How do the Dems get the media to give them a fare shake?

[Windy]

If we don't we're doomed. The propaganda machine of the MSM has kept Bush in the oval office and allowed him to get away with literal murder. Anyone else frustrated with this situation? WE MUST FIX IT BEFORE THE 2006 elections!!!!! I wish we could get our own version of Fox. I firmly believe that we are at war in Iraq and Kerry narrowly lost the last election as a direct result of the conservative media bias.

What do we do?

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. We ARE the media.

[Ron Green]

2. Pay the fare. Problem is, only Repubs can afford it.

[Burning Water]

13. Couldn't

George Soros do something? He has money and is a righteous man.

[seabeyond]

3. been thinking it long and hard and dont see an answer changing

corporate media. i see we will have to shift to the net and that be our news. i am seeing our Representatives be more responsive to the net. using it to get out their actual words, instead of us learning what they are "saying" thru the corporate media. i think that is what we are going ot have to do, let internet become a progressive news alternative, and maybe some day become the mainstream, with reputable and balanced, honest reporting.

[napi21]

4. The Dems have to do things that are NEWS!

Like they did yesterday. Look at how easy Howard Dean finds it to get in the news! The MSM might be criticizing him, but he gets his message heard, and when it makes sense (which it usually does) people do listen and remember.

[blm]

19. Untrue - media is STILL saying Abramoff is a bipartisan scandal DESPITE

Dean's excellent rebuttal to Wolfie.

[KittyWampus]

29. The Dean's Rebuttal Wasn't So "Excellent". Maybe Dean Should Have

called out Wolf saying something along the lines of:

"As a supposed investigative journalist you'd KNOW that this is a Republican Scandal."

Or

"Why are you, as a journalist, simply repeating Rove's talking points rather than pointing out they are totally misleading".

[blm]

31. Well, I'll give that to you... those responses would have been perfect.

But, Dean did do a pretty good job with his.

The bottom line is always what the media CHOOSES to do with any response over the next couple days. With Dean's they pretty much ignored them.

[napi21]

30. That's fine. The proof will be shown by who's indicted!

I don't think you can stop anyone from saying it's a bi-partisan problem, until the accusation is proven wrong.

Even I believe, if the opportunity would have been presented, there sure are some Dems who would have gone along FOR THE MONEY! This time, because the Pubs are in control, it didn't make sense to try to bribe the Dems. That, coupled with the K Street Project, where the lobbyiests were told Hore only Pubs or we won't talk to you, there probably isn't any Dem involvement. There's no way I'm going to believe that all the Dems are HONEST!

[blm]

32. Dean PROVED them wrong with the FEC reports. They CHOOSE to ignore proof

even when it's handed to them.

[napi21]

36. That's only partially true.

As I understand it, the golf trip to Scotland wasn't listed in the FEC docs.

I don't have a problem with the media holding questions open until the proof is in. I DO have a problem that they don't do the same for ShrubCo!

[Dhalgren]

5. The Democrats will never get a "fare shake" in the MSM.

Did the Christian Democrats get a "fare shake" in the German media after 1933? No. And the Dems won't get one here, now, either. The Democrats are fighting (or are supposed to be) against a fascist government; that government includes the media...

[cally]

6. Don't watch it and focus on the internet

I don't think we will ever change the corporate media but we are slowly changing the media. Blogs are becoming more mainstream and respectable. The corporate media no longer has a monopoly on the news. Supporting the alternatives to their BS does help change the discourse.

KOS had a diary a week or so ago discussing how large his audience is when compared to CNN. I believe his is much bigger. We all focus on CNN and the cable news propaganda and ignore that the new media is the net. Young folks do not read newspapers or watch the corporate media for the most part but they do watch the Daily Show and read their news on the internet.

[Nikki Stone 1]

14. Kos's audience is larger than CNN's?

Wow. Maybe that's why CNN is whoring itself to the right.

[cally]

22. That's what Kos reported

I was astounded.

[wisteria]

7. Schmooze them, wine and dine them, promise them special interviews

and call their attention to why they should be following and reporting on what the Democrats have to say. Oh,and don't bad mouth them. Then, they might give us a little air time. Face it, they aren't going anywhere and we have to learn how to use them to our advantage,IMO.

[Dr Fate]

25. That's not how the Republicans got them to go their way.

The Republicans cried "bias" over and over and badgered would-be independent journalists into being "balanced."

"Balanced" meaning, they have to balance facts that happen to make the GOP look bad ( Abramoff), with lies ( DEMS took Ambramoff $$$ too!), for fear of appearing "biased."

