The Next Battle Front : The Fascists Corporate Mainstream Media

[radio4progressives]

Recently I posted a thread on how the fascists corporate mainstream media (FCMSM) is the enemy of the Democratic Party, and I sense that most of us are in unanimity on that point by now. And I think most have observed a new ratcheting up of distortion and misinformation particularly on the Alito Confirmation process, with regard to Democratic Party positions, most particularly as to the matter of the Filibuster.

I think the recent Media Activism which has been apparent here on DU is fantastic. It's also evidence that more and more people are beginning to recognize how severely the FCMSM is having on the goals we are all struggling to achieve.

We all know that Alito should not be confirmed to SCOTUS for many many very important reasons, not the least of which has been highlighted over and over again during the hearings and the debate on the Senate floor. Alito has a record of giving significant deference and protection to Corporations over the civil rights and the Constitutionally protected liberties of ordinary citizens, and he gives deference to Executive "powers" over the powers of Congress as defined in the Articles contained within the Constitution.

Corporations, are regarded by Alito over and above ordinary citizens, and it's the Corporations who own the Media.

These Corporations who own the FCMSM are War Profiteers. They profit from phony scandals and manufactured sensationalized events.

They profit from violent crime and catastrophic events as well as illnesses. In order to profit from these stories, the FCMSM requires a dumbed down citizenry in order to produce the hyper consumerism needed for advertising dollars, and the very last thing they want in this culture is a critically thinking electorate and citizenry .

Obviously, a well informed citizenry will not generate high profit margins with which to line their CEO's pockets and investment portfolios.

Ok, none of this is news to anyone here. We know what their bottom line agenda is, so what's the point of all of this? I think the point is we're not asking the right question, which goes to the question of what does the FCMSM FEAR the most?

My opinion is that the FCMSM fear Democrats returning to power.

I think they fear what will happen will be something akin to what Gore apparently promised in 2000. The moment the Democratic Party regains power, they would likely appoint an FCC with the authority to re-establish the Fairness Doctrine. That same FCC under a Democratic Party administration and Congress, would implement rules and regs which would disallow the consolidation that has occurred in the past several years and implement means to restore balanced content with less bias in broadcast and print media.

My mantra has been that the FCMSM is the enemy of the people and most especially the Democratic Party.

When the Alito fight is over, I strongly suggest a bit of rest, restoration and nourshment of the soul and spirit for a little while, and then kick into high gear on the media front with our activism, which I think is a critical front on the battle to reclaiming our democracy, our country and to restore our Constitution.

And if we ever want to see our issues covered at all, our favorite candidates campaigns covered fairly and accurately and with the appropriate level of amplification, we'll need to reclaim it with or without the Democratic Party's assistance at hand, or in mind.

At the present the FCMSM, including PBS and NPR, are brazenly offending and dismissing at least half of the voting electorate of 2004. From a "profit" point of view, that's actually a very stupid business practice. So on it's face it doesn't seem to make sense.

So I am compelled to conclude that the FCMSM are more concerned and fearful of a Democratic Party returning to power, than they are of the financial loss of advertising $$$$$$$$ by ignoring half of the voting electorate.

We have several battle fronts before us. We have abolishing electronic voting machines, I have also argued that we need to abolish the electoral college system, but we are not in unanimity on that yet.

But as long as we are subjected to a FCMSM that call the Presidential election results and victories, that engages in wantan saber rattling and constant drumbeat for more imperial wars, that refuses to report the truth with accuracy and thoroughness, and continues to portray our heroes as "fringe" or lunatics and the like, we need to deal with this matter head on, with the determination to take these fascists bastards down, imo. Or we will never get these other critical issues covered on the level that it deserves, such as the issues concerning electronic voting machines, and a host of other major, critical issues.

Others mileage may vary, but i do believe this is the next big battle front, after the Scalito filibuster is over.

The Media IS the Issue.

[samhsarah]

1. Agreed. K&R nt

[AX10]

2. Agreed! See this link:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2707

[samhsarah]

3. WOW!

Two liberals too close together? You GOTTA be kidding me. Gawd help us all.

[radio4progressives]

4. Yes FAIR and Media Matters are doing great work

those organizations are our allies and our resources for activism.

also freepress.net is very critical in this battle.

[AX10]

5. See this thread I started..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2402935&mesg_id=2402935

[radio4progressives]

6. Like Minds...

You did a great job in articulating and outling how this all came about, and I try to advance what now needs to be done.

we need to combine these two threads somehow...

[thinkingwoman]

7. I have a question

I don't know if you have the answer but I welcome educating from anyone who does...

Did the USSR media come around before the fall of the country or after?

Similar question for any other country whose experience may be relevant to us now.

As a recovering journalist, I am eager to take down the MSM and replace it with the journalism we the people deserve.

[radio4progressives]

9. TASS or Pravda?

According to wikipedia, the USSR was formally established in 1922..

The formation of the USSR officially formalized in 1922.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

The formation of the Soviet Union was the culmination of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which overthrew the short-lived Provisional Government (established after Tsar Nicholas II abdicated on March 15, 1917), and later the Red Army victory in the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920. The geographic boundaries of the Soviet Union varied with time, but by 1945 it approximately corresponded to that of historic Imperial Russia, with the notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The geographic size of the Soviet Union remained from 1945 until its dissolution.

Pravda was the official and leading paper of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union. Very interesting time line here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda


The Broadcast Media was apparently first started in 1938, but limited to Moscow and Leningrad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_television

Regular TV broadcasting in the USSR started in 1938, first in Moscow and Leningrad only.

Initially TV was governed by the "All-Union Committee for Radiofication and Radio Broadcasting at the USSR Sovnarkom"

TASS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_television

The Soviet Union's television news was provided almost entirely by the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, commonly known as TASS.

