Rovegate - Rep. Hinchey Calls for Media-Manipulation Hearing

[paineinthearse]

Ref three other currently-running DU threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3157806&mesg_id=3157806&page=

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1256504#1256819

&

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3161658&mesg_id=3161658

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA505846.html?display=Breaking+News

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Hinchey Wants Media-Manipulation Hearing

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/22/2005 4:39:00 PM

Abstract: Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he was just speculating when he suggested Bush political guru Karl Rove as the source of bogus National Guard documents that blew up a CBS 60 Minutes story on the president's service.

This service is available by subscription only, but here is a transcript from his House website:

http://www.house.gov/hinchey/newsroom/021605_transcript.shtml

Transcript of Congressman Hinchey's Remarks on House Floor - February 16, 2005

Mr. Speaker, this bill and the rule really missed the point. The point is that we are experiencing here in this House and across this country limitations on political debate , and that is the way this rule is structured, to limit political debate so that the American people do not understand what is going on.

For more than 2 decades now, the Republican Party has sought to consolidate the media in America across the board, and they have done so also to limit debate by eliminating the Fairness Doctrine. This bill makes no mention whatsoever of the link between media consolidation and the rising number of indecency complaints.

What do we have today as a result of the Republican Party's consolidation of the media in America? Five companies own the broadcast networks and 90 percent of the top 50 cable networks. They produce three-quarters of all prime time programming. They control 70 percent of the prime time television market share. These same companies that own the Nation's most popular newspapers and networks also own 85 percent of the top 20 Internet news sites.

Two-thirds of America's independent newspapers have been lost. According to the Department of Justice's ``Merger Guidelines,'' every local newspaper market in the United States today is highly concentrated as a result of actions begun under President Reagan in 1987 and that continue today under President George W. Bush and the Republican leadership of this House.

One-third of America's independent TV stations have vanished. There has been a 34 percent decline in the number of radio station owners since the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act under the leadership of this House. There has also been a severe decline in minority-owned broadcasters.

As the major networks have been allowed greater vertical integration, the percentage of independently produced new programming on broadcast networks has declined from 87.5 percent in 1990 to 22.5 percent in 2002. It is barely one-fourth of what it was 15 years ago, independent programming, thanks to the leadership of this House and Republican Presidents.

Almost 60 years ago, the Supreme Court declared: ``The widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public; that a free press is a condition of a free society.''

We no longer have a free press or free media in our country, as a result of the conscious, intentional consolidation of the media that has been authorized and orchestrated by the Republican leadership in this House and successive Republican Presidents.

I have no doubt that every Member of this body would agree that the court sentiments that I mention here today should hold true, but it is also true that we are not allowed to debate this point and bring it up on the floor of the House.

We have a lot to do here, and our Republican colleagues are not allowing it to be done. Free press is essential to a free and open society.

See video at http://recap.fednet.net/archive/Buildasx.asp?sProxy=80_hflr021605_010.wmv,80_hflr021605_011.wmv&sTime=00:04:46.3&eTime=00:03:16&duration=00:03:31.0&UserName=kevin.o'connell&mail.house.gov&sLocation=&sExpire=1

[paineinthearse]

1. Are any DU'ers members of Broadcasting & Cable?

If so, please add to this thread.

thanls

[tom_paine]

2. Wow, a Democratic Legislator daring to speak up about this!

FINALLY!

:toast:

[paineinthearse]

5. Read the other DU threads (links in first post)

The story broke in an Ithica blog named LITTLE GREEN FOOTBALLS. The local newspaper (the Ithica Journal) has had at least two stories BUT GANNETT AND ALL THE OTHER MSM HAVE NOT PICKED-UP ON THIS.

Details in the other threads.

[tom_paine]

6. Little Green Footballs is a Bushevik Party Organ

And I imagine they 'broke' the story to ridicule the gentleman and DU.

If you can stand being inthe presence of Kinder and Gentler Nazis, go over and look at it (I don't have to look to know what was siad, because I have studied Totalitarianism and the Totalitarian Mind to be certain already...but go ahead and look and confirm).

[paineinthearse]

7. No source is sacred

They did a very nice job in alerting us. Does that make me shameless?

[tom_paine]

9. I never mentioned or insulted you personally

I was just informing you of what Little Green Footballs is.

[Angry Girl]

3. Yay! He needs (and deserves) our support! nfm

[ConcernedDemocrat]

4. KKKarl is a slimy worm

[progressoid]

8. Let him know his words are appreciated...

http://www.house.gov/hinchey/contact/

And if you don't live in NY, contact YOUR Senators and Reps!

http://www.house.gov/writerep/
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[oasis]

10. Expose Rove.

[paineinthearse]

11. Woodruff interview

http://crooksandliars.com/



Maurice Hinchey on Karl Rove

Inside Politics:

Woodruff: As we reported a little while ago in our blog segment, the Internet is abuzz with reaction to comments by New York Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey. The congressman over the weekend shared his views about the now disputed CBS News report about President Bush's Air National Guard service. Representative Maurice Hinchey is with me now, he joins us from Albany, New York.


REP. MAURICE HINCHEY (D), NEW YORK: And then the issue of the CBS Dan Rather event came up, and I said that there were false documents or documents which were falsified and presented as being accurate and there was a question as to where those documents came from. And in the context of the discussion I suggested that -- my theory was that I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the White House political operation, headed up by Karl Rove.

More from Digby: It's Irresponsible Not To As Peggy Noonan so memorably wrote about the "little Elian" drama:

Was Mr. Clinton being blackmailed? The Starr report tells us of what the president said to Monica Lewinsky about their telephone sex: that there was reason to believe that they were monitored by a foreign intelligence service. Naturally the service would have taped the calls, to use in the blackmail of the president. Maybe it was Mr. Castro’s intelligence service, or that of a Castro friend.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

[Swamp Rat]

12. kick