Until recently, almost the entire international media establishment maintained an apparent information blackout of the yearly gatherings. Despite the fact that representatives of some of the world’s largest news outlets are always present at the conference, the vast majority of event coverage has generally come from the alternative press.
The rise of the Internet and widespread media choice, however, appear to have had a major effect. This year, the Bilderberg conference is attracting far more scrutiny than past gatherings — in line with a steady trend over the last few years of increasing awareness surrounding the affair.
Several major media outlets around the world have already picked up the story. And news of the gathering is expected to continue making headlines in the coming days as the conference kicks off Thursday. Some of the mainstream press coverage thus far, however, has focused primarily on downplaying the meeting’s importance and painting its critics in a negative light.
In a June 8 BBC article, the government-funded media outlet attempted to ridicule concerns about the Bilderberg meeting and the massive power wielded by attendees. Citing various authors, the state reporter desperately tried to link critics of the secretive meetings to “anti-Semitism,” a psychological feeling of alienation or powerlessness, and even belief in a world “governed by alien, reptilian shape shifters” expounded by a former sports journalist named David Icke.
