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"Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison released a new song on streaming platforms Thursday whose title espouses a classic antisemitic trope.

The lyrics of the song, “They Own The Media,” never indicate who the pronoun in its title refers to. But Morrison, a two-time Grammy winner, was also accused of antisemitism for the 2005 track “They Sold Me Out,” and throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been trafficking in conspiracy theories that frequently overlap with Jew-hatred.

The album raised eyebrows in March when its song list was revealed, including titles such as “Why Are You On Facebook,” “Big Lie,” and “Stop Bitching, Do Something.” On the website Stereogum, writer Tom Breihan called out “They Own the Media,” saying “it sure seems to be an antisemitic trope.”

And on the website insidehook.com, Bonnie Stiernberg noted that “even if it’s not relying on old antisemitic stereotypes, the idea that any singular group of people ‘owns the media’ is a dangerous myth.”


They tell us that ignorance is bliss
I guess for those that control the media it is
They own the media
They control the stories we are told
If you ever try to go against them
You will be ignored

Cause they control, they control
They control the narrative
They perpetuate the myth
Keep on telling you lies
Tell you ignorance is bliss
Believe it all and you’ll
Never get wise to the truth
Cause they control everything you do
Everything you do
Everything you do
Everything you do

They control the narrative
They perpetuate the myth
Keep on selling you lies
Tell you ignorance is bliss
Believe it all and you
Never get the truth
Never get wise, wise to their lies
To their lies
They control the media
They control the media
They control the media
They control the media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Zg023J-ok