shape how 

Americans understand major political issues, including war.

We often think of the news as a place where we can get a decently-well rounded, factual story. But, can we really get the full story if some of the voices are being silenced? If wars affect an entire country, shouldn't we have access to all the different perspectives and opinions on it? The lack of strong antiwar voices in mainstream news raises an interesting question about what information actually reaches us, and what information is being strategically concealed. 

Most of us have probably heard of CNN, Fox News, or NBC. But how many people have heard of the websites dedicated to speaking out against U.S military intervention? Not many. If strong antiwar voices are out there, which they are, why do we have to actively search for them instead of them popping up on our headlines like the mainstream news? 

War is arguably the biggest issue a nation can face, yet the conversation surrounding it can become one-sided without us even noticing. Sometimes, finding a different perspective means knowing where to look for it.

Millions of Americans have publicly opposed wars

but have not received equal media attention.

When searching for these other perspectives and anti war voices, two websites stood out to me: Antiwar.com and The American Conservative. Neither of these websites will pop up on your internet feed without you having to actively search for them. I never had heard of either of these websites before because I had not looked for them. 

Both sources do have very loud anti war voices, and in fact, they display a strong support for the antiwar movement. If I did not search and find this website, I may not have even known there was currently such as large movement for antiwar in my country. 

That is why stories concerning issues such as Iuliia Mendel, the president's former press secretary, stating she is being politically persecuted and headlines such as "Trump's Govt Makes 'Treasonous' Claim of Weapons Shortages" are not making it to our mainstream feed. 

Government agendas can control the narrative
we believe while silencing opposing voices. 

I believe this is no accident. I believe that this is evidence of the government's hand strategically filtering our news sources and internet feeds to push the agenda they want us to be in support of. I believe this could be evidence of a larger system that influences what stories, opinions, and perspectives have the spotlight for the American public to see.

Whether this influence comes directly from the government, media organizations, or the algorithms that control what appears in our feeds, the results are the same: we may be exposed to certain ideas more often than others so that the government can push their agenda on us to follow.

_________________________________________________

AI DISCLOSURE: AI was not used in the composition of this blog post. 

_________________________________________________