IT IS NOW TIME TO IMPEACH THE MEDIA, CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON WAR PROPAGANDA, NOW!

[symbolman]

Here's the angle folks. It is NOW TIME to HOLD the MEDIA RESPONSIBLE for WAR PROPAGANDA and PROFITS from Shilling for WAR.

It has NEVER been SO Obvious as it is right now. They are IN BED with WAR PROFITEERS, and WILL NOT STOP until they've KILLED US ALL.

I have been fighting the Media at our site Takebackthemedia.com for Five years now, and has NEVER been so important as RIGHT NOW to STOP THEM.

Haven't we had enough of this shilling? Creating the ILLUSION that what some "senior official who asked not to be Identified" has said is REAL, and a FACT, along with "no VERIFICATION EXISTS that Iran's top official are Involved in killing American Troops" NOT being widely disseminated?

Or That the SAUDIS are sending SUITCASES of MONEY to pay for STINGER Missles, while SEVEN choppers lay dead, and thousands of Troops?

WE NEED CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS RIGHT NOW. WRITE TO MOVEON, CONGRESS, and DEMAND that the MEDIA BE INVESTIGATED NOW, for Their Complicity in this CORPORATE TERROR against the American Public.

THEY ARE KILLING US.

If we put a DENT in the Media, JERK THEIR LICENSE, TIE them UP in Hearings, HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE for these BRUTAL ACTIONS AGAINST ALL AMERICANS, then Maybe we can STOP the WAR, STOP Bush, END the KILLING, Keep another from Happening.

PLEASE create a DRUM BEAT with this message, spread this to every blog, Every ORGANIZATION that will spread the word to CONGRESS, CALL CONYERS, the FCC and DEMAND HEARINGS into MEDIA COMPLICITY, and TREASON Committed against THIS COUNTRY.

MEDIA HEARINGS NOW!!!!!!

It will WORK. What if we have a Media that CAN'T PUSH BUSH'S AGENDA ANYMORE, or LOSE THEIR LICENSE?

WE WIN.

Keep this kicked and spread the word, THIS IS THE ANSWER.

[PLF]

1. I have always felt it is all about the propaganda machine.

[porphyrian]

2. Absolutely. They are at least complicit in the crimes of this administration...

...and are arguably just as guilty.

[lyonn]

3. Good rant. And why when some big shot reporters were told

about Wilson/Plame did they not write the story or investigate? In the beginning it was stated in the media that 6 reporters had been told about Plame and yet only one, Novak, reported it. That is bizarre.

Gawd, I love my star. Thanks whoever.

[cui bono]

9. And rather than reporting that a leak was underway to undermine a critic

of the administration he followed through on the leak for them.

:eyes:

[Supersedeas]

72. and notice that it continues -- just observe the coverage of the Libby trial

[cui bono]

91. I can imagine. I get my recaps from David Schuster and on the internets.

I was wondering how the local news stations are covering it, as well as the 3 network world news shows. Okay, make that two, I really never wonder how Katie is covering anything, I can pretty much figure that one out. ;)

[kimmerspixelated]

4. I couldn't agree more!!!

[Bitwit1234]

5. One of the DU posters said Kunich was going to introduce

the Fairness Doctrine again. I wish he would hurry up. It seems to me that congress has got to know that they will never get anywhere without this Doctrine. The country was dis-satisfied with the war, but that won't help the dems if they don't find a way to get there messages out for 2008.

[cui bono]

10. Bernie Sanders said it was being worked on when he was on Thom

Hartman's show last Friday.

[Pierzin]

35. We need freaking integrity along with the Fairness Doctrine!!

Activists organize and set some goals. I heard Thoms show from Friday too, and thank God that Bernie Sanders is around.

[symbolman]

11. I'm all for the Fairness Doctrine

but consider it small potatoes compared to this recent onlslaught..

they NEED to be Held RESPONSIBLE for what they say, LIVES are at stake, BRAINS are being wsshed each day..

SOMEONE needs to hold them accountable, ONE BRAVE SENATOR needs to call for A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING for COMPLICITY.

The Plame affair PROVES they are complicit..

This is IMPORTANT, we need to get this message out there, please pass this along to BLOGS,

IMPEACH THE MEDIA, nice and simple.. :)

[glitch]

19. K & R for couldn't agree more. nt

edit: hey, thanks for the heart somebody!

[spanone]

6. K&R

[Bozita]

7. R#5 -- off to the greatest page

[symbolman]

26. Thanks Bozita

I think this is very Important, and a way to gain control.. we OWN THEM :)

[lyonn]

8. The media bitches about their right to privacy,

BS. The media has destroyed the media. The big boys always say some high WH official has told them. Remember when we called the media "stenos"? That is all they have been, stenographers for this administration. They deserve no right to privacy. There are exception in my opinion and they are on the internet since the MSM won't hire them, like Robert Parry, Hersch, etc.

Thanks Symbolman.

[symbolman]

12. I made thiis graphic years ago

Looks like it's time to put it to use :)

[proud patriot]

13. This is very important

:kick:

[symbolman]

14. I think so too

The Media wouldn't know what HIT THEM, we would OWN them, force them to Behave..

Imagine O'Reilly sitting in front of Conyers, isn't that a delicious thought?

