One thing became very apparent at the National Conference on Media Reform, held recently in Madison, WI (see story and link below),
media in the United States is guilty of conspiracy, complicity, sedition, and treason.>It is undeniable, that major media in this nation has aided and facilitated the Bush regime since
before the 2000 election.
>They lied about President Gore, and engaged in character assassination, mis-characterizations, and slander against him.
>They lied for, and defended, G.W. Bush, refusing to publish negative information about his sordid history and psychological defects, for which, the country now is paying a very heavy price.
>They lied about the election results in Florida, and the causes for the "stolen" election. They ignored the conspiracy by and between, Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, and Republican Party operatives, to outright steal the election.
>They lied about Iraq, and in the run-up to the war, aided and abetted the administration in disseminating propaganda they
knew to be untrue. This continues today, with their refusal to air dissenting views, to show the dead and wounded coming home from Iraq, and a hundred other "facilitating efforts" geared towards
manipulating public opinion to benefit the neonazicons currently running this government behind the scenes. >They lie about the economy, the environment, the peace movement, and dozens of other issues, all in an effort to protect the Bush regime. Important stories on issues that affect the health and welfare of the citizens of this nation, if shown or printed at all, are relegated to the back pages of newspapers, especially if they might have a negative impact on public opinion concerning the Republicans, Bush, Israel, or their corporate benefactors.
>They publish blatantly biased pieces against the Democratic Party, and its candidates. Likewise, they publish puff pieces promoting the interests of the Republican Party, and its members. As an example, the Sunday news shows have turned into nothing more than hour-long propaganda fests, promoting the interests of the
neonazicon infested Bush administration, and the Republicans. Opposing views, are held to a minimum, and/or, are shouted down and silenced, all with the permission of the moderator/host.
>The broadcast media has allowed the "conservative" movement, and the neocons, to set their agenda and story lines, in an effort to provide propagandistic support to their efforts to distort the truth. The "Reagan" movie is the most recent example of this, but we can see daily examples when it comes to reporting on events in Iraq, or concerning Israel and the Palestinians. The biases and untruths, are profound.
>
Not since the demise of the Soviet Union, has the world seen a national media in such collusion with a national government. Their Orwellian tactics smack of totalitarianism and fascism. And it's not that the media is
scared, and promoting regime propaganda out of fear, rather, they are a willing, and participating partner in these efforts.
Our Founding Fathers knew, that an active and robust "Fourth Estate" and free press was essential to a "living" democracy. They took steps (or so they thought) to insure the health of the "Fourth Estate", only to see, in modern times, those steps subverted and destroyed. Through corporate mergers, lax government control, and the repeal of laws (like the Fairness Doctrine) designed to insure media fairness, American media has become the mouthpiece of corporations, Republicans, special interests, and fascists.
The result, has led to nothing less than the demise of our democracy.
So how can we reverse this process, bring the media back into its proper place, in what's left of our democracy, and, punish those who have abused our laws and the public's right-to-know?
Here's a simple plan, one guaranteed to right the wrongs. Nothing, I repeat, nothing is more important to insure the survival of our democracy, and our nation, than to take the following steps, to wit;1. Immediately after inauguration, the new Democratic President must, by Executive Order, immediately re-institute the Fairness Doctrine. After the primaries, and the nominee is chosen, we must prevail upon the nominee, through letters, faxes, and telephone calls, to promise to execute the above. The seemingly simple act of re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine, would have a more profound positive effect on the health of our democracy, than perhaps any other single act that could be undertaken. Without fairness, our media is doomed to control by the oligarchy and special interests, as is our nation.
2. Upon the appointment of a new Attorney General, the new President should demand the Justice Department immediately undertake RICO statue investigations and prosecutions against key corporate media figures, and companies. Furthermore, in cases where media can be proven have brought injury to the American people, and/or, have harmed the nation and its interests, they should be charged with conspiracy, complicity, and treason, and upon conviction, sentenced accordingly. Again, we must petition our nominee to support these actions.
3. Either through Executive Order, or, through Congressional legislation (provided we are able to obtain a majority that would support such legislation), FCC laws must be changed to immediately break up all media conglomerates. Additionally, laws should be passed to insure that media corporations are never again allowed to own more than a handful of outlets, in an effort to insure a free, and vital press.
These three steps, are all it would take to restore our democracy. Coupled with meaningful, and irrevocable, campaign finance reform, it would insure the health of our democracy for generations to come. Without them, we will be relegated to watching from the sidelines, as oligarchic fascists solidify their control over the nation, choking it, until democracy is completely, and totally, suffocated.Here are links to two articles, well worth reading for those interested in saving this nation, and in understanding the vital role media is supposed to play in a democracy.
<snip>
Speakers say media bear some blame for Iraq war 11:40 PM 11/07/03
Scott Milfred State government reporter
Misleading and incomplete reporting by major news outlets helped President Bush steer America into war with Iraq, speakers said Friday during the opening session of a three-day National Conference on Media Reform at UW-Madison. <
"This war could never have taken place without the complicity of the news media," said John Stauber, author and founder of the Center for Media and Democracy, a group that seeks to expose corporate and government propaganda campaigns. "The media that sold this war doesn't want to examine how they did it." <
Amy Goodman, host of Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now!" program, said war would stop if media outlets showed images of injured and dead Iraqi civilians, including children, as often as they showed images such as the toppling of a large statue of Saddam Hussein draped with an American flag. <
Goodman also faulted the media and U.S. government for failing to tally Iraqi casualties. She quoted Secretary of State Colin Powell as once having justified this by explaining that the military doesn't count enemy deaths. <
"I don't consider a little dead Iraqi girl or boy on the ground my enemy," Goodman said in front of about 1,600 people in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on campus. <snip>
Link to more: http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/local/60768.php<snip>
Cronkite fears media mergers threaten democracy By John Nichols
November 8, 2003
The most trusted name in news is worried about what is happening to the news media in America.
"I think it is absolutely essential in a democracy to have competition in the media, a lot of competition, and we seem to be moving away from that," said Walter Cronkite, the former CBS News anchorman, whose name remains synonymous with American journalism.
"The way that works is to have multiple owners, with the hope that the owners will have different viewpoints, and with the hope that the debate will help to air all sides, or at least most sides of the issues. But right now I think we're moving away from that approach."
Speaking to The Capital Times before this weekend's National Conference on Media Reform, Cronkite said he is particularly concerned by the decision of the Federal Communications Commission to relax media ownership rules. By a 3-2 vote in June, the commission approved proposals that would permit a single media company to own television stations that reach up to 45 percent of American households, and that would permit a single media company to own the daily newspaper, several television stations and up to eight radio stations in the same community. <snip>
Link to more: http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/column/nichols/60744.php