Seriously folks, something needs to be done about the media in the US

[Doctor_J]

with Dan Bartlett joining the Con Broadcast System and basically every TV "news network having at least three right-wingers on the payroll, while Olbermann is the only leftie on the air. Radio is overrun with hatred, violence, racism and propaganda.

Our society cannot survive like this. Any suggestions?

[alstephenson]

1. I couldn't agree more.

And I don't know what the hell to do about it. But don't forget Rachel! She's great and should have her own show (yeah, right, in my dreams).

[FrenchieCat]

2. Tell everyone you know that the Media is corporate and therefore sides

with Republicans because they are the party of corporate tax cuts and deregulation. The media is not liberal or conservative....it is corporate.


When I tell Republicans that, they come around to agreeing....when I list General Electric, Time-Warner, Disney, Viacom and NewsCorp as the owners of 95% of our media.


Then I link Time-Warner to CNN and Time Magazine and their partnership to Disney.
Then go on with linking GE to NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Newsweek and the Washington Post.

At the end of the day, I tell them......they want you to think that you have a large choice of channels and magazines and newspapers to inform yourselves with....they just leave off that they are all owned by the same people.

[EV_Ares]

3. Glad to see this brought up as a direct post. Have done it before and have seen

others bring it up but never seems to get any takers.

I have thought that if the dems make the necessary gains in the congress and the WH, it should be on the front burner at least. You have Murdoch who has plans to get the NY Times, that is in his plan soon. The consolidation of the media, we are seeing the results as you have stated. Hell, even the so called Independents they put on a panel are always skewed to the right.

It seems that for one thing they find a way to break up the monopolies and I don't know the law where or how they can do that but when you have one corporation or one person who owns an entire network of tv stations, newspapers and radio stations, that is where a lot of damage to one party or the other can be done.

It needs to certainly be addressed.

[clear eye]

24. It Would Take a While to Execute a Hostile Takeover of the NYT

Can that man live forever?

[liberalmuse]

4. My tv news consists of Olberman, Stewart and Colbert.

Though very sad, I'm still more informed than anyone who watches Fox, CNN or network news. A democratic republic cannot survive control of all its news by the fascist corporate oligarchy.

I'm listening to Keith right now. He is worth more than 50 Hannities.

[Doctor_J]

8. Unfortunately the sheer volume and slant of the media has now been affecting

our elections for nearly 20 years. I repeat that our nation is doomed unless something is done about this. Pravda was child's play compared to US Big Media.

[cliffordu]

41. Pravda was child's play....Precisely.

[spanone]

5. i agree....WHAT DO YOU DO? they own the news....truth is secondary

[kitfalbo]

6. Youtube

Just look at the news people want to see. Positive obama stories Negative McCain ones.. yet the media does not listen.

[Doctor_J]

9. Correct. There are DUers who still maintain Big Media shills for Repukes

"because it's better for ratings". this is complete bullshit. Investigations into McSame's first marriage, his accidentally killing 160 fellow sailors, his astounding flip-flops, and calling Cindy a cunt at a party would garner huge ratings. Yet Big Media won't go there.

[snot]

7. Are you aware of

the various legislative efforts that have needed your support?

I've posted many times trying to muster interest in this subject, but the posts simply sink.

If the people don't know the truth, they can't be expected to act on it.

We need to restore the restrictions on the consolidation of media ownership, and the Fairness Doctrine, for starters.

In my personal view, we should amend the Constitution to ensure the independence of the fourth estate.

[NoFederales]

26. Seconded. nt

NoFederales

[stillcool]

10. Even with the net..

I feel like I'm living in an information blackout. I think it is wrong to infer that our media is corporate. I think the word is government.

[Doctor_J]

15. As Amy Goodman puts it,

"If we had a state-run media, could you tell the difference?"

[unblock]

20. i think it would be more accurate to say the media and our gov't are controlled by the same forces.

a small number of ultra-rich corporatists.

[yardwork]

31. The media is demonstrably owned by corporations. It is corporate.

The corporations control the U.S. government and the U.S. media. The corporations like it that way. Did Dick Cheney think up the idea of invading Iraq all by himself? No. The gas and oil companies did it.

[stillcool]

37. I guess from my point of view..

the corporations are not the mouthpiece for the government, but the government is the mouthpiece for the corporations. I have read that oil has been a National Security Issue since WWII, and every industry is affected by it, but especially the War industry. It seems to me that the government assimilates the needs of business interests, and puts forth the reality they want broadcast.

[yardwork]

38. They're so intertwined at this point it would be hard to say which leads which.

[Doctor_J]

44. They've been merged, so that they are now one entity

Big Media/GOP/Corporations are a single oppressive being

[lynettebro440]

11. It's kind of like 9/11

it's taken how many years to have people think maybe it was an inside job.

Kicked and off to the greatest you go :)

[malaise]

12. They have seized every fugging institution

and you are right. The society cannot survive this.

[lynettebro440]

13. Our only hope

is that idiots become smart before November, or all the people become dirt poor and have no other choice but for change. Other then that, can't see any of them waking up. I have been waiting almost 9 years and still not much hope.

[Doctor_J]

17. Winning in November won't have much effect on the media

It will be a rerun of Clinton's terms, the 8 most prosperous years in US history, which Big Media managed to turn into a disaster.