Wolfie? "Excuse me sir, but WHY is it that YOU said on your program that IRAN had killed 620 American Troops while at the same time knowing full well that it was NOT TRUE?"

Get those Media HEADS IN THERE, and ROLLING.

We need to get this message out, THIS we can DO.

[symbolman]

15. Lil Kick

THIS can make a difference, imageine a MEDIA EATING ITSELF as they cover Media Impeachment Hearings..

Think about it, the MEDIA IS ALL THEY HAVE to control us. And this is a GREAT way to Take it Back. :)


And let's not FORGET that WE OWN THEM. LITERALLY, we OWN their License, the American Public, we can REVOKE it.

And I THINK WE SHOULD.

[troubleinwinter]

16. Absofuckinglutely!!!!!

And a 'recommend' for this, too.

[symbolman]

18. Let's all remember there are limits to THEIR free speech

What they are doing is the equivalent of Screaming FIRE in a crowded Movie house.. and then charging an EXIT FEE..

Movie house, get it? :) Love that graphic!

[Kurovski]

17. Kick.

Previously recommended.

[symbolman]

21. Thanks for the recommend

I'm going to take a little time and get on this..

We need to get Takebackthemedia.com behind this issue and PUSH like a Mofo. :)

[conscious evolution]

20. Call Rep Waxman

The FCC is supposed to oversee Media right?
A case can be made that The Oversight and Gov. Reform Committee has jurisdiction for investigations into why the FCC has failed so miserably.Congressional subpeonas could reveal a lot.

Here is a link to contact Rep Waxman: http://oversight.house.gov/contact.asp

[symbolman]

23. EXACTLY

HE is THE MAN for this Job, love to see him GRILLING all these Media guys, owners and UNDER OATH..

Time for them to GO DOWN. You LIE, you go to JAIL, License REVOKED..

Imagine all the other people that want a Coveted CHANNEL? Like LIBERALS? :)

Good link, thanks so Much, Waxman, he's got a lot on his plate, but this could actually save lives NOW.

[upi402]

22. 100% agree!!!!!!! k/r n/t

[Newsjock]

24. Please remember ...

... not all of us in "The Media" are evil. Tens of thousands of us are toiling away in newsrooms across the country, many of us woefully underpaid and unappreciated by our management. We've seen what's happened to our profession in recent years, and we're not happy about it either.

The Novaks, Blitzers, and Dobbses form a tiny, tiny, tiny part of the media universe. In our rush to condemn "the media," please don't lump all of us in with the likes of them.

Thank you, and now, back to your regularly scheduled hate.

[symbolman]

25. We just want a PIECE of your Boss

Well, and Novak, and Wolfie, and Dobbs, the whole lot of THEM..

Let's just say your testimony might be invaluable, and gee, if they all get fired then YOU might become a station manager or have a CHANCE to OWN a network :)

No, it may just be your job, but someone is calling the shots.. no one blames the gas stations for what EXXON does :)

[Just-plain-Kathy]

45. Hi, Newsjock...off the record... :)

I understand a lot of newspapers can’t afford to have field reporters, so they use the Associated Press.

Please tell me, who runs the AP? Is it an American operated organization? Or, is it a news organization where journalist from around the world contributes to?

I guess what I really want to know is, do you think the government has the power to control the AP?

[Newsjock]

70. Wire services

The AP is a "member-run" cooperative news-gathering agency, funded by assessments against its member organizations (newspapers, TV, radio, etc.).

But to answer your big question: The government could control the wire services if it wanted to, but there is no need for that. In many media organizations, you will find senior managers and executives who, proverbially, know what side their bread is buttered on. They know that if you speak out against this regime, if you ask a difficult question at a news conference, if you break the unwritten rules of what's allowed ... your access to the people of government will be removed. (Remember how Helen Thomas was blacklisted from White House press briefings for so long.)

And without that access to newsmakers, your news service will be seen as less valuable. And that means less money coming in.

Add to that the crushing roar of the Right-Wing Noise Machine, and it's easy to see that you don't need to have a Bush stooge sitting behind every senior editor. That stooge is there in shadow anyway, and the editors know the consequences of not playing by "the rules."

Hope this helps, discouraging as it may be.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

85. Discouraging is right...

I'm hoping now that democrats have some power, they'll do something to fix the media. If they don't try, we'll know we're totally screwed.

Thanks for responding.

[truedelphi]

82. About the AP, one thing that I have noticed - sometimes the

Story carries a reporter's name - other times it doesn't.

When it doesn't - I *think* it is just an arm of the government. THe "unauthored" stories are usually so highly spun that the only way you can glean any info related to reality is to believe the opposite

[truedelphi]

81. I am often moved beyond words to think of people like you

Toiling away inside the belly of the beast. People who have stuck it out event though the concept behind the reporting has slithered away

I have come to hate the MSM - When it is not about propaganda, it is now all about sound bites.
"Tornado wipes out suburb in Chicago" the San Francisco NBC affiliate talking ehad will chant "Details at eleven"

Okay - so someone has relatives there in Chicago. they want to know, need to know NOW.

ANd sometimes even if you wait around for the story's details - the talking head STILL don't really mention the name of the place that is affected.