[thinkingwoman]

58. Thanks! nt

[Eric J in MN]

20. Gorbachev called for openness in the media.

Then the Soviet Empire broke up.

[thinkingwoman]

57. Thanks! nt

[Catrina]

8. Great Post, Radio Lady. I agree, this should have been the first battle

imo. This week I was told by friends and family members how the Abramoff scandal was a bi-partisan scandal. Some are Republican, others Democrats but they were fooled by the lies being told still, four weeks after the story first hit the MSM and four weeks after the RNC lies were debunked.

I told them the facts and they believed me because even my Repub. friends know I wouldn't lie and they too have lost respect for the MSM, realizing they were lied to about the war. Still, since they had no other information, they did accept the Abramoff/Dems-did-it-too lie.

We will not win the election if the media remains as it is now. So I agree that this is the next battle ~

Recommended ~

[radio4progressives]

11. Yes.. This was my First Arena of Political Activism

Though it was narrowly focused in saving the Pacifica National Radio Network which was hijacked by Corporatist. That David and Goliath struggle began in 1999 and ended 2002, it broadened my awareness to what was occurring as a result of the de-regs (which occurred under President Clinton) in the mid-nineties which brought on the advent of consolidation of media ownership, which created the solidification of the propaganda machine we are confronting right now.

The major challenge was (and still is) the limited ability to get the issue before a broader publics attention, because by then it was sort of like asking the Fox who guards the hen house to warn the hens of the existence of the fox!

Therefore LTTE in print media which brought attention to the issue in a meaningful way, would never get published.

[Catrina]

22. Oops, I need to apologize for not getting your name right ~ was in a rush

What would it take to have independent newspapers all over the country? In every state, I mean? Even if it was just printing out some of the blogs and distributing them ~ there is more information online than on any television news program ~ but many people still are not online, or don't have time to be. That might be a start as far as getting real news out to more people.

Congratulations on your victory with Pacifica ~ my contribution to this effort has been to cancel cable a few weeks ago. I finally had it with all the lies and prefer to get news from sources I have more trust in. I'm amazed that I still know way more about current events than those I know who rely on the MSM for their news ~ I do not miss television news at all.

[radio4progressives]

25. No apologies Necessary, I like "Radio Lady" just fine ;)

You asked good questions. There is no one answer, which makes it easier to approach. There have been so many creative strategies for getting out information.

One way to get out important news stories, is to print several copies from the on-line source and then go around to as many different public spaces as convenient, or that you can and stragegically place the news stories anywhere that a somebody will stumble on to it. such as magazine racks in book stores and libraries, restrooms, cafe's and laundrymats. News vending machines that are free, you know and so on.

It's a strategy in the "be the media" movement.

But here's an important link to learn more about what is going in this movement : http://freepress.net/

also there is www.mediamatters.org and www.fair.org

The "free pacifica movement" was an eye opener in more ways than any of us could have imagined.

[leftstreet]

10. I'm not sure the corporate media fear Dems. I think they fear labor

Or a third party, whatever.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a disaster in terms of deregulation and consolidation of mega-controlled talking points. And the Dems didn't really fight it.

Molly Ivins did several great columns on it at the time, and for years after. She was seriously pissed off.

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=13595


The bill was actually written by industry lobbyists, each of the several components of telecom snarling at one another like wolves over a piece of meat as they ripped up 70 years worth of regulatory experience. The wolves united once the bill hit the floor to push it through. We few, we happy few, who raised hell about it at the time had it condescendingly explained to us that the magic of the marketplace would take care of all our doubts.

Here's what the magic has done in just one area. Before Reagan, a radio company could own 12 stations nationally and no more than two in any one market. After the first round of de-reg in the '80s, that was changed to no more than 28 nationally and no more than four in one market. The '96 law changed that to as many as you could acquire nationally and eight in one market. The result, we were told, would be increased competition. Sure.

[radio4progressives]

13. Excellent Post... And You Make a Fair Point...

You betcha they fear Labor and they certainly fear any sort of populist movement, whether it is rising within or outside of the Democratic Party.

I think that they have a very good sense that the rank and file in the party are not of the same stripe that controlled the party under the Clinton administration which gave away the store.

I believe that the CEO's of the FCMSM are quite aware of the currents of a populist movement underway, that's why they do everything to censor or redact completely that story in any of it's form.

Whether it's about Al Gore's very significant speech made last week, or even Kerry's call to filibuster the Alito confirmation, or in addressing the clean money campaign, or the voting machines fraud issues, we can go on and on enumerating a plethora of events and issues which are not and will never be mentioned on the air, or with a modicum of fairness and accuracy.

And Labor? oh yeessss, they fear the labor movement indeed. FCMSM will do everything in their power (and they have a lot of it)to ensure the end of the Labor movement.

You've just underscored in many ways, the breath of the problem which needs to be addressed head on.

[leftstreet]

15. It's interesting to note

My work brings me into much contact with the elderly. Whenever they're exposed to anyone speaking truth to power, they get confused and pissed off that the "news" isn't covering it. Given my location, I assume most have been (true conservative) Repubs all their lives. Depression. WWII. Vietnam. Kent State. I'm continually surprised by the breadth of their mainstream knowledge of past news events. And I hear over and over - "why isn't the news reporting on (this)?"

They wanna know what's going on!

[sandnsea]

16. Yeah, but why

I think we should look at the Democratic stories that have worked, like social security, and see if we can find a connecting thread as to who pushed them. Because it does seem like we can get a fair story in sometimes, so why??

[radio4progressives]

26. HRC nailed it spot on when she talked about the "Vast Right Wing"

Conspiracy.

