Dog, I was thinking more about this essay, and I realized my ending was somewhat off -- as the poster I quoted who felt so abused time and time again is also acting like a trained seal, by returning there time and time again.
I wrote and posted on my blog another essay about the aftermath of this, as I tried, in good faith, to get some of the well-known media professors to publicly denounce this media manipulation. But, they have conflicts of interest with that forum, in their direct and indirect financial ties in consulting and writing for Huff Post (I think they are all paid contributors there). One professor is starting a new business venture with an investor from that forum, as disclosed in the professor's blog bio.
But, when such relationships exist - how can those professors continue to do their jobs as educators, since their job duties do include, I am sure, to continue to uphold an academic integrity about their subject? There is no integrity in their field, media criticism, if they take money from media and then conveniently look the other way when someone complains of media manipulation by their media employer/business partner.
I know the term "media elite" is overused, but it does apply in some cases, like this instance. These educators are just too far above the little people to care that people on that thread were hurting as a result of that manipuylation by Huff Post administrators. It's sad.
The only good thing I can say about today's media manipulation is that we've gotten much better at identifying it.
When I was growing up, Walter Cronkite WAS the most trusted man in America.
Today, we know he's little more than a Jimmy Carter clone, a hack who hates America.
So we have made some progrees. Not nearly enough, but some.