[faithnotgreed]

27. absolutely propaganda

kicking

[bdamomma]

28. this filthy administration and the media have always been in bed

together so to speak, the media should be held accountable for not telling the American people the truth, and to keep us informed with the truth.

[symbolman]

29. A move like this

Will CUT THE LEGS OUT from UNDER this administration.

Imagine if for a LIE on TV, you WENT TO JAIL.

I like that :)

[The Doctor.]

30. Until now, I've felt that the task is too difficult.

Though I've sought to inform, comment, critique, and expose, It never felt like it could ever be enough.

But you are right, we CAN take the power back.

Count my voice in.

[ClayZ]

31. K and R

Thanks Symbolman!

[HEyHEY]

32. NO, IT'S TIME TO HIT CAPS LOCK

[symbolman]

33. I hope you have more to say than that

OR is it more fun to do a drive by post?

I've been posting here for probably more than FIVE Years, and you're the first to say a thing.

Somebody kill all your polar bears cubs today? :)

[HEyHEY]

34. I have plenty to say on the matter... but I find whenever I

Start to bring it up on DU... no ne wants to hear... so I stick to drive by posts.

[tigereye]

36. you said

"What if we have a Media that CAN'T PUSH BUSH'S AGENDA ANYMORE, or LOSE THEIR LICENSE?"

I'm sorry dear, but that's propaganda, too. You don't get to choose what the media tells you.

ps. There are hearings going on. Important ones. It's in the paper and online.

[symbolman]

39. Who owns the airwaves?

The American People, Period.

Look it up.

[HEyHEY]

40. Noticed not everyone in America agrees with you?

ANd you want to throw people in prison that disagree with you... yeah... great plan. Keep fighting the good fight.

[demobabe]

48. The airwaves DO belong to the people

And the companies that get licences to operate TV and Radio stations get them at a HUGE discount because they're supposed to operate the stations in the best interest of the public.

Otherwise, they should be paying the actual fair value of those licenses if they're just going to promote their own corporate agenda. OR they should be jailed for fraud. Promoting opinion as fact deliberately misleads the public, and that IS fraud, and fraud is illegal... Free speech doesn't give someone the right to lie to sell their product, in this case war so GE and folks like that can manufacture weapons.

Who was it that said something about military-industrial complex and that we should beware of it?

Oh yeah, it was a president, and a Republican one at that.

[HEyHEY]

94. And you're the one to decide what the best interest of the people is?

[demobabe]

99. Wha????

Where the heck do you get that out of what I posted?

First Amendment. Fairness doctrine. Democracy. FCC limits of media types of ownerships in markets... check into all these things and history and get back to me.

[tigereye]

69. how is that comment an argument?

then get busy! see my comments above. Get motivated to run your own metwork of some sort. Light a candle, don't curse the darkness. Did MLK complain about the media (maybe some), but mostly they were out there organizing. They didn't let the status quo stop them.

[nolabels]

43. But.......

"
Jack Sparrow: Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!
Mr. Gibbs : He's a mute, sir. We reckon he's had his tongue cut out, so he's trained the parrot to talk for him. We haven't yet figured out how...
Jack Sparrow: Mr. Cotton's... parrot. Same question.
Parrot: (squawk) Wind in the sail! Wind in the sail!
Mr. Gibbs: Mostly, we fear, that means 'yes.'"
(snip)
http://groups.msn.com/PiratesOfTheCaribbean-TheBlackPearl/bestquotesii.msnw


Sometimes the quiet can be deafening but some other times people know that the pot called the kettle black for good reason. We have a failure of government and a criminality ensconced in most forms of mass media with the intent of keeping that failure in government intact. You obviously don't have any other suggestions on how public might get back to an even hand in the matter.

The problem with depending on other forms of information dissemination is it becomes tainted because of it trying to compete all the other counterparts in the field. The other fact being the quick and easy routes of getting information out, TEEVEE and Radio, the ones that attract the majority are also an escape from reality.

[tigereye]

67. tv and readio really don't attract the majority anymore

they are standardized low analysis forms. The real unaffected media is probably online.

Listen, the point of a free press is that you don't get to control it. Start your own blog or newspaper (although those are fading fast as well)if you feel that your viewpoint is needed. I don't watch fox news, I only watch The News Hour. I vote with my eyes.

Didn't the last election (despite the vagaries of MSM, Fox, etc.) mean anything to you guys? The people saw the crap and voted against it. :shrug:

[nolabels]

77. Okay.........

I watch and listen to sports a lot. But never get my news from tv and radio. I read news from many places on the net and then compare that to the lies newspapers print (if you have been watching for any amount time you will be able to see that it's really terrible now) To that point i am under no illusion that others work that way. Yea i wish others would tune out lies also, but they don't even hardly know how badly they are being deceived and lied to. That being said i would take some of the things i also read with a grain of salt.

I would agree that things are starting to change but to what extent we won't really know till it does. Youtube, google and just the net in general have traditionalist scrambling for ways to win back absolute control over the mediums that are all going digital with much overlap. I would say the corporatist are running a lost cause however in trying to control information dissemination also. The personal computer revolution and everything that associates with it is going individually public. The hand and glove approach of government and corporations wanting to spy on us with vast arrays of interconnected databases has little or nothing to do with the so called "terra" and everything to do with control without a doubt.