I think the Social Security issue, was one that people recognized wasn't about "Democrats vs Republicans" or "Liberalism vs Conservatism" because people have parents who depend Social Security to get by, otherwise THEY (those in the media reporting on the story)would end up having to fork out a good chunk of their own salaries to support their parents or grandparents etc.. just a guess..

[sandnsea]

30. Let's see

What about when they report on the Iraq war deaths, or other problems. Or that Bush has done nothing on Iran and N Korea. Or the Delay arrest. Or the Texas Democrat story. Or what some "Democratic leaders" say. Who are those "leaders"?

Do you think the VRWC is also directing which Democratic stories can be told? Or do you think maybe there's some Democratic strategists that get into the media, but don't represent anything that 90% of Democrats believe?

[radio4progressives]

36. I think it's a combination

First of all, i do not believe that FCMSM is reporting the actual facts of Iraq deaths or our own losses, they only report what the Pentagon wants them to report, deaths that are lost in the "field of battle", or blown up by ied's and helicopter crashes. Deaths that occur from the wounded in hospitals are not counted, deaths that are contractors are not reported, and are not included in the counts. Totals of all deaths military and civilian contractors in the theatre of war are actually upwards to around 10,000 at the minimum.

That aside, if you listen carefully to the reports of "problems" scandals and such, but read from other sources the full depth of these matters, one finds massive amount of material NOT included in these reports broadcast on the FCMSM, depending on the "sensitivity" are buried in backpages, and that's generally the least of the problem.

Consider the Domestic Spying story, held by the NYT for a solid year, pre-elections, consider the Abu Ghraib Court matters, consider the Judith Miller stories on WMD's i could go on and on. Surely, you don't need reminding?

As to the matter of the party, have you not witnessed, observed with your own eyes and ears the lengths that the FCMSM goes to twist and distort to such degrees as to make Kerry out to be a lunatic fringe for his audacity to filibuster, for instance?

On the other hand, you make a fair point, is the Democratic Party it's own worst enemy by trotting out strategy imbiciles and policy nitwits as spokespersons to address issues on Sunday Morning talk shows, and afternoon "public affairs" programming?

Absolutely.

[sandnsea]

48. What about Murtha

How did he come to get CNN live coverage?

I'm not saying the media ever report news Bush wouldn't like completely or accurately; rather that there does seem to be occasions where Democratic news does make it into the manstream, quickly and clearly. Including Murtha. How'd that happen? We had real momentum going, with Murtha's position and the drawdown and bench marks by some other Dems. All of a sudden, the entire Iraq drawdown ideas just died. How could we make headway one week, and then be completely stifled the next. I think it's more than the right wing influencing what the media covers.

[radio4progressives]

50. I won't argue that... Again, I suggest it is a combination of different

elements and different controlling interests. In the case of Murtha however, i think the media acted like deer caught in the headlights.

The BushCo and Pentagon didn't see it coming so they didn't have their talking points prepared and Rove wasn't on his game or available because he had other matters like the Plame Leak affair which was raving at that same time. You got to look at the context of what's going on, and realize they're not always on their game.

You might recall that the Plame Leak affair was coming to a full head it was assumed, or winding up, and it look like Rove was going to be caught up in that web of indictments...

there are always slivers of moments like, but look at how Murtha has been treated in the media since?

[Surya Gayatri]

54. I think you're right, sand...

These "news" outlets have to fill their airtime after all. Occasionally they do broadcast a "breaking" story in a fairly direct & unbiased way--that is before the push back from their Corporate masters & the noise machine on the right. SG

[kevinbgoode]

12. As someone with two degrees in that industry

let me just say that in many ways I agree with you. What we have been seeing on display throughout the so-called "liberal" media (which was nothing more than another stealth line of crap from the wingnuts) is an absolute disregard for both fairness in balance, both in commentary and in their reporting. Moreover, they've done a rather marvelous job of creating manipulation bias in much of their general reporting - and when they are caught, the only response the public gets (if they get one at all) is "gosh - we didn't know."

For every instance where the wingnuts scream "treason" at every note of dissent about official government policies, there are dozens of treasonous incidents where these same people, and their media slaves, parrot deliberate lies and misinformation out of complete and utter disregard for the American people and any notion of freedom. These are the true traitors - those who would gag an entire nation under the guise of "protecting freedom" and crow about morality as they fleece the general population of any self-respect and wealth that remains.

While they will never accept responsibility for their actions, it is their behavior which has stripped this nation of goodwill from others in the world and has generated the growing image among both allies and adversaries that the United States is a nation in decline. Of course, they blame this on the gays - and yet still depend on them to serve in their armed forces so they can wage wars of conquest with little or no return. These are the people responsible for letting the entire world see a beloved American city drowned in the aftermath of a hurricane, while the richest nation in the world stood by and whined that the people should have walked 200 miles to safety and carried their homes on their backs as well. And these are the same people who cry about the "sanctity" of marriage, yet stick their noses and demands into the lives of Michael and Terri Schiavo as if their opinions of that marriage were utterly more important than the sanctity of anything.

And through it all, the media carried their banner high, insulting the overwhelming majority of American citizens by refusing to even consider their public opinion. That same media gave voice to some of the country's worst scalawags and scoundrels in the form of Dobson and Wildmon, Robertson and Falwell, and treated their fringe superstitions as if straight from heaven itself. And this is the media that openly hires graduates from "conservative" media training organizations as if they have somehow discovered that political alignment doesn't lead to outright bias and conflict of interest. They think so little of their country and the people who live here that they prostitute their own ethical conduct for sensationalized advantage rather than for the consideration of protecting our freedom and then hide behind the same Constitution that they manipulate to defend their lack of commitment to those they were trained to protect.

