Can the Corporate Propaganda Machine (the Media) be fixed?

[kohodog]

They really have gotten out of control. There is no balance. they are doing the bidding of their Corporate masters and it's starting to make me sick.

The only thing I've seen on Berger's exoneration was on p. 17 of the WSJ. It was all we heard about for three days, and as many of us suspected it was a total non-story.

I don't know how we reign them in though. While consolidation is a problem that can be fixed through legislation the issue is deeper than that. And to boycott only doesn't help them change their ways, and the people who suck it in will still be duped.

Maybe we need to confront ther sponsors with info from places like Media matters and let them know we will withhold using their products until they demand more factual reporting.

[Warpy]

1. Sure, they just need two things

First, enforce antitrust laws and bust up all the monopolies, especially television and newspaper monopolies.

Second, reinstitute the fairness doctrine.

[Baltimoreboy]

13. How do you bust up newspaper monopolies

Without infinging on freedom of the press?

[StClone]

17. Because they sre infringing on us

When monopolies overtake your freedom to be heard your 1st Amendment rights have been abridged.

Also the Corporation should not have equal or superior entity status over a private citizen. Most media is a corporately owned.

[Baltimoreboy]

18. Not mine

There are tons of print news media. No matter how many the major media create or buy, it is easy to start more.

Isn't the corporation a collection of individuals? Doesn't it represent their rights?

[StClone]

20. Individually

Each person has the individual speech rights. A corporation is given secondary power to owner citizens through an act incorporation laws. So they have amplified voices. Does that seem in the spirit of Free Speech?

[Baltimoreboy]

21. They speak as a collective

Just as a union, an association, a federation, a church or other collective.

[StClone]

22. Those entities

Are individuals whose concern bring them together as a unified collection of voices whose purposes is to be heard for non-constitutionally guaranteed work or constitutionally guaranteed Religious freedom, not as a going business whose sole enterprise is to sell news, formulate opinion and fact for profit. If the media monopoly is the latter it is enough different in my opinion to negate a comparison with those.

Secondly, monopoly implies more than just a group brought together for common interests but an effort to control all outlets for profit (and possibly manipulation).

[Mr_Spock]

24. For one poster here, everything is perfect already...

Doesn't that imply status quo - ie Bush?

[kikiek]

14. I'm with you. It's a conflict of interest for corporations that do

business (especially those that profit from defense) with the government to own major media outlets. I am outraged that this even happened in the 1st place. How did we allow major corporations buy the major networks? We trusted that they would do the right thing? Haha shows how naive or blindly this country allows itself to operate.

[Robbien]

2. David Brock who helped the RW set up this RW media

has now joined the fight against it. Please read his letter and join in on the discussion group and media watch:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200407200001

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Thanks -- I'm feeling completely powerless... n/t

[LittleApple81]

5. Me too. We have to hit the pavement. Use the internet. Talk to people.

do gatherings at our homes. The media for this election is a net negative for us.

[Robbien]

11. Here is another media activist movement

The fight for better election coverage has just begun. Join Media For Democracy to pressure mainstream media to improve their coverage of the issues that matter most to Americans in 2004. This initiative mobilizes a growing base of concerned citizens by (1) alerting them to media election coverage mistakes as they occur and (2) providing them with the means to put news executives on notice. By signing up here you join Americans across the political spectrum who stand together in the fight for election coverage that is more diverse, accountable and democratic.

Join the movement:
http://www.mediafordemocracy.us/mfd/join.tcl

or just look at the site first:
http://www.mediafordemocracy.us

[kohodog]

23. Thanks Robbien

Talk is cheap and we need to get involved. This is exactly why I started the thread...to see what ideas people have to effect change.

[AlinPA]

4. This Berger story is really an example of their bias. I watch the news

and listen carefully. Every story has some negative thing no matter what it is re: Kerry. Example this AM on KDKA talk radio the talk show guy asked a reporter who had been in Boston at the convention about the event and after talking about the mechanics of the convention said "Lets move to Kerry. Of course the buzz is why he was sweating so much" The reporter explained how hot the Fleet Center was and all the bright lights by all the TV cameras, etc. They talked about content and the reporter said everyone up there thought Kerry nailed it and "hit a home run". The slime did not want to hear that.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Fiscal Independence will be key...

When news divisions were run as a public service of TV networks that, in turn, were making money hand-over-fist with entertainment programming, the news was MUCH more fair.

When NPR was funded by public contributions and government grants, it was much more fair.

[kohodog]

8. Given where we are, how do we

get it back under control? The television news depts were moved into the entertainment divisions and are all about ratings. I know how to search out what's going on, but the problem lies in the fact that most Americans get thier news from TV soundbites, which are really nothing but RW propaganda today.

It's not enough for a few us to be informed if a majority of the population is being spoonfed lies.

Maybe the fairness doctrine is key.

[mandyky]

7. Not under shrub and the current FCC

The corporations will not do this on their own, and we need a groudswell of the public to rise up and demand change.

[Junkdrawer]

10. You know, Michael Moore is thinking about a movie...

:evilgrin:

[KansDem]

9. In a word: "No"

I've thought about this quite often since Debacle2000: Can Media News "repent" by seeing the error of their ways and return to the days of Edward R. Morrow and Walter Cronkite? I don't think so.

News, or rather the manipulation of news, has become a tool for neoCons to promote an emerging fascist society. To paraphrase Marx, "the media are the opiate of the people." News has also become entertainment, and as such, needs to appeal to the least common denominator. To achieve this, media news has descended to a level of "cupie doll" journalism. I don't think they'll ever wise up to their folly as long as the bottom line comes first.

Besides, we now have the Internet, so those of us who really want the news can go online to get it without having to endure "happy talk," the "if it bleeds it leads" mentality, and the attention given to the unimportant and insignificant.

Think about it; we have the Constitution protecting free speech, yet Media Whores are enabling a neoFascist government to lie and distort in an attempt to advance the agenda of a few wealthy individuals.

[Shopaholic]

12. Keith Olbermann covered this story last night too

He also really lampooned the "Al Quaeda" arrest in Pakistan and had the author of the New Republic article on the "July Surprise" on to point out that it was dead on the money about the capture. But other than that, nada on the Berger story. My local paper even had another cartoon today on the editorial page depicting Berger carrying away documents all over his body. Shameful what passes for journalism in this country these days.

[pansypoo53219]

15. no shit

i say we fix i t by putting dean in the FCC and then we would have 'em.

[seabeyond]

16. it would help for berger to go to all media

that reported his misdeeds and say now put me on and exonerate me

[kohodog]

19. But that's not entertainment!

But it might be time to write the mfers a letter or two.