No Dem BUSINESS LEADERS to counter the RW buy up of print media, too?

[blm]

Today's news has two stories about RW buying what was left of objective media - and there are NO left business consortiums to step up and stop them?

The RW controls almost all broadcast media and now they will be controlling what was left of the objective print media.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2640298&mesg_id=2640298

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1256857&mesg_id=1256857

[emcguffie]

1. This is the only thing we can do anything about, seems to me.

And I don't know how to do that, but I do know that there are liberals who do have money who would like to be able to do something.

I don't know much about business, so I do not know how such a consortium, or media whatever, could prevent itself from being bought out.

What if a group of liberal investors get together and start a privately-owned newspaper? I could be very wrong, but it seems to me that The Sun just appeared one day in New York. Just create a good paper that isn't owned by corporate interests, with a good plan. Start in one city? In several cities? I don't know.

This has been in my head for years now, and when I speak to journalists about it, they get very interested. The same goes for a new cable news station, but I think that is much less possible, given the finite availability of stations (I'm not really sure what the limiting factor is, but I know there is one). I also do not know anything about writing proposals for such things. But I am beginning to think it is just about the most important thing we could do -- find a voice that can reach Americans that cannot be controlled by corporations. And yes, I realize advertisers end up with a voice, and advertisers are corporations, and it would be a real struggle.

But it could be that with a well-funded start-up that Americans might be so desperate for a real newspaper again, that it could actually get some good circulation numbers. Even if it becomes a lightning rod, that would be drawing attention to what may be the single most critical issue to recovering our "democracy".

This seems to me to become more important in light of the efforts to take control of the internet. They will do that, won't they? Then we won't have this method of communicating, will we? What then?

Any ideas?

etm

[blm]

2. People look the other way and think they still have the internet - YEAH -

for NOW.

The internet was getting alot of its info from INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS paid for by print media BUDGETS.

The issue of a left media counter was brought up after 2000. What happened to all those left media networks that were supposed to grow wings?

[emcguffie]

3. I don't have any idea.

But I do wish I could find someone to have a serious discussion with about trying to start something up now.

[blm]

4. What's still available? KnightRidder was the last opportunity to protect

what was left of the objective media.

To start it new from scratch will take even MORE money.

I don't get why the media yakkers like Arianna and her gang will only go the cheap route and post OPINIONS. There is no investigative bureau they're supporting. They can access the money to do something but won't. Same with Gore. How many of us thought that Gore was building an entity to eventually help COUNTER the RW machine? I really gave him props when I believed he was going to take the media head on.

[emcguffie]

5. Well, I've never actually gotten to talk to any of them....

So I don't have any idea if that was ever considered. I guess there was not anything to protect KR, it wasn't privately owned in the first place, was it? Wasn't it a corporation, too? Just the only one left with some objectivity?

Why can't we find some deep pockets to start a privately owned newspaper? Is this just some completely crazy idea? Is there a reason?

Isn't there a difference between media that is privately owned and media that is corporately owned?

[blm]

7. KnightRidder still fought to maintain objectivity. It was their DC bureau

that broke the cooked intel books and the DSM. Right after DSM, one of their largest stockholders forced the sale of the company or would force a break up into small pieces. McClatchy bought it and is now in the process of selling off pieces, anyway. Makes me sick.

Back to the investors - the industries buying up the news media are the ones who have the most to gain for their PRIMARY BUSINESS INTERESTS - like the way the defense industry leader GE bought up NBC and uses the news department as their own public relations department promoting the war agenda.

The builders buying the Penn papers will have no reporters scrutinizing their development plans or how they impact the community or the environment - that is added incentive and adds to their profit lines. And politically, think more tax breaks and DEREGULATION for their industry and those of their cronies.

The political impact, alone, priceless.

[emcguffie]

9. I've been off DU for quite a while --

-- and can't quite remember my way around.

I was just trying to take some poster's advice and search LBN for Knight-Ridder, but there's too much with Knight-Ridder in it, so I was looking for that post, and I cannot find it, of course.