[radio4progressives]

21. Fantastic Post! You have Cogently Articulated the Issues so well.

Far better than I could have if I worked at it all night, and from the insider's perspective.

Are you working as a journalist now? Can you offer any suggestions other than the LTTE's and phone calls? Do you think that targetting advertisers is useful, how do we break through this wall of ignorance, and intolerance for truth and fairness? or can we?


It wasn't until early in 2004, when i actually learned or realized that some news anchors personalities, in radio or cable tv were not only younger, lacking important institutional memory of our own history, but from some other kind of environment altogether, and right wing in nature but in some cases seemed to be religious "fundamentalist" in nature it seemed to me. that's when Michelle Malchin came onto my radar screen and I saw how she was being treated seriously and i realized that something far worse than i had imagined was going on.

We have our challenges, and as stated in another thread, the Democratic Party under Clinton simply allowed this to happen with the de-regs.

I think the Religiousity and Proselytizing on CNN and other cable and broadcast stations, that seemed to suddenly appear on the screen just last year, with the Terry Shiavo, and the death of one Pope and coronation of the next, and on and on, I would never have dreamt to be bombarded with this years ago. It is beyond contempt to me. But it is essentially of the same disregard to viewers, readers and listeners who actually think and see things through a different lens than their conservative/wing nut povs.

[kevinbgoode]

49. I think there are some effective things that can apply pressure

to some segments of the media. For one thing, you have to concentrate on one offender on a network at a time - and yes, go after their advertisers. I've been blistering Verizon, for example - they provide my DSL service and every morning when I turn on my puter, there is their homepage with MSNBC "news video" of some crap from Scarborough or Tweety. If you are a paying customer and they don't provide any other viewpoints, you sure as hell SHOULD complain about that crap being put on the homepage THEY designed for their own customers.

Advertisers only work in some circumstances, and I think that has to be very organized and a last resort when appealing to the management of a company doesn't get you anywhere. But with newspapers, if their slant is decidedly so right wing that they barely have any other representation on their editorial page, ask to write op-ed pieces as a different perspective - and if they refuse, hunt down their parent company (you know, the chain who owns them) and scour their web site for every company policy in regards to managing their newspaper chain. Then start climbing the ladder with examples of their bias, particularly in news stories. Don't be afraid to ASK them if they've done surveys to determine the political attitudes of their perceived audience; challenge them every time they write about a subject and it is obvious they've pulled their opinion NOT from their own brain, but from reading some wingnut web site.

And if all that fails, that's when you organizing some friends - or maybe construct a web site and use your own training to criticize and correct the local media...you know, sort of like a little mini-Media Matters. I've been wondering if that would work, and I'll bet you could get a decent audience of locals just by putting up some notices. Frankly, I think we should all start considering constructing such alternative media in our communities, especially if the MSM continues to be so ridiculously biased.

[radio4progressives]

64. You provide here many valuable ideas on how to go about this

I look at the problem from both the national and local pov, and the reason for that is that it's the major cable and broadcast news networks that get far more viewership than local papers get readers, for their source of the news. Radio syndicated news and talk shows which gets the lyons share of listeners and who are captive audiences which makes it a very critical front.

It's these sources which dumb down and shape public perception through their biases, censorship etc. So that's why i feel compelled to advance the notion of national media activism..

I think the current campaign around Chris Matthews is an excellent beginning, so i would encourage DU members to throw themselves into that activism once the Filibuster campaign is over. I believe they're targeting advertisers if I'm not mistaken but it can't end there. We'll need to expand the campaign, which is going to be tough because a major Pentagon/DoD contractor, General Electric owns the broadcast company, and that makes them one of the most important water carriers for this fascist administration and the war effort.

[radio4progressives]

14. Link to a Related Thread posted tonight gives Historical Backdrop

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2402935

[upi402]

17. Agree 110%, Too bad Clinton/Gore killed the fairness doctrine.

:puke: DINOs piss me off! Almost as much as the media traitors.

[Eric J in MN]

18. Ronald Reagan vetoed the Fairness Doctrine.

The courts ruled in the 1980s that the Fairness Doctrine wasn't mandated by law.

Congress passed a Fairness Doctrine law, and Ronald Reagan vetoed it; Congress couldn't override his veto.

[upi402]

28. 1996 Telecommunications Act, signed by Clinton

Recognizing the increasing convergence between media, the Clinton administration has proposed a new telecommunications policy to open up the so-called "Information Superhighway." In a January 11, 1994, speech, Vice President Gore outlined the administration's proposals to encourage competition in the information marketplace, including a recommendation that telephone and cable TV companies be allowed to enter each other's businesses. These proposals did not pass in the 103rd Congress. In January 1995, The new Republican Party leadership of the 104th Congress proposed an even more sweeping rewrite of the 1934 Communications Act, which would do away with the court decree breaking up the communications giant AT&T, as well as federal and state laws barring phone and cable companies from each other's markets.

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/media/files/media3cd.htm




LOUISE SLAUGHTER: Yes. Fairness isn't going to hurt anybody. I just can't imagine these people who want to fight against fairness. And I noticed that just recently, I believe President Clinton said that the 1996 Telecommunications Bill was probably one of his worst mistakes?

BILL MOYERS: He signed it?

LOUISE SLAUGHTER: You see this is what's happening out there. People I think are really saying, "Wait a minute. This has gone way too far."

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/slaughter.html

[radio4progressives]

32. Wow... I hadn't remembered that Gore signed on to this...

guess it's hard to believe right now...

