The real battle is not for the White House

[Atman]

After this campaign season -- lo, the entire Bush residency -- I am convinced the problem lies not with the CIC, rather with the CIC's enablers in the media. Just today the Hartford Courant endorsed GWB in a numbingly naive editorial which parroted every discredited claim the administration has been making since day one. Bush is stronger and better able to protect us, Kerry is a flip-flopper, Bush is resolute and determined, Kerry is a flip-flopper, Bush is taking the battle to the terrorists, Kerry is a flip-flopper. The Courant's editorial board is apparently among those 61% of the American illiterati that still believes Saddam was behind the attacks on 9/11. They even went on to say they realize Bush has hurt the economy, the environment, our world standing, and divided our nation..."but we hope he'll pay more attention to these items in his second term."

What kind of "journalism" is this? Oh...Tribune Media Services owns all of the local Hartford media, including our "alternative" paper, and two television stations. I have a hunch I know where they stand on the issue of "media consolidation," too.

We cannot storm the White House. The People's House is now a fortified military bunker in which the people are no longer welcome. But we CAN take back the media. That is not a slogan, that is a call to action. Whether through a strategy of massive boycotts or full-scale take-overs, this madness has got to stop. If Bush is put back in charge of our nation's future, it will NOT be the fault of the electorate. It will lay squarely at the feet of our bought-and-paid-for media.

"Kill your television" has never been a more poignant call. Maybe we need to add "Burn your newspapers" to that bumper sticker, too. After all, thanks to Bush's leadership, it may be the only heat we'll be able to afford this winter.

[Lefty48197]

1. I agree.

I've had it with the corporate media now too. This election period, they have shown themselves to be the whores they are.
The Jon Stewart appearance on Crossfire was our call to arms.
Jon criticized the hosts for being nothing more than a forum for the parties to recite their party-lines. There is no true journalism involved in the show.
Then, I saw Tim Russert interview Peggy Noonan last night. Why did he interview her? Does she provide some deep insite into the events of the day? Well, no actually. She recites the party line just like the others. That's why she was on Russert's show.
It's time to bring down the media. Let the boycotting begin.

[jimshoes]

2. Sounds a lot like the Columbus Dispatch

endorsement of his lowness. It's like they are saying, ... Well, we know he's a fuck-up but let's give him another shot at it cuz we really hate the other guy.

[yardwork]

10. They don't hate Kerry - their advertisers don't want Kerry in power

This isn't about Kerry - it's about keeping the Rethuglicans in power so that they will continue to allow corporations to rape and plunder the world.

It's a fight between good and evil. bushco is evil.

[Laelth]

3. I tend to agree.

Though I'm plenty frightened of Shrub in his own right.

I got lucky this morning and found that my home-town paper, The Macon Telegraph, endorsed Kerry, but I've seen a lot of papers endorsing Bush, and all of their arguments are exceedingly lame. And one has to wonder if the editors are really so stupid. Seems more likely that the corporate owners, those who benefit from Bush's tax cuts, are really calling the shots, while the editors are forced to puke up Republican spin--or else lose their jobs.

:puke:

This is a serious problem, and it demands action. Democracy is meaningless without a free press.

-Laelth

[Hosnon]

7. Hello

Augusta native here. Wish I could say the same but there is no doubt in my mind the Augusta Chronicle will endorse Bush. The editors will probably proclaim him as the Messiah returning.

[Laelth]

12. Yup.

Looks like the Augusta Chronicle endorsed Bush. That's what Democracy Is Coming says, anyway. I can't seem to find the endorsement in the Chronicle's archives. The Savannah paper endorsed Bush too, but it's always conservative. I wonder what Columbus' paper said this time.

:dem:

Kerry on!

-Laelth

[Atman]

4. I'm kicking my own post

I'm so livid at the endorsements of the Cleveland Plains Dealer, The Hartford Courant, et al...I'm also a little dismayed that so few had any comments about Corporate Media's takeover of our government. We can bitch all we want, but if the talking heads only tell the sheeple how wonderful things are, all the bitching in the world will do nothing.

We organized a moderately to highly successful smackdown of Sinclair. It is time to start organizing a media smack-down on a national scale.

[annabanana]

9. I'm thinking the sheer scale of the enterprise has us befuddled.

If we attempt to boycott everything advertised on every channel we shall be pretty much opting out of our century.

I think we ought to make a BIG deal about the consolidation laws once Kerry's administration is in place (pointing out to them that it was only the free wheeling internet that saved his bacon this round). Also the fairness doctrine should be reestablished pronto.

Before we have a more sympathetic administration (and perhaps a less lop-sided Congress) there is little we can do about the big (lack of) picture.

[ruggerson]

5. The Courant has always been a rightwing rag

[Atman]

6. I'm kicking again

For the afternoon crowd.

[yardwork]

8. The media are owned by their advertisers

We've always known that this was a problem, but the consolidation of businesses into a few mega-huge, mega-powerful industry giants has worsened the problem.

These corporations benefit when somebody like chimp is in the WH and his cronies control Congress. They will stop at nothing to keep themselves in power.

We can vote with our ballots, and also with our dollars. Avoid spending money at outlets owned by huge corporations. Instead, buy your necessities second-hand or through small, locally-owned businesses.

[sandnsea]

11. Nov 3 - Take Back The Media

Our troops have fought and died to uphold the freedoms in the Constitution for over 200 years, including freedom of the press. The press needs to respect the troops and print the truth.

That's what we say in every single letter when we write about their lies.

And another thing, a reporter quoting factcheck.org is NOT a reporter. If they aren't quoting source documents, they aren't doing their jobs.

We WILL save our democracy, ALL of it!!

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Excellent post!