05
May
Viva El Cinco De Mayo
TORNADOS IN THE HEARTLAND
THE WHITE HOUSE SPARED NO THEATRICS
INUNDATED WITH YOUR LETTERS
If you want shock and awe, look to Kansas, Toto. The devastating tornados this morning show how powerful forces remain beyond human control, political manipulation and media management. Watching the videos of devastated towns revealed a level of devastation, a war zone of the type we have been watching in Iraq. Without overdoing the parallel, it may be worth reflecting for a minute on how volatile and vulnerable this planet of ours is. With SARS in the ascendancy and AIDS and malaria still unchecked, it is clear that other priorities beg for our attention.
“WORLD ON FIRE”
Apocalypse is back, at least in those towns and villages sucked into the sky. I watched the tornado damage after attending a benefit this weekend for Indy Media (and us), in which Alan Ginsberg was honored and there was a reading of “World On Fire” by Michael Brownstein (Open City Books), who catalogues how man-made tornados are destroying our planet and our own souls. Media is not his main focus but Brownstein understands how it too destabilizes our lives. He quotes Eduardo Galeano: “Communications manipulated by a handful of giants can be just as totalitarian as communications manipulated by the State. We are all obliged to accept freedom of expression as freedom of business. ”
He adds, “What can public opinion polls mean if don’t form our public opinions.” He then quotes from the “father” of PR, Edward Bernays, who made it plain back in l949: “the conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society…our society has consented to permit free competition to be organized by leadership and propaganda. The process of engineering consent is the very essence of the democratic process.”
TAILWIND TACTICS
Let’s go back to last week for a case in point. I yield to Eleanor Clift of Newsweek: ” The White House spared no theatrics. Bush originally wanted to go in on a two-seater jet. The Secret Service rejected the idea because there’s only room for the pilot and Bush, and the agents would not leave the president unguarded. Bush settled for a four-seater, which still had plenty of dramatic effect as its tail hook caught the steel cable on deck and screeched to a halt.
“Bush has already gotten most of the glowing media coverage he’s going to get out of Iraq. The prevailing sentiment in Washington is that we’re headed for the Iraqi equivalent of the liberation of Afghanistan: a few weeks of good news followed by a long, slow, steady deterioration.”
60 MINUTES ON VICTORY IN AFGHANISTAN
Leslie Stahl gave us a no-nonsense look at just what is happening in Afghanistan last night on CBS’s 60 Minutes. She spoke of power returning to the warlords, of a US government refusing to really fund or defend the Karzai government that they imposed, and of a “Spring offensive” by the Taliban, and presumably what’s left of Al Qaeda. I hadn’t heard the term ’spring offensive’ used before in our media, had you? What’s happening in Afghanistan, you can safely predict, is what will happen in Iraq where Fox News reports this morning, evidence has been found, not of WMDs but that the theft of antiquities may have been an inside job. Duh?
Tom Dispatch reports: “The Washington Post has a bloodcurdling report on one of the two most crucial Iraqi nuclear sites - just outside Baghdad, no less - which was thoroughly looted before the other day American troops were finally sent in. Okay, so you skip the National Museum and the National Library, the local hospitals and the various governmental ministries, but the Baghdad Nuclear Research Facility? Not a patrol, not a tank, not a single guard? Earth to Bush administration. But this has, in fact, been a pattern of our occupation in its very early days.
GENUFLECTION ON ABC Meanwhile media outlets continue to genuflect to the Administration. ABC’s This Week had its regular debriefing with Secretary of State Powell who reported on his visit to Syria. He was claiming that Damascus promises to cut aid to Hezbollah and other groups, but so far there is no evidence on the ground. There was of course no independent reporting on why these groups enjoy sympathy and support. In Israel meanwhile the Labor Party leader Mizna has stepped down. There is no evidence of the US pressuring Israel in any way to change its policies.
MOVE ON US
One of our biggest challenges, next to our financial uncertainties, here at Mediachannel is in reaching out to the millions of people we know share our concerns about media reform. We are, alas, better at making the site than marketing it. (Help welcome!) Last week, MoveOn.org sent an article of mine out to their humongous list. So did Alternet and ZNET. To my delight, many of those who read it took the trouble to write. Let’s welcome them to our growing media-active community. ( Think about how we can expand this network and reach out further. If each of you reading their comments were to tell 20 e-mates about our Mediachannel.org, our traffic would soar.)