[upi402]

35. I recall getting mad at the TV set during those time! LOL

<In a January 11, 1994, speech, Vice President Gore outlined the administration's proposals to encourage competition in the information marketplace, including a recommendation that telephone and cable TV companies be allowed to enter each other's businesses.>

That seems to imply Gore supported it, but took an 'IT superhighway' focus. He was an outright free-trader, however and a friend of the corporate masters who now have their way with us all.

"Dang Pandora, why dincha tell me *THAT* was in there!"

[radio4progressives]

37. I hardly watched television then, i was totally immersed in music

rehearsals and performance and i was into radio. i hardly noticed what that was all about.. I didn't understand the impact when i read the reports... hadn't considered it, didn't think it was that important in my little corner of the world. i didn't watch tv, so it didn't matter to me. little did i ever imagine.

[upi402]

40. I went through the same exact thing too.

But in the late 70's. It dovetailed into my becomming aware...

As the business side of music began to wear on me, I began to look around more.

[radio4progressives]

42. Ah.. I should have mentioned.. i was not into mainstream music scene

in the early seventies, the mainstream world of "rock and roll" got commericialialized to the point where i no longer listened, and gravitated to jazz and classical... then i discovered bluegrass, ole timey, cajun, scottish and irish and eastern european...

never hear this stuff on commercial stations... well except certain locations... so i left the world of "mainstream" back then.. actually i never really belonged to it in the first place... ;)

[Eric J in MN]

43. I don't have a problem with cable and phone companies

getting into each others business.

I'm against letting one company own as many radio stations as it wants. The excerpt doesn't say that Al Gore wanted unlimited radio station ownership for companies like Clear Channel.

[ClayZ]

47. He is trying to make up for it with Current TV.

I think there is hope there.

[Eric J in MN]

19. Also, Al Gore has given us "Current TV" where we can submit

our own videos and/or vote to greenlight the videos we like.

www.current.tv

And we might not be at this website today if not for legislation from Al Gore which turned the ARPANET into the INTERNET.

[radio4progressives]

27. I'm not assigning blame to Gore...

Clinton has cited his de-regs as being a huge mistake that he regrets now.. I'm of a mind to organize a grassroots campaign to force him to take his millions and invest in the same thing Gore is doing only on a more mainstream level. a true alternative to CNN/MSNBC.

[Eric J in MN]

44. Go for it (nt)

nt

[upi402]

31. Current TV eliminated my ONLY news on TV! -international news

Fuck that! That really pissed me off.
Just what kind of pap might I submit to Current TV trendy gadgetry commercial?

I miss my ITV, CBC, BBC, Deutch Welle, etc

Thanks for NAFTA and thanks for that!

[radio4progressives]

38. Are you on Cable?

I don't think i get Current tv? I'm on dish network.

[Eric J in MN]

45. "Current TV" isn't on DISH.

It's on DirectTV satellite.

It can also be ordered on Comcast cable in some cities, as a "Digital Extra."

[Eric J in MN]

51. They showed this piece on the use of white phosphorous

by the US military in Iraq. Watchable online at:
http://www.current.tv/video/?id=1187335

Produce a video about an important topic like that.

Let us know after you've uploaded it to their website, and DUers can vote it up.

[radio4progressives]

86. that's interesting... i wonder what the viewership numbers of current is?

any way to tell what the hits are on that site?

[Douglas Carpenter]

23. have you anything new about IWT (Independent World Television) ?

link:

http://www.iwtnews.com/

I've made a few postings about his project in the past and I'm wondering how things are going. It sounds like one of the most significant ideas I have heard about.

Help launch IWTnews Nightly!
Your support made our web launch a success. Now, Independent World Television has completed a detailed Development Plan for tackling our next phase – culminating in the launch of IWTnews Nightly, the network's first nightly one-hour TV news program.

How you can help
Have a look at our plan. And consider making a contribution to help put our plan into action. Your contribution now will help IWT:

- Launch the IWTnews Production Unit, producing original documentaries, news stories and sample programming that gives a first taste of IWT.

- Expand the web site to deliver richer content, and build more of your participation into our vision, plan and programming.

- Grow our movement, empowering supporters to participate through meet-ups, local committees and house parties.

http://www.iwtnews.com/contribute

[Eric J in MN]

24. IWT News hasn't updated their website in a month.

When I wrote them and some people affiliated with them, I got no reply.

[upi402]

33. That's sad to learn

[radio4progressives]

39. hmm... it seems to me i just read a report in past couple of weeks

with updates... i'll have to dig around to look for that info..

[radio4progressives]

29. Anxiously waiting .. looks like nothing until 2007..

seems like an eternity, but i'm holding out hope that it will be significantly more on the msm radar screen than Link or FSTV has managed to be. Link and FSTV are availabe on Dish Network and Direct TV but I don't think they're availabe on Comcast.. (?)

I'm hoping that IWTNews will be digitally situated between CNN and MSNBC and FOX on cable and satellite.

But no updates in the past week.. i don't think (I have to double check my inbox - it's been full of Alito/Filibuster petitions etc)

[upi402]

34. I had hopes of them being up before '06 elections

[radio4progressives]

41. me too... the last update i read still mentioned 2007. n/t

[AntiFascist]

46. Sounds good....

this is the direction that will put the biggest dent in the tv-oriented MSM.

[Surya Gayatri]

52. Excellent post, radio...

As long as a majority of middle America continues to use this corrupted source for its news & info, no other battles can be fought on an even playing field. Our Fourth Estate, the bedrock of an informed electorate, is in a parlous state. SG

[farmboxer]

53. If America had a free & fair media Bush would be is some very

serious trouble! The Republican corporate right wing mainstream news media is nothing but a cheerleader for Bush and his pals, but if "We the people" can get a level playing field, simply the truth, the real news, such as the 2000 coup, Democrats would win big, and I mean big!!!!!!!