[dysfunctional press]

14. sit back and watch it spiral down the drain...

it's apparently what the masses want- and seeing as i have no choice but to live in this time and place, i might as well enjoy the show and spectacle of it all.

[Doctor_J]

19. I tried to find employment in Canada and europe, to no avail.

And I am pretty highly qualified. I hope I live to see the people take the country back.

[dysfunctional press]

27. if you're old enough to be 'pretty highly qualified', you probably won't.

i'm just hoping to make it 12/21/2012- to see if those mayans were actually on to something...my guess- y2k big nuthin' redux. but the 'survivalist' business is going to be booming for the next few years.

[cliffordu]

43. Hmm....Maybe it's time to start selling MRE's.....

[Naturyl]

16. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine

Kucinich has been fighting for this, but nobody seems interested.

[KharmaTrain]

18. ReInvent Our Own Media

It won't happen overnight, but it can happen. We've seen it occur with the netroots...pooling talents and resources that have been strongly supported by Progressives and Liberals and has given us voices we didn't have 2 or 4 or 8 years ago.

The corporate media will never admit its biases or work against its own interests. It's agenda is stricly profit and ratings and divisiveness is how it achieves it. It reaches for money and power and feels that only Repugnicans offer those rewards. They've propgated over 20 years of anti-Democratic rhetoric that force virtually every candidate, especially on a national level, to endure wonton attacks and characterizations that are a constant albatross...making all positives into negatives (Obama is a "star") and amplifies the negatives while giving Repugnicans passes for the most criminal behavior. It's a "village" as Digby and Atrios note that is out to serve itself...it's ego and own interests, not ours. Above all, those who aren't already in the GOOP's pocket are browbeaten to keep silent or try to "make good" by showing their "worth" by how hard they can attack a Democrat.

This year we've seen Senator Obama raise millions and an energized Democratic base...millions who are going the extra step in tough economic times to make sure there's change, who are tired of not just Repugnicans but the corporate media as well. It's time to use those resources to create a new media...using the new resource of the internet (internet radio and television), getting involved and helping grow local, community radio as a voice for our issues and concerns (see Pacifica) and then to force the FCC to revisit Dereg '96...roll back the oppressive ownership rules that allow the corporates to lock away the public airwaves as their own plantation of hate radio and consolidation.

Again, this won't happen overnight and it requires a lot of coordination and putting egos and agendas aside for the common good. Yes, it can happen...and we see out here many great talents whose voices should be seen and heard.

Peace...

[Raster]

21. Control the media, control the message. There has been a concerted right-wing effort since Nixon's

downfall to gain control of the media--the Fourth Estate. An uninformed citizenry is an easily manipulated and controlled body. I never cease to be amazed in this day and age at how many people still believe the lies and obfuscations of bush*/cheney*.

[babylonsister]

22. The media is our biggest problem, has been for years. That's why

Jon Stewart has so much material to work with.

[salinen]

23. I sure do

but I can't say it here.

[HughMoran]

25. Revolt?

It's our duty under the Constitution. We have been slacking off...

[azul]

28. It's boiling down to investment competition, or legal action.

Corporations and people with money to invest have built up a conservative and business-skewed media infrastructure for the past decades, and the opposition, labor and liberal, has not matched this effort.

With the deregulation of ownership rules and loss of any fairness and truthfulness rules, the media has lost its function as a watchdog on government and democracy. Or what is worse, has lost this function in reality but keeps up the illusion of its independence and trustworthiness.

The investment needs to be made in an alternative news network and service. Either by combining all these competing and disparate existing news sources, or buying out one of the big networks and setting some standards that expose the other's bias.

Who could organize such? Bill Moyers, Amy Goodman, Robert Parry, or whom? I think the audience is there, and the advertisers too.


The other avenue to action and change may be to charge these networks and executives with fraud and conspiracy to push the country into illegal war based on lies and deceptions. That should expose and clean up this rat's nest of fascist propagandists.

[tomp]

29. any suggestions? nt

[SoCalDem]

30. It's been that way for decades, and until some lefties start RUNNING things

nothing will change.. It just IS what it is..

republicans always seem to find sugar daddies with big fat wallets, who are willing to spend whatever it takes, to drown out any opposing agenda..

They know their way is wrong, but it makes them rich, and if they can shoot down any oppositions, they will do it..and they have done in unimpeded for decades..

[bdamomma]

32. a non informed media is very dangerous for the electorate.

I read this somewhere and we are great jeopardy.

[Doctor_J]

33. I think you mean uninformed POPULACE

which is spawned by a corrupt media, of which ours is probably the worst since the German media in the 1930's

[bdamomma]

35. yes, uninformed populace thanks for the correction

and that is what we are uninformed. scary and dangerous.

[LynnTheDem]

34. We're #53!11!

We're #53!!1!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301148.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1027/dailyUpdate.html

[L0oniX]

36. The air space is owned by we the public. They use it by permit. We need to revoke that permit.

We need to take control of the FCC and our air space.

[Occulus]

42. It's not ours anymore

They auctioned it off.

[burythehatchet]

39. .

[AngryAmish]

40. Jail them all unless they swear to not lie

The government should come up with a form which states, upon pain of prison, that they will no longer spew hate propaganda. The airwaves are for the people. This hate cannot go on.