What is impressive is the quality and quantity of the responses. I share them not to bask in adulation but to encourage all of us to get into this discussion. Many new friends on the web are also getting the word out. Today, Mediachannel and information about our new MEDIA WARS book will be featured as site and book of the day on “LOVEARTH.net” that reports on over one thousand sites.
Here are some of your responses to the piece on the link between the war, the media, and the FCC posted in this space last week and still accessible through the front page:
THANKING MEDIA CHANNEL
From Beantown, here’s Bruce Ishikawa: Danny Schecter the News Dissector! I just ran across your name in the latest Move On newsletter. I remember when you were at WBCN (R.I.P.) in the early ’70s. Now 30 years later I run across you again. Glad to see you are still whacking away at the bastards. Who would have thought that things would be this bad thirty years later? Makes one yearn for a return to Richard Nixon, that’s how bad George Dummy Bush is. Thanks for the work!
“Jon Taplin writes: “Congratulations. I’ve been in lion’s den with Rush Limbaugh all week over Media Consolidation. Maybe you could put a link to our Blog on your site? www.bearflag.org/log”
Richard Cheuvront shares his thoughts: “Just finished Danny Schechter’s article “The Media, the War and Our Right to Know” on Alternet. He is doing a great job of keeping some very important points in the public eye.
“I must be careful as I often start to rant, rave, pace and snort when talking about Fox, Clear Channel and the general state of the media - these things do infuriate me - but I see the radical right media arm as a real threat to our society. I genuinely believe that people like Scarborough, O’Reilly, Limbaugh et al have the power to pervert our political process - and I’m not even a liberal, I voted for Regan and Bush’s dad.
“I may be wrong, but I don’t think anybody in history has controlled a propaganda machine with the power that Bush now has with Fox and the AM pundits. I used to just think this was disgusting, but then I took a work assignment in Texas and saw the faith that people put in this radical right media - I now find the situation scary as hell.
“Well, keep up the good work. I wish your stuff could get more exposure. Have you contacted the AnShell people? (
HOW DO WE LEARN THE TRUTH?
We heard from Lois Anderson: Thank you for reporting the truth about media coverage of the war. Anyone with a brain knows we didn’t see the suffering of the people of Iraq. And how awful it must be without water, electricity. No one writes about the smells of dead bodies, garbage, feces and spoiling of food. I constantly wonder how many people die because of dehydration, malnutrition, or diseases which came because of no way to preserve food, diseases that came from wounds, garbage, etc. What can we do to get the truth written? Lois Anderson
KPM Basheer, Principal Correspondent, The Hindu, in Kochi-INDIA writes: “that’s a great piece. We–the rest of the world–know very well what the media did and why they did during the war. Only, the US people are yet to be told. I am afraid, they will never get to know, because the media they trust so much would not tell.”
Jennifer Gaytan says “Good Job: “I just want to tell you that I think you are doing a wonderful job. I can’t believe that the FCC is very likely to relax these rules on media ownership. It is absolutely insane. I am so glad there is a website like yours that insightfully analyzes these unjust and stupid acts.”
BLESSINGS FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
From Canada, kind words on our book Media War from producer Lili Fournier: “Congratulations! How magnificent an effort. I send you blessings that you may have continued critical success which will translate into all the resources you need to realize the full scope of your brilliance.”
Maria Lurantos wrote to say “Thank You.” It was so refreshing to read Danny Schechter’s article amid the generalized marketing and media manipulation campaign o the Bush administration. It is of extreme importance to make the people aware of the risks we are exposed to if the monopolization of the media is allowed to proceed. The public opinion has already fallen victim to the most powerful propaganda machinery, run very effectively from the Pentagon and the White House with our tax dollars. If we allow them to continue brain-washing us, very soon we will become increasingly out of touch with reality and start sounding like Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, Iraqi Minister of Information… Thank you for not underestimating our intelligence..!”
“WE HAVE ALREADY LOST”
Rob Moitoza adds his voice from Seattle, WA: I agree with your article, but I think we have already lost. I went to down to the banquet held for Michael Powell when he was here in Seattle. I expected protesters. None were there. I put a sign on my truck that said “Powell vs. Free Speech”. I stopped in the yellow zone right in front of the big windows where the banquet was being held and where everyone could see my sign. Within 30 seconds the security guards were heading toward me. Since there was no media there to cover me and no other protesters, I decided it wasn’t worth getting arrested. I left… discouraged and feeling like free speech is already largely gone in this country. I already Emailed all of the members of the FCC board. None replied and we seem to have only two allies Copp and Altmann(?) If you have any ideas how citizens can have an impact, let me know… but as far as I can see the media is accessible only to the rich corporations and getting worse. The average citizen no longer has a voice.