There must be a way millions of people can get a new network started, or at least, get together with Ted Turner, and many other rich people to take CNN back. Bill Gates is worth approx. $47 Billion dollars, he refused Bush's tax cuts for the extremely rich, so perhaps he would help? There are others. I read that Ted Turner was disgusted with CNN and wants to buy it back, but CNN has gone down hill so much that the cost is not worth it to him alone, but if others were to join forces?????????????????? Anyone know any prayers that work?

[radio4progressives]

59. Ask the Coal Miners Families or Katrina Victims if prayers worked for them

Katrina is just about the only event in recent memory that the FCMSM did a decent job with, i suppose the same could be said about the recent coal mining disasters..

But even with that situation, like the coal mining disasters, not much in the way of critical look at the saftey de-regulations under Cheney's energy policies made in secret or lack of congressional oversight.. yes mentioned in brief but no amplification of it.. THAT's a critical problem.

It's often not just a question of reporting, it's the lack of amplification of the PERTINENT questions and issues which need meaningful addressing and consideration. Instead, let's have talk shows that feature missing white women from resort islands no one has ever heard of. Let's devote hours and hours upon hours of air time to meaningless events in order to avoid talking about issues that the American public needs to be informed about, policies that need to be scrutinized and so forth.

[passy]

55. Let the media report on the media.

Start boycotting campaigns against the big players pulling the strings.
Boycott Disney for example to hurt ABC.
Do it one corporation at a time. Find out who has done what which can be seen as anti-patriotic in our sense of the word and feed that to the rest of the media reporting on the boycott.
Stop going to see Disney or Pixar films, stop going to see films distributed by Buena Vista etc... full list of what Disney owns is here:http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/disney.asp
Have demonstrations in front of their offices, tell actors that work for them that they are traitors.
The list of crimes that Disney corp has committed is extensive: just name practically every issue on which the government has been a failure that they under reported or swept under the carpet.
A concerted effort would surely get media attention. And any attention would be good, we just need to have our talking points ready.
I'm sure some more eloquent souls here on DU could come up with some slogans.

If the campaign takes off you can then move on to your next target. I also think that to defend itself corporation would surely point the finger at the others.
I mean if you attack Disney for being un-patriotic and being a part of the government's propaganda machine they would surely want to point to FOX News as being worse than them.
They might also be tempted to point out that NBC is owned by a giant weapons manufacturer that is bound to benefit by scaring people into starting wars.
All in all I think that a well orchestrated strategy might work into making the media its own worse enemy.
There are many other methods that can be used to raise attention to the FCMSM propagandist role.
Enlist actors, make them promise that they will not work for those corporations, tell your friends that you don't allow your kids to watch the disney channel, warn companies that they will end up on the boycotting list if they continue to advertise on the FCMSM etc...
The bottom line is that the bottom line is all that matters to these Corporations, lets kick them where it hurts.

[radio4progressives]

60. that was a tactic we used in the free pacifica movement

In fact we picketed a PR firm's San Francisco office, hired by the Corporate hijackers (Pacifica'sboard of directors at the time)whose biggest client was Disney.

That picketing campaign went on until the the firm dropped Pacifica as a client, because we pointed out that Disney was their client in news reports which covered our story and published in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Bay Guardian. If memory serves, that picketing campaign went on for about three weeks before we were victorious.

The reason why we went after them is because they were publishing stories that represented the hijackers point of view, covering up for their malfeascence and intentions to sell stations to clear channel among other things. it was a major victory for us. they didn't hire another pr firm - but of course that was just the beginning of a long campaign, and people were arrested for civil disobedience which got us more attention.

[democrank]

56. Old habits are hard to break.

Although I`m sure an individual email to corporate media can sometimes get attention, massive strategic boycotts and protests should be considered. Judging from our collective efforts against the Alito nomination this week, I`d say we have what it takes to get our positions heard. It may be a daunting task colored by countless issues, but we certainly have the ability to democratically narrow our concerns and come up with a plan. Maybe a DU task force could be organized to brainstorm on specific actions and goals. We could start by posting a simple DU poll on media concerns.

If the "average" American gets his/her news from seconds-long blurbs on cable television, then I`m not a bit surprised at the outcome. Rarely do we see a serious piece of investigative journalism, an in-depth international news story or a national news story that truly covers both sides. Instead, we get daily regurgitations of pre-approved White House talking points or a "round table discussion" with inside-the-beltwayers who are up to their eyeballs in establishment connections. Once in a while a straight talker comes along...like Howard Dean...and they`re treated like they`re freaks because they don`t spew the accepted lines. Spend five minutes watching Amy Goodman`s Democracy Now and you`ll know what a real news story looks like.

I hope the discussion we`re having here results in a serious effort to combat the pitiful drivel which passes as news. I`m convinced we can do something meaningful.

[radio4progressives]

61. Excellent Ideas - and I especially like the idea of a DU Task Force

Now to figure out how to pull that together on a message board, but this is a community and a rather large one.

I'm certain we can figure out how to organize from here. it's as good as place as any..

[democrank]

65. As for a Task Force involving consenting DUers

it wouldn`t take but a handful of people to get this off the ground. If we could narrow our focus and pinpoint some goals, we`d be off in a flash. There are some relly bright, creative people here with wonderful ideas.

Perhaps we should get this Alito nomination behind us first, then assess the interest in a Task Force. I still think polling is a good place to start. I`d be happy to help in any way I can.

[radio4progressives]

68. a poll sounds great democrank.., Go For It!!

as mentioned in a previous post, i have several errands to run this morning -- and it's getting late. I say go for it!

