COMMENTS ON MY TAKE ON THE MEDIA REFORM CONFERENCE

I am hoping my piece on The Media Reform conference will be up on Mediachannel by the time this blog is posted. If it isn’t, you can read it on Common Dreams. As you know, I boosted the confab before it occurred and still believe in the need for reform. After attending the event I am not as bullish in the way it was done.

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0115-25.htm

Here are some comments:

Jerry Starr writes:

That is precisely why I am not there. Free Press does not know how to organize strategy sessions, let alone a movement. I have shared my concerns, recommendations, even references, with McChesney, Josh Silver, Tim Karr et. al. to no effect.

Michael Albert of ZNET:

”You know danny, it does however get incredibly tiring freely advertising these big media events, running content from them, etc. etc. and thenpointedly not being invited, over and over…

Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy who was heavily praised by Bill Moyers:

“This is very good, as usual. You are on target. I intend to also weigh-in in a few days. It was good to see you.

EF, a newspaper editor:

Yeah, it definitely seems to be headed in a very mainstream, “