Everything and moderation is a message that some in the broadcast industry didn't get. Though we can be sure they feel the pinch in their advertisement revenue.

Here is the kind grain of salt i was getting on about

SECTION 2: Where do people get news … and how?
http://www.rtnda.org/resources/future/section2.pdf
http://www.rtnda.org/

[tigereye]

90. can't open the first one...

don't have the right tools. Second one is a journalism website - I think there are still honest journalists out there and not all are beholden to corporate owners. I also saw books about ethics and being honest about sources, too. Plus Edward Murrow awardees. Somehow that doesn't seem evil to me.

Granted many things should be taken with a grain of salt, that doesn't mean that every news article or commentary is a plant, a marketing ploy (that's more of a danger, in some ways) or an attempt at Rep-fueled manipulation. I think some aspects of the MSM are like lions that need to be fed and will feed on pretty much anything that is plentiful. When the Reps managed their info really well early in the Bush admin, that was the food. And now that the Dems are in control again, that will be the food.

I also really don't think most news agencies' mission is to control anything. I think people here allow their obsession with the Fox News propaganda machine (since that is what it seems to be and really shouldn't be called a news organization) to taint all other forms or media, and I'm not sure that's fair.

OTOH, I don't think there is TRUTH, in the way that there used to be truth when I was a kid watching Cronkite. I think all truth is filtered through somethings these days, and that's a shame. I don't know if that's a function of too much media, or not enough, or simply a function of complexity.

cheers.

[Harper_is_Bush]

37. good grief....n/t

[Pierzin]

38. How about a few Major Liberal TV Networks??? look out CNN!!!

Fight fire with fire. News anchors who bend over and let the right wingers take them should lose their jobs. Cheerleaders like Tweety and others should be run out of town and humiliated, ie tar and feather them.
we are really in trouble in the US since Bush has a bully pulpit.
Why in the hell do they give him the respect he does not deserve.

[tom_paine]

41. K & R

[Imagevision]

42. The Great Randolph Hearst: "you supply the pictures, I'll supply the war"...

[sasha031]

62. No I think he said

You supply the war, I'll supply the people. sick bastard

now that's all we've got

[Just-plain-Kathy]

44. A while back I did a little research....

NBC is owned by General Electric. GE Power Systems produce turbines for nuclear reactors and power plants, GE Plastics produces military hardware. They also manufacture and maintain engines for F-16 Fighter planes.

CBS is owned by Westinghouse, they own a subsidiary that disposes of nuclear and hazardous wastes; plus they operate four government-owned nuclear power plants in the US. ....

ABC is owned by Disney, they have holdings in Sid R. Bass (crude oil and gas). They also own the Carnival Cruise line, that happened to receive a $236 million federal contract to house Katrina Victims.

Then there’s FOX, as you know Rupert Murdoch owns FOX. Murdoch is on the Board of Directors of Philip Morris. I found an article titled “Bush Administration Lets Big Tobacco off the Hook Despite Killing Millions of Americans”, it’s subtitled “Tobacco Escapes Huge Penalty U.S. Seeks $10 Billion Instead of $130 Billion”.

...Our entertainment industries are making a killing from the Bush administrations decisions.

[ninkasi]

46. I agree with you

I also want to thank you for your years of work trying to expose and put an end to this heartless regime. You have spent what I can only imagine to be thousands of hours creating videos, and posts, pointing out the egregious actions of the present administration. You have been tireless in your efforts, and I, for one, want to give you a heartfelt thank you.

You are one of the many who make DU such a wonderful place to call home. I hope my post will help keep your OP kicked, and seen by all.

[symbolman]

66. Thanks my friend

Some people refer to my passion as 'Hyperbole' :)

Glad you've seen that I've put my all into it, and that I have a CLUE as to where the weak spots are, and I can tell you this..

THIS WILL WORK.

Watch the sharf fest between the media as we dismantle them.. WE have more power than THEY DO..

Imagine our research capability ALONE. They can't AFFORD the passion we have, can't pay enough people to do it, and that's part of why we are such an unstoppable FORCE :)

Thanks so much, it inspires me to do more when I hear comments like yours, appreciate it more than you know :)

[calimary]

47. It used to be that license-holders were beholden to the public and had

to furnish proof, every three years or so, when their licenses came up for renewal, to justify the privilege of holding those licenses. Those licenses were held IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, and it doesn't mean merely a "license to make money." The public interest has NOT been served, AT ALL, by what's happened through deregulation and the abolishment of the Fairness Doctrine and its Equal Time provisions.

Call Ed Markey's office in the House tomorrow morning! Tell him you support not only net neutrality (one of his pet projects) but also a reinstatement of the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE. TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers conveniently located here in my sig line.

[Mrspeeker]

49. Don't watch and buy the Corporate media.

that would be the best course of action!

If everyone ignored em they wouldn't exist!

find a honest source that you know is based on facts, not story's or GOP and world bank talking points!

My favorites:
www.democracynow.org
or
linktv

find and be the media!

[sasha031]

63. yes I agree, we are the educated ones

I don't even own a TVeeeee, everything comes from the internet.
and I believe in "Buying Blue" although it is difficult, the Cretans own everything.


I just wrote Waxman, and I think we all should scream for investigations.