I certainly agree that we'll need to fire this up following the filibuster campaign, because no matter the outcome of that struggle, those embattled and weary souls will understand all too well, the issue with the media is a major issue to contend with, if we hope to have anything we care about reported and portrayed fairly and accurately .

[democrank]

74. radio....

I`ll get to work on it and check in later.

[radio4progressives]

82. great... maybe after the Veto Alito campaign is over...

might be a good time..

[OnionPatch]

62. I think another area that needs some help

is radio. The radio airwaves are overflowing with hate-spewing reich-wingers. I think this is a large part of the reason why we don't do as well in rural areas. Lots of people out here, farmers, construction workers, contractors, etc. have nothing better to listen to while they work or commute than what's playing in their truck radios and that's usually Rush, Hannity or some local yahoo who's even worse, if that's possible.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd go into radio and try to get some radio station/s to fight this trend. I'm guessing even a small radio station costs a fortune. It is perplexing why some groups of moneyed liberals don't get together and start investing heavily in the media. The market is certainly there for some left-leaning programming. Or could it possibly be that ALL the rich are Republicans and we don't have any investing types on our side?? I guess money corrupts.

[democrank]

67. I agree wholeheartedly.

Do you have any ideas? How could we help?

[radio4progressives]

No Small Radio doesn't cost a fortune, in fact it's "cheaper than food"

Prometheus Radio is a real trail blazer, media activist, Pete Tridish in this work. (appropriate name)

I met him several years ago when he just getting started just following Clinton's telecommunciations act and de-regs - and now he's known in washington FCC and Congress! He's testified as a witness in the recent digital cable conversion committee hearings...

here's the home page with lots and lots of excellent reference information about the project setting up Micro Radio/Low Power FM.. (LPFM)

http://www.prometheusradio.org/


http://www.prometheusradio.org/back_models.shtml

News on LPFM:

http://www.prometheusradio.org/presscenter.shtml

[radio4progressives]

92. self delete duplicate

[radio4progressives]

93. self delete triplicate

[Jawja]

63. One thing we CAN

do, as consumers, demand from the FCC that we have the OPTION to subscribe to individual channels from our source (whether it be cable or DirectTV,etc.)

We, as consumers, should be allowed to subscribe to - hypothetically - SciFi and Bravo and A&E and PBS, etc., and NOT SUBSCRIBE to CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc. as we CHOOSE. No more PACKAGE deal where we are paying for this crap.

This should be a goal set for any Party that is willing to support WE THE PEOPLE and the CONSUMER.

We may HAVE to cancel cable briefly to get the point across. And believe me, I would HATE to do that because I love my sports and science fiction, etc. A short term sacrifice from ALL of us might be in order to get this accomplished.

[radio4progressives]

66. Yes, FCC is critical.. We have a couple of Important Allies in the FCC

Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein

They have been fierce fighters on our behalf, but they were two of a once five commisioners (currently four) which was chaired by Michael Powell, (Colin Powell's son).

Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein organzied FCC Town Hall meetings all across this country a couple of years ago, which Michael Powell and the others refused to attend. But these packed townhall meetings were widely attended by concerned citizens addressing hate radio and a myriad of issues, and interestingly they were largely very informed people (at least in the Bay Area)and that was truly refreshing to listen to and gave me some measure of hope that citizens are not only concerned but they are interested in doing whatever needs to be done to change things, if only they knew what to do.

Yes, all this and more. I have to run a lot of errands in a few minutes, I'm hoping others will take this torch and keep discussion going.

[OnionPatch]

78. My concern here is that

this works the other way around and if we ever get a truly good and balanced news station, some people may never get to hear it if they have to choose it, specifically because they will not know what it is. Much of the time, channels get popularity simply because people find them while surfing.

[radio4progressives]

69. All your great minds working together is an inspiration

I have to run errands now... I'll be back later on..

[snot]

70. If you haven't already written your Reps to support H.R. 3302, pls do!

I don’t have a petition to sign for this one but hope you’ll also contact gov’l reps and media asking them to report on or support it.

Democrats Move to Re-Regulate Media

<snip>
Two liberal House members who have been critical of what they view as attempts by conservative Republicans to take over America’s mass media and public broadcasting have now introduced a sweeping bill that would re-regulate radio and TV back to the days before the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

The Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 (MORA) is co-sponsored by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y. and Diane Watson, D-Calif. In a written announcement, MORA is described as legislation “that seeks to undo the massive consolidation of the media that has been ongoing for nearly 20 years.”

The measure would restore the Fairness doctrine, reinstate a national cap on radio ownership and lower the number of radio stations a company can own in a local market. It also reinstates a 25% national television ownership cap and requires stations to submit regular public interest reports to the Federal Communications Commission.
<end of snip>

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/102005/sshinchey.html

[radio4progressives]

79. Yes this bill will be an important step in this struggle..

after we get through the Veto Alito battle, there will be so many issues that will need to be addressed so media matters will be given lower priority in Congress. We'll need to energy the base to begin a massive effort to get this on the radar screen, we'll need to find ways to bring on board libertarians and conservatives to support this, which will also be a tough road to hoe, but we'll have to do it because the Media IS the issue, when it comes to all our other interests, covering candidates and positions fairly coming up in this years mid term elections etc, and if there is any more election rigging it won't get talked about on the "tv" if we don't make headway on this front.

on edit: thank you for posting that link... book mark it..

[RazzleDazzle]

71. Did you see this?

If not, you must:
Daou Report http://daoureport.salon.com/synopsis.aspx?synopsisId=59f92c44-e7ec-48c4-91c7-b51768df79a3
discussed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x236723

[democrank]

72. Just now read it.

Very powerful. Such a simple formula. Form reality with talking points. Sad that it`s that easy, but it is.