Yes, I had noticed over the last few years that Knight-Ridder was surprisingly objective. Very different from the NY Times and the WP and the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune.

I used to read newspapers a lot. Now I don't. I don't want to kill myself.

Hmm, I guess I need to try to remember who you are. I've never built a buddy list or anything.

On this issue I am utterly desperate. There is nothing more important, nothing more central to any hope we may have of ever getting our democracy back.

Gee, I am so overwhelmed with the enormity of what has happened, I've begun to kind of accept it in a weird way, as if, well, yes, this must be the end of the world. So, I did what I could for my daughter... sniff, sniff. Certainly there must be another dimension, yes? Evil cannot win in the end, can it? :cry:

Aren't there any fighters left? I'm sure there are. We just don't know how to connect.

And when people like me go to mainstream political meetings and meet up with experienced "organizers" and such, well, we get kind of turned off.... It's sort of like DU, there's this establishment, and if you haven't been part of it, we're just going to ignore you. Really discouraging.

You get smacked down. I was very inflamed there for a while about the voting issue, tried to get involved, immediately got smacked down as a know-nothing by local "organizers" who assumed they knew so much more than I did, but in truth I was way ahead of them. I mean, I was told, yes, thank you for your interest, but you know, we have a group working on that, and I'm sure they're aware of what needs to be done.... (this was about the difference between receipts and ballots, way back when legislation was being drafted).

Turned out I was right about the ballots/receipts, but I had been pretty effectively shut down.

It's almost as if there is this huge spiritual test going on at every little moment, where we all have to learn to get over ourselves UTTERLY and COMPLETELY and just shrug off all the insults, mud, people ignoring you, and just keep on keeping on. What is it with the left, the Dems, the libs, the progressives? What is all this -- is it competition?

Anyway, please forgive my dump there. I probably should not post this stream of consciousness rant, but I'm too lazy to even re-read it now. And I have a pile of work I keep neglecting.

But I would like to hook up with some folks interested in putting together some kind of proposal for a privately-owned newspaper, or something. Something.

[Emit]

6. Rob Stein was supposed to start a group called Democracy Alliance

But, so far, nothing more has been heard about it or him.

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21192/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600848.html

I read that the group that he was forming was often confused with Alliance for Democracy, the group that Cliff Arnebeck is involved in and who was a major player in the election fraud issues in Ohio in '04. Maybe this group should be emailed with the info that blm has discovered; at a minimum, they may be interested to know:

http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/

What is the situation now?

MAJOR CORPORATIONS dominate our lives, our government, our work, our health care and our food supply. Media conglomerates control the course and set the limits of public discussion, commercialize and debase our national consciousness, and manipulate mainstream public opinion.

EVERYWHERE THE NATURAL WORLD is threatened. Yet people worldwide are exhorted to consume more and buy more in the name of "progress" so big corporations can get bigger.

* The combined assets of 358 billionaires equal the combined assets of almost half the world's population.

* The courts have given corporations the basic Constitutional rights of persons, but workers lose those rights on entering the workplace.

* The new World Trade Organization effectively gives corporations veto power over our U.S. environmental and labor laws, weakening our right to protect ourselves and our land by our legislation.

* Of the world's 100 largest economies, 50 are now global corporations.

* The corporate share of taxes paid has fallen from 33 percent in the 1940s to 15 percent today. Individuals' share of taxes has risen from 44 to 73 percent.

* The richest 1 percent of Americans own 40 percent of U.S. assets.

http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/html/eng/2054-AA.shtml

[Fierce]

8. Ron Burkle is trying

Old story, but here's the link outlining what he's trying to do.

http://www.knightridderwatch.org/news.php?ID=1713

[blm]

10. But, how is it that any Dem is getting BLATANTLY muscled out, while

any GOP group gets first consideration, even if they're not newspeople but building industry mavens?

Where are Buffett and the west coast wealthy to craft unbeatable bids? News paper profit can't be your primary concern - it's not the concern of the GOPs buying it - they will USE it for political gain which nets them profits thru tax breaks and deregualtion of their primary business interests.

Democrats have to care more about the existence of democracy and invest in that.