I hate to say it but I don't know how intelligent the majority of American's are. From my experience, I would say not to bright.

These maggots have to be exposed.

[snot]

50. It's not just about profits and the solution's not just Fairness Doctrine . . .

For the last twenty years and more, the media have been OWNED by Republicans--LITERALLY.

Try making a career of publicizing issues you boss wants to bury. You do not get promoted; indeed, after the first job or two, you do not get hired.

A whole generation of Americans has grown up hearing news "consisting" almost entirely of corporate spin.

We MUST restore restrictions on the consolidation of media ownership, among other things.

I don't get why so few DU'ers get this. This should be second only to election reform, because without access to information about what's really going on, we're powerless.

I also don't why so few Dem leaders get this. Gore being a stellar exception (Current TV).

[Doondoo]

51. K&R

[mmonk]

52. With you symbolman. Time to take down the robber barons

of American media.

[The Wizard]

53. The Hearst principle

has played a major role in our demise. The media went form the Fourth Estate to the Fifth Column.

[Az]

54. Without a media that is responsive to the needs of the people we are blind

Instead what we have is a media that attempts to appeal to the lowest common denominator. They market the news to appeal to what titilates us or keeps us scared. Their only goal is to maintain their profit margin and they will sell us down the river to do so.

Without a well informed and unbiased stream of information a democracy cannot function. With the media acting as the mouthpiece of the government instead of as the observer of the government we have no check on the seat of power. Checks and balances are not just within our government. We the people are supposed to be part of the check on the excesses of power. But if we are blinded as to what is truly going on then we cannot hope to keep the government in line.

It is our government. We The People. And it has broken free of our control. And it is because we are mired in the fog the media has created.

[onenote]

55. If you toned down your hyperbole, you'd do a better job of communicating

Media concentration is a serious issue and you are correct to raise it.

However, we still have a free press in this country and I'm not so sure that government investigations of the press is a precedent I'm comfortable with setting.

And, I'm sorry, but when you claim that they (the media) are "Killing us" and won't be satisfied until they've "killed us all" -- well, that just makes you look silly and undercuts the seriousness of the issue you are raising.

[symbolman]

65. I know a little bit about it

I've won awards in Hollywood for my communication skills, beat out over 640 animators World Wide when I did it.

My 'Bush in 30 Seconds' work for MOVEON.ORG was one of 14 finalists out of 1500 entries, so I was in NYC with the likes of Al Franken, and many other liberals, Michael Moore called out my name and I stood up under spotlights. It was called ARMY OF ONE, and shown on National TV BEFORE the winning entry.

Our site Takebackthemedia.com brought in over 100 million hits the first year alone, 5 years ago.

I flew from Hawaii to Wash DC to film the Downing Street Minutes in High Def when no media was going to cover it, and filmed the subsequent handing over of more than 500,000 signatures demanding answers by CONYERS at the gate of the WHite House.

My site was sued by Michael Savage for more than Half a Million dollars in a SLAPP Suit where we prevailed.

I've been on both O'Reilly's show, and twice on Scarboroughs.

The list of my activism, including over 50 Flash Animations on my site is too numerous to list.

Suffice it to say, I think I know their Achilles Heel, and also know what I'm talking about when I talk about the media.

Having been DRAFTED During Vietnam and enlisted in the Air FOrce, where they TRIED TO KILL ME, gives me some creds too.

Please forgive my passion. But when I say they will KILL US ALL, I MEAN IT. If they hit Iran, we could ALL concievably STARVE for lack of oil availability.

Thanks for the advice, but I've been doing okay with my own Passion :) I'm not bragging, just letting you know, as some others might NOT know that I have BEEN in the PITS for a LONG time now..

[Little Star]

56. I 100% agree!!!! k&r

[conscious evolution]

57. Contact Rep Waxman

I posted this upthread.
I think if enough of us do so it could help bring accountability to the media.


The FCC is supposed to oversee Media right?
A case can be made that The Oversight and Gov. Reform Committee has jurisdiction for investigations into why the FCC has failed so miserably.Congressional subpeonas could reveal a lot.

Here is a link to contact Rep Waxman: http://oversight.house.gov/contact.asp

[bonito]

58. K&R

[Venus Dog]

59. This is very important!

Russert is now the crack in the egg that we should trounce on - he's been exposed totally to the sleeping populace - a phony traitor who would sell out a US agent to keep his job. Also, Murdoch has been exposed by the Simpson book deal. Let's not let these incidences fall down the memory hole. And they are all implicit in war crimes just as much as Cheney, Rummy, etc. Call Conyers and Waxman - let the hearings begin!

[In Truth We Trust]

60. MEDIA HEARINGS NOW!!!!!!

[Patiod]

61. Pure hearsay story about the LA Times:

Was on a long cab ride in a city nowhere near L.A.

Cabbie realized I was no friend to the Chimp, and we both started complaining about the war, and about how the press helped get us into the war.

He claimed (and again, I have NO SUPPORT for this story other than the cabbie) that a writer for the L.A. Times was riding in his cab 2-3 months before we went into Iraq, and both he and the cabbie agreed that we were definitely heading into Iraq, no matter what anyone said. The cabbie said "well, why don't I ever see any stories in the newspaper saying that - saying that we are going there no matter what happens?" And the L.A. Times writer said "because we were told not to write about it, told that we weren't to write any stories that are negative about the impending war, or point out that war is inevitable." The cabbie had not further information about WHO told them not to write about it.

Don't know if this is true or not, but I've become pretty cynical, and I'd like to know what the hell was going on in the press that they completely neglected any reasonable coverage questioning our motives for going to war.

[The Count]

64. Paul Krugman wrote that NYT didn't allow the word "lie" next to bush

Hence all the "misleading" euphemisms...Obviously, the policy never applied to Gore who was scurrilously dubbed a "serial liar".
So, yeah, I believe your cabbie's story.

[JacksonWest]

68. How do you hold the media responsible-aside from not reading, watching, or buying it?

"If we put a DENT in the Media, JERK THEIR LICENSE, TIE them UP in Hearings, HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE for these BRUTAL ACTIONS AGAINST ALL AMERICANS, then Maybe we can STOP the WAR, STOP Bush, END the KILLING,"

Hmmm. We've discovered the enemy, and it is us. Tie them up, jerk licenses, yeah, that's the ticket. Congress has the power to subpoena. The FCC has the power to remove a license. Hearings...are going to do what? Frankly, the biggest acts of brutality have not been against Americans, but the people of Iraq who are now embroiled in a civil war as well as an imperialistic battle that is involving several countries.

The first amendment guarantees a free press. The only forms of media that need a license are broadcast media. Which means that if NBC and Fox lost their license, they could still broadcast over cable.

The media has a lot of forms and mediums. You're a part of it, as is DU. if you spot something that's untrue, broadcast it. That's the best thing about DU. It's calls bullshit and cites fallacies in a lot of media stories.

You're advocating the shut down of voices you disagree with. How noble.

[conscious evolution]

78. I am not advocating shutting down disagreement

I am advocating punishment for yelling FIRE in a crowded theater.

[JacksonWest]

86. That's different from the OP.

[symbolman]

92. NO

I've said the same thing and in this thread.

You are heading off in some direction that makes no sense, but enjoy, though no one's buying it. :)

[JacksonWest]

95. Yelling fire in a crowded theater has an actual meaning.

Your post was incoherent gibberish about holding hearings to "tie up" the media, who are apparently war profiteering. It's laughable notion flies in the face of not only logic, the role of government, the realm of all possibilities-but the First Amendment as well. Your willingness to shred the Constitution over bias belongs in a totalitarian regime. The best way to hold someone accountable to the truth is to tell the truth. You can't revoke a license for a broadcast network because they reported the news from a biased stand point or used sources that weren't credible. The worst thing that can happen to a media outlet is a loss of credibility. Ask the New York Times(which has lost massive circulation) or Fox News-which is losing viewers every day.

[symbolman]

96. LOL

Yeah, I have NO creds at all..

Do a little homework.

[JacksonWest]

97. Your "cred" has nothing to do with this.

And whatever cred you think you have is meaningless. You want to "impeach" media in order to "tie it up". you want to revoke licenses for "war profiteering". It's like you took some magnetic buzzwords and threw them against the fridge. Your lack of understanding of the basic precepts of our democracy are so profound it's shocking you have the wherewithal to type.

I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.

[symbolman]

100. Looks like you are the genius

I bow before you awesome intellect.

Too bad you can't read between the lines, must be hell to be such a literalist that you can't make the stretch.

Funny that everyone else gets it.

Creds? I think I'll call Conyers up tomorrow and see if he FEELS like hassling the Media. He was the one that told his aides to get me into the Downing Street Minutes, which I filmed in High Def so everyone could see it.

His Aide was told by him to demand that Pelosi's Aid let me in that room, after flying from Hawaii when No One else was going to cover it. I believe the aid used these words, "Congressman Conyers says that you WILL Let this man into FILM this Hearing. That it' not just a Good IDEA, BUT IT'S THE LAW."

See, first hand experience.

Buh BYE now, some day that sound you hear may be the popping of a butt plug, but I doubt it. :)

[JacksonWest]

101. What does that have to do with anything you posted about?

Congrats on filming the downing street minutes. You have first hand experience...being part of the media. Which we all know. It still doesn't hold up your nonsensical OP and it's battle cry to demand that our Congress stop legislating and ..what? Try the "media" for war crimes? The media didn't authorize the war. The media didn't provide the intelligence for the "cause" of the war, and the Media didn't vote for it.

I'm glad you have a little pet cause, but it's appalling that you think congress's time is best served holding hearings on the "media" while we're still in this pointless war, while we're still losing thousands of manufacturing jobs due to corporate tax breaks and "free trade" agreements, while we have no system or hope of a system of national health care. Do I want to see the media answer for war profiteering...NO NO NO! It's so, so stupid. And selfish-the whole mentality that your pointless cause is worthy of the entire body of congress to focus on at the expense of issues that actually matter. I don't give a flying fuck about tieing people up, when our economy circles the drain and we keep loosing our young men and women in Iraq. And we continue to essentially create a genocide there as well. Anyone that wants the political side that is in power at the moment to hold hearings on the media that is biased against them is so short sighted it is almost painful to watch. While the corrupt pResident decides to attack Europa or Eurasia, we're going to make Rupert Murdoch sweat before congress. And when the next party swing comes, we can watch the Republicans do the same thing to Olbermann. it's shameless pandering to the vile portions of the base that can't see the forest for the trees. It's like having hearings on steroid use...or music lyrics. It doesn't do ANYTHING except distract the public from the nature of governments function-which is to govern.

[symbolman]

102. Thanks for the kick

and the Nonsense, keep digging that hole.

BTW, "and we keep 'loosing' our young men" <---- always a Dead Giveaway.. Called a "PT CRUISER" in these parts.

Ask anyone here.

I also Know ALL ABOUT being in a Pointless war, having been DRAFTED in 1971..

TIE up ALL of Congress?

Oh PLEASE.

And you claim to know all about Democracy?

Good luck with that.

[JacksonWest]

103. Sorry for the typo. Thanks for confirming that this is about your ego and nothing else.

You can't defend your concepts or ideas, so it's a non-stop barrage of me me me! Sorry you had to go fight in Vietnam. I wouldn't have gone.

Your service aside, as well as your close relationship with Conyers, your central premise is fascist and short sighted. You're demanding that the new majority hold the media's feet to the fire for things that are far outside the scope of congress or their power. It is free press, first and foremost.

Did you catch the news today about the FCC and CBS? That's fairly interesting. There's no talk of license revocation, but it is a battle against corporate consolidation. Which is important.

There are ways of combating media bias, and corporate media(which puts it's interests over the consumers through deception and subterfuge) without eliminating it. I don't know why I'm expanding on this, since your idea would never, ever happen. I guess it's the thought that people here are cheering it on. Sort of makes me wonder if everyone forgot that it was a Republican majority for twelve years. I'm sure some one on the other side of the aisle would want to try the "left wing" press for treason. Ann Coulter pretty much said the same thing about the NYT.

So, that's the company you keep. You're just another extreme right now. Your say I know nothing about Democracy-yet your priority is to circumvent the press that you disagree with. Or the press that supported this idiotic war. How about you keep telling the truth, exposing the lies, and letting consumers make up their own mind? What happens when the power shifts back? Do you think the Democrats will be in power forever?

[demobabe]

104. It is interesting you mention ego.

You tell Symbolman that you're sorry he had to do time in Vietnam.

Then you say you wouldn't have gone.

So what, is Symbolman stupid for being in the military and supporting his country?

Then you call him an extreme right winger?

What is this all about? It IS ego, but not Symbolman's...

I get sick of these dick battles on the DU...

[JacksonWest]

105. Wow.

Symbolman isn't an extreme right winger. Didn't say that. Didn't imply that. I said he was the opposite extreme-which would be an extreme left winger. Ego comes up because the majority of his responses shifted back to his accomplishments and experiences(downing street, Vietnam) and not the content of his words. He would then throw a personal attack in, and shuffle off.

I wouldn't have gone to Vietnam for the same reason I didn't join the army. I don't want to die for something I don't believe in or have no say in. It has nothing to do with being stupid. If there was a draft today, I'd dodge it. Call me a coward, or whatever. I am sorry he had to fight in Vietnam. I'm glad he wasn't killed in that war. Beyond that....whatever. Sucks to be drafted, eh? Take what I said at face value. I'm not as deep as you're giving me credit for.

[Oak2004]

106. There is a First Amendment right to speak an opinion,

to speak a truth, to speak what one believes to be a truth (even if it turns out to be untrue).

The courts have been much less keen on protecting any right to knowingly tell lies where the lies resulted in an injury (Doubt it? Go libel your neighbor, and see what happens) or for the purpose of making a buck (Doubt that? Put your crap in a can, label it caviar, sell it, and see what happens. Forget that -- put salted caviar in the caviar can and call it "reduced sodium" and see what happens).

And neither broadcast *nor* cable could exist without the use of public resources (even cable uses the public right-of-way), and therefore can be required not to knowingly tell lies. In fact the law did once provide for licenses to be revoked for exactly those reasons you cite, and the courts upheld it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

71. ...

[Richardo]

76. .

:spray:

[JacksonWest]

98. Ahh. A good lemming response.

Sorry for not playing cheerleader to the nonsensical ravings of a misguided censorship thug. It would be one thing if there was a semblance of logic or understanding in the original post, but it's pure lunacy. Sound and fury...ending with a Chavez style reaction to inconvenient media.

[conscious evolution]

73. Interesting Frontline on PBS tonite

Being discussed in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x198844

It looks like media complicity in enabaling the bush admins is starting to get some exposure.

Do your part to help by contacting your Congressional representatives to demand accountability.




Edited due to momentary lack of using my head!

[Sequoia]

74. Let's not forget the big media who cancel the news too.

Nothing to see here but old reruns of sitcoms. News...forget it...you won't see us reporting anything but happy shiny people with Ipods and the latest fashions and who's the dad of Nicole's baby. Dead American troops...ha..none of that here. Can't drive away our advertisers.

(Insert sarcasim icon here)

[KansDem]

75. I'm still waiting for Katie Couric to "get back with us" regarding her accusation...

...that Dems took $$$ from Abramoff.

She made this baseless accusation in an interview with Howard Dean in January of 2006. When he challenged her, she sloughed it off saying she'd "have to check into it and get back with us at a later date." Well, it's been over a year! So, Katie...do you have your facts yet?