I doubt the "be nice to the Republican owned media corporations and they will be nice to us" strategy would work. Your strategy is basically what we have already been doing.

[Skidmore]

8. They should have a meaningful rapid response team and

everytime a significant lie is touted by the media, the should demand airtime to address it. If airtime is not given, demand an apology. If blatant misrepresentation occurs, start suing their asses.

[cyberpj]

9. Take over the corporations that run them. Or FREE THEM FROM INFLUENCE! nt

[Burning Water]

10. Whatever happened

to Al Gore's project for a liberal network?

[NYCGirl]

11. It's here:

http://current.tv/

and it was NEVER set up to be a "liberal network".

[Burning Water]

15. No?

If is was truly "fair & balanced" like FAUX claims to be, wouldn't that be a lot more 'liberal' than what we've got now?

Thanks for the info. I have to admit my recollections of this were a little shaky.

[leftofthedial]

12. the media exists to frame the Dems as the pro rasslin-style bad guys

BUT

formulating and articulating a coherent message and mobilizing a team of articulate, skilled spokespeople WHO ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE would be a start.

[yurbud]

16. buy it or break it up

[KansDem]

17. Buy it...

...or "them." That's how the GOP did it.

[Dr Fate]

18. Shame them to their faces, over and over. Example:

"Sorry Wolf, but you are repeating another lie manufactured by the GOP and Karl Rove."

" They fooled you with the WMDs, and they are fooling you now. When will you learn not to repeat GOP talking points as fact?

"Do you EVER investigate ANY of these Rove talking points before you parrot them on your show?"

"Actually, Wolf, that's not what was said. You are merely repeating another GOP lie. I have the video tape right here (holds up tape)- perhaps you could run this so your audience can see the truth, unless you are too biased, that is."

Etc, etc.

Similar to what Dean did, but it needs to be amped up EVERYONE needs to do it EVERYDAY.

[blm]

20. I concur 100% with Doc on this. imo, DNC and ALL Dem spokespeople need to

come out swinging on proGOP bias so the Dem lawmakers can speak to the issues when they get a mic.

[Doctor_J]

21. That's right, Doc

They are simply way too polite, and not focussed enough. Every time one of them gets on TV or radio, tell the host(ess) to stop lying and spreading propaganda. The exact words that you used would be perfect, but they have to be used every time oneof the whores tells a lie.

[cybildisobedience]

27. couldn't agree more

They clearly have to be shamed into doing their job. If we can't own them and manipulate them like the Repukes do, we have to take the only public action open to us and that is to call them on their lies and manipulation and dishonesty EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Make the Wolf Blitzers and the Tim Russerts of the world fear the Dems calling them out, LIVE, on the air, and making them look like the cheap, lazy whores that they are.

[kentuck]

23. They are bought.

They receive 100's of millions of dollars in political ads they would not receive if there was public financing or if there was a Fairness Doctrine. But, we have neither. So, they support the Party that supports them. ergo, the Republicans.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. They have to start saying something like Murtha and Gore did.

Just watering down Republican policies doesn't make news because it's crap.

[mmonk]

26. Expose it.

[Greyhound]

28. They can't, period. The M$M is wholly owned by half a dozen

corporations and their agenda. This has been their goal since the 80's and they've achieved it. They don't care that they're losing viewers/readers/subscribers because making money in these profit centers in secondary to the primary function of these assets, namely to promote the corporate agenda and the "new world order"

[blm]

33. The broadcast media is now the PR Dept for the War Profiteers like GE and

Kingdom Holdings.

[Greyhound]

37. Zactly n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. buy some media

I am not kidding any more

[Ron Green]

35. Here's another big reason: PEOPLE DON'T WANT SOBER DISCOURSE,

because it's BORING. Entertainment rules, politics drools. This has never changed since "bread and circuses," nor will it ever. As long as TV is in private hands, the Market will give us not an Orwellian world, but a Huxleyan one.

[liveoaktx]

39. Yes... Infotainment, Amusing Ourselves to Death... I read a bit

ago about some people in their twenties who watched the movie "Network" and didn't get why it was an astonishing movie-because it's now the truth. News is no longer for news sake but part of the profit center. And as long as that's true, nothing will change on corporate media.

[PWRinNY]

38. Hostile corporate takeover

Why should the repubs always get to own them?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

41. That's actually a fairly brilliant idea

Dems and liberals could shake things up by buying stock and then demanding change as shareholders. Always remeber that poll after poll has shown that we are actually the majority.

[upi402]

40. create a liberal TV News channel

only way
only hope I think