“I agree that the upcoming FCC rule changes are dangerous to our democracy. What do you recommend we do?
LET’s LINK AND MAKE A STINK
Here is Lisa Harris from Sierra Madre, CA “I’m very glad that a series of articles regarding the role of corporate media as complicit propaganda tools for the administration are popping up on the Internet. Problem is, the messages are far to disparate and segmented. There is no cooperative networking to fight the distortion and misinformation being fed to the American public on a daily basis. Ergo, I strongly recommend mutual linking among media channel and others such as www.tvnewslies.org that are equally devoted to change and activism. This is NOT my web site, - but it is a superb source of information, truth, links and activism plans. Please check it out. We cannot effect change without unity.
Regina Avraham writes from New York City: “I’m very glad that a series of articles regarding the role of corporate media as complicit propaganda tools for the administration are popping up on the Internet. Problem is, the messages are far to disparate and segmented. There is no cooperative networking to fight the distortion and misinformation being fed to the American public on a daily basis. Ergo, I strongly recommend mutual linking among media channel and others such as www.tvnewslies.org that are equally devoted to change and activism. This is NOT my web site, - but it is a superb source of information, truth, links and activism plans. Please check it out. We cannot effect change without unity.
And Finally, for now, Marci Landreth: “enjoyed your article and am glad to know watchdogs are in the know but what can be done to ensure accurate and unbiased news reporting? What can be done if the news is all owned by People who want to make sure only their views are made to have any merit. I am old enough to remember the news being read or reported without the side-spouting of the journalists own or their corporate views. I respected those people and never knew or cared about their personal opinions. It was great; where has it gone? Do you have any ideas what an average guy can do to let them know?
“I can’t watch this anymore? ”
OOPS, WE GOOFED
Anna Kaca who lives in Finland may be better informed that I am about prayer in America. She writes to correct your news dissector: “You may mislead uninformed readers to believe that Congress and George W Bush invented the Idea of taking over May Day and turning it into A National Prayer’s Day this very year …that is however not the case. The idea of a National Prayers Day 1st Thursday of May is older….
First proclaimed by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1952, National Day of Prayer has been observed on the first Thursday of May since President Reagan standardized its observance in 1988. It is ordinarily recognized by Presidential and Gubernatorial proclamations, and by privately organized state and local ceremonies across the nation.” Finally, since I referenced poetry earlier here is some thoughts in verse all the way from Stephen Oliver in Australia. Since his Prime Minister John Howard has been staying at the ranch in Texas, it may be good to hear from another down under sensibility.
O Say Can You Hear?
The dripping Gorgon’s head
over the sands of Iraq, spittle of snakes flame out
from a thousand gun barrels -
at last! the two worlds unite in the death struggle,
the two as one to make a third:
fantasy is reality is fantasy.
America has become its own horror cartoon,
each thought locked within its renegade cell,
Bugs Bunny holds forth in the senate on
the bankrupt dream-stocks buried at Fort Knox.
Donald Duck meantime jerks off in disgust
over the American flag - quacks
the country’s been bushwacked,
‘ain’t worth a hill of beans’
in archaic colloquialisms of a nation near claim
jumping the Middle East.
The last capitalist gasp v the last medieval groan;
eventually, to make way for the eco-terrorists whose
motto: destroy what you cannot save: will sound
the retreat to a history vaporised - a memory erased.
So we come to inherit ‘Our Common Loss’.
The Space Shuttle Columbia makes
its long wave ‘good-bye’
bright finger nails tearing at the sky (like)
‘morning Lucifer, that star that beckons all
mankind to daily rounds’
scratching down God’s blackboard
as seven souls fly away
toward the Pleiades.
So we make our omens to live and die by.”
Our omens are with us. I will have more comments tomorrow. And you can always add yours by writing dissector@mediachannel.org PLEASE VISIT THE MEDIA CHANNEL AND SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE WEEKLY E-MAIL UPDATE Danny Schechter Executive Editor Mediachannel.org http://www.mediachannel.org Executive Producer, Globalvision.Inc 1600 Broadway, #700 NY NY 10019 USA 212-246-0202 F: 212 246-2677