Imagine Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite saying that they'll need to check their facts and "get back to us at a later date." :eyes:

What a tool!

[Lena inRI]

79. Sic 'em like paparazzi. . .

especially the 5 major networks who have a monopoly over the information product. . .BEFORE THESE ASSHOLES GO FOR INTERNET CONTROL. . .then we're really censored beyond recourse.

SPECIAL HEARINGS OR DURING THE SAME HEARINGS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF CHENEY, RUMSFELD, GWB. . .WHATEVER, THE FEDERAL TRIALS AFTER IMPEACHMENT CAN AND SHOULD include INDICTMENTS FOR THE CEOS WHO WHERE THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE FOR THE CROOKS. . .Hitler's Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels COMES TO MIND as the obvious historical parallel.

Speaker Pelosi. . .start serving those subpoenas for media CEOs to appear before Congress!





:grr: :kick: :grr: :kick: :grr:

[Jcrowley]

80. Protesting and/or occupying offices of the MSM is an excellent tactic

Propaganda Extravaganza
So I have spent a good deal of this evening reading the accounts of the "highly" secretive, "ultra-classified" and "on monumental background" Iran briefing that the White House orchestrated today, just in time for Monday's breaking news. What is quite clear is that US corporate press has become an extension of the White House public relations department.

Under what circumstances would the following criteria for a news story ever be considered "journalism:"

1). Reporters met with experts and analysts who would not provide their names, background, or any identifying information - even off the record. There is no way to know who these unnamed experts were, what made them experts, or anything that could be used to confirm or debunk their allegations. In other words, the sources were not vetted and unknown.

2). The allegations that Iran was responsible for the downing of US helicopter in Iraq by using advanced weapons were based on a set of photographs of unknown origin, date, time, or any other contextual information that could be confirmed or debunked. In other words, the facts of the story are unsupportable and cannot be in any way explored.

3). The White House led officials present at the briefing would not give their names either, despite this presentation being cleared by the White House. In other words, despite this not being a leak, no one would stand by the story.

4). The alleged intelligence was put together like a presentation one would find at a new product roll out, planned weeks in advance even. Yet the reason given for providing this information to the press is concern for US troops on the ground in Iraq. Obviously something is wrong with either the motive (when one works a story, one wants to understand motive for informaton provided). The motive, as claimed, is concern for the troops - but if there was concern for the troops, why did this presentation require weeks of planning? If there was enough evidence to support a full blown briefing such as this, then instead of planning for a public relations extravaganza, one would think that the White House might be doing something more important - for example, holding emergency briefings for Congress.

http://www.atlargely.com/2007/02/propaganda_extr.html



They are facilitators of war criminals. They are accessories to murder.

[conscious evolution]

88. This says it all--

'If there was enough evidence to support a full blown briefing such as this, then instead of planning for a public relations extravaganza, one would think that the White House might be doing something more important - for example, holding emergency briefings for Congress.'

They can't go to Congress because they know it is all a lie.

[Uncle Joe]

83. Thanks for the thread symbolman

Kicked and recommended

[bvar22]

84. IIRC, the propagandists for the Third Reich....

IIRC, the propagandists for the Third Reich sat in the same dock with the other NAZI War Criminals during the Nuremberg Trials after WW2.


The propagandists for the Occupation of Iraq deserve the same: a seat before an International War Crimes Tribunal.


Hi Symbolman. Been with you from the start!
Good Work!

K&R


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[goforit]

87. Great idea, but better yet....March on their property and demand the truth!!!

March with millions!!!

[benld74]

89. What media?

Haven't had a real media voice since I was a kid. Just a bunch of talking heads spouting *drivel!

[goclark]

93. This goal should be a full court press nt

[conscious evolution]

107. Investigations needed for media complicity in war crimes

There is plenty of precedence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Tribunal_for_Rwanda#Trial_against_.22hate_media.22
http://www.google.com/search?q=Julius+Streicher&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
http://www.google.com/search?q=Hassan+Ngeze&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
http://www.google.com/search?q=Joseph+Goebbels&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
This guy killed himself and his entire family to escape justice.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Ferdinand+Nahimana+and+Jean-Bosco+Barayagwiza&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8

Media complicity in the commision of war crimes is in itself considered a war crime.Unfortunately the First Amendment of the US Constitution does give protection to the media here in this country.The good news is that this protection gives jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court:http://www.icc-cpi.int/about/ataglance/jurisdiction_admissibility.html

snip....In general, a case will be inadmissible if it has been or is being investigated or prosecuted by a State with jurisdiction. However, a case may be admissible if the investigating or prosecuting State is unwilling or unable to genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution. ....snip

Congressional hearings here may not have the power to prosecute for war crimes but there is a role they can play.Hearings and investigations can reveal evidence that can be turned over to the ICC for legal action in that arena.
Hearings could also be used to show the American people how much they have been hoodwinked and screwed over by the media.
One thing people the world over hate is to be made fools of.Giving evidence to the people of how they have been played for chumps could ignite a backlash against the media that could force needed change in how the media operates.
It is in the best interest of America that we demand accountability of the media.Otherwise we the people will continue to get lied to and manipulated into supporting the criminal acts committed in our name.