News Bureaus = Corporate Profit Centers

[OneGrassRoot]

I believe one of the greatest threats we face which undermines all other concerns we try to bring to light is the loss of a free press.

I know some believe a return of The Fairness Doctrine would be a good move; I honestly don't know. What I do feel was the nail in the coffin was when news bureaus become corporate profit centers rather than stay seperate from the entertainment divisions.

In reading about this issue, I came across a 2003 interview with Robert Kennedy, Jr., in which he summarized this very well:

"The consolidation of American media over the past decade or so has dramatically diminished the inquisitiveness of our national press. There are now only 11 companies that control virtually every radio outlet, every TV outlet and every newspaper in our country. And because of that media consolidation, the news bureaus are no longer run by newspeople. They are now corporate profit centers. Most of these companies have liquidated their foreign bureaus, because they're expensive to run. That's why you can't get foreign news in this country; you have to go to the BBC. And they've liquidated their investigative journalism units, because that kind of reporting is also expensive. So news has become the lowest common denominator, which is why you see sensational crime coverage, you see Laci Peterson and Kobe Bryant all the time, you see celebrity gossip, which is really just a form of pornography. And you see murders, which is really just another form of pornography. You just see notorious crimes, and you don't really see much substantive news anymore."

http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/feature/2003/11/19/bobbykennedyjr/index.html


We know we can't rely on the media to do their jobs on our behalf any longer.

What can we do to push back and demand the constitutional right of a citizenry to a free press, or at least restrict a program/company from appearing as though they are an independent news organization? It seems news bureau employees cannot speak freely without censorship due to being owned by a corporation, whose sole goal and legal responsibility is to make money for shareholders.

If nothing else, we should somehow demand the word "news" be removed from the title of shows masquerading as news resources rather than merely commenting on what they're given to read. Only those with investigative journalism divisions separate from the corporate structure should be able to use the word news.

Any practical suggestions -- other than simply not watching them (which I agree is the most effective)?

Thanks for reading my not-overly-well-informed-but-really-pissed-off opinion, and for any suggestions you share.

[cliffordu]

1. This is why the internet MUST remain free. The corporations cannot be trusted

to hand out anything remotely concerned with the truth.

[OneGrassRoot]

2. We'd most certainly be dead in the water without it, but I don't...

want to relinquish hope of regaining a free press, or at least more transparency about their agenda.

[cliffordu]

3. That would mean the corporations would have to separate out the news divisions again

away from the entertainment divisions, and restore the research departments they used to have.

The real problem is just that - they have NO research dollars invested in deep backgrounding on the news - it's all like this now:

The newscaster says: "A new Newsweek article claims that blah de blah....."

Cue Soundbite....

Rebuttal from talking head....counter from another talking head....ad nauseum....

No backgrounder, no news, just endless soundbites pretending to be the news.


Which is why Mooselini is playing soooooo well. Nothing but soundbites....

[OneGrassRoot]

4. Yet so many don't realize how the news has changed in the last 10 years....

or WHY it has changed (became profit centers).

Part of the reason -- shit, the main reason -- Mooselini and Bushco have ANY approval numbers is because of MSM. People believe them. A large portion of the population don't realize they are being fed crap -- they assume it's like it was in previous decades: if a news anchor said something with conviction, it was based in fact.

The 24/7 news cycle has certainly fed the idiocracy of it all.

[cliffordu]

7. Yep. Fucking Ted Turner should be in prison for the damage to the Republic.

[Imperialism Inc.]

5. Below is a site that is a good place to start looking.

http://www.corporations.org/media/

I for one do not favor the so called fairness doctrine. I don't see how it is practical to enforce in any meaningful way, it is aimed at (and only is Constitutional for) limited spectrum media like over the air broadcasts, only and I don't think it would solve anything anyway. The proper approach is to make sure laws are in place that encourage diverse media ownership.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. Thank you, WakingLife. :) n/t