[radio4progressives]

80. excellent links...

I missed both the du thread and that daou report...

the daou report correctly places the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the dems, in terms of challenging the problem at issue. But the Daou Report seems to ignore the possible motivesof the FCMSM, apart from the "conservative outrage" of the so called "Liberal bias" meme, which is understandable on the one hand because one treads in difficult terrain when assigning nipping at the hand that feeds you.

We can take our own independnt analysis deeper and farther than the Daou Report, excellent as that report is.

[Cha]

73. Yeah, read my "comment"

in my profile..it's been there for a couple of years.

I know this is going to happen because there's no way else we're going to get what we want..i.e. Our Country Back!

[radio4progressives]

81. exactly - reality is how it is portrayed by the FCMSM... n/t

[Poiuyt]

75. This should be our NUMBER #1 priority!

The phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" is so true. I believe that the removal of the Fairness Doctrine in the biggest reason that the Republicans have taken control of our country.

[radio4progressives]

83. Indeed, It was the only way they were able to do it..

All their evils paths go directly to the timing of the abolishing of the Fairness Doctrine..

[tomreedtoon]

76. Return media to public responsibility and accountability.

I've worked in TV for decades. The biggest change hasn't simply been corporate takeovers and mergers. It's been the lack of public accountability.

Television stations used to be required to perform public service. That didn't mean more news shows. That didn't mean simply taking "comments" from people who wanted to protest things the TV station ran or didn't run. It meant that the TV station had to ACTIVELY seek out community groups and create programs and promotional campaigns to address the community's needs.

People from homeless shelters, ethnic and religious groups, civic leaders and other commmunity organizations were invited to meetings to discuss how the TV station could help them. And understand that doing this on a regular, consistent basis was REQUIRED for the TV station to retain its license to use frequencies and operate.

That ended in Reagan's era, and slowly TV and radio has become isolated from the communities it is supposed to serve - the communities that OWN the broadcast frequencies broadcasters use to make money.

I believe the only way this media control can be broken is if broadcasting companies are required, once again, to serve their communities. Hey, talking head shows are dull, but are they duller than those low-paying infomercials? It's better than having broadcasters run the media equivalent of McDonald's, churning out unhealthy fast food under corporate orders.

[radio4progressives]

84. "Community Assessment Needs"

Is the term that describes a doctrine that is still (supposedly) in effect with Public sponsored/supported Radio and television, vis a vis CPB funding requirements.

However, working in public radio in the bay area, i have come to observe how these "community asssessment needs" (vis a vis advisory boards) actually conduct this function, or more accurately put, how they DON'T conduct this function, not in any meaningful way at least.

[fearnobush]

77. Protest M$M directly?

There are protests daily on the BFEE and the war based on lies. The M$M cows to and is largely owned by the GOP fascists. I wonder what would happen if just 1/2 the protests were waged on the GOP propaganda M$M machine. Would they would take notice? How would they react to 100,000 plus folks marching in front of their head quarters demanding real news and accountability and truth. May be this is the direction needed today as all the protests in the world do nothing as the are given no or little air time and the time they are given is used as smear against us.

[radio4progressives]

85. Demonstrations are ONE important tool, but those have to be strategic

there are many tools, and that is an important one. It's also the most difficult to organize an effective campaign with..but it will be necessary, as we do with all direct action against the "Powers that Be".

Fortunately, the the media movement has already begun... it's been a rather nascent, under the radar movement underway for a few years.

Last spring I along with 2500 other media activist met at four day long media conference in Saint Louis, Mo. sponsored by freepress.net (Robert McChesney and John Nichols).

There would have been hundreds (if not thousands)more if capacity was planned for. Organizers were stunned with the response in terms of how many people were trying to attend, it just wasn't possible to allow more people since it was held at a hotel and booked far in advance.

www.freepress.net has a media activist tool kit that can be downloaded, also the key note speakers and plenary sessions are all on video and archived on the website last i checked. It's an important resource.

Bill Moyers was the Key Note speaker, and that speech has also been aired on C-Span. Many great people spoke and participated on the plenary panels. Jim Hightowers, Amy Goodman, Janine Jackson of FAIR, Norman Solomon also spoke in the main event each night so i think there speeches are also archived. Everything was videotaped.

[malaise]

89. That is what is required

Start by taking over the morning programmes with banners.

[radio4progressives]

90. That is an Excellent idea, and I was glad to see an announcement

for one of those shows (Today?) in New York City -

time honored direct action, get it in the media, by going after the media in every creative way you can.

[malaise]

91. I was thrilled to see that too n/t

[Lorien]

87. Bottom line is that they fear profit loss. A DLC candidate doesn't scare

them that much-it's just that a rupub is both pro-war AND anti-worker and environment. Clinton was great for corporations-it's just that * is even better for CERTAIN corporations.

The way to fight them is through focused economic activism (see the "economic activism and progressive living" DU group)and by BOMBARDING the MSM with calls and HARDCOPY letters (those working in the MSM say that one hardcopy letter is worth 12 emails)-the right knows this tactic works and they use it. We don't-but we sure do talk among ourselves a lot. Unless we can learn to buck our tradition of nay saying, talk without action and disorganization, the MSM will only get worse. Some of us targeted certain Senators this week and helped them to change their position on Alito; that same focused energy needs to be broadened considerably and applied to all media sources.

[radio4progressives]

88. completely agree, thank you for driving home the point.

sub groups are bad for this cause... it ghettoizes the issue the struggle which needs to be fought on a grand scale, imo.

you're right about hard copy, 1 letter is worth 12 emails.

they also have to place into the public files, emails they can disregard or "accidently" delete.

so yes focus on economic activism, together with other time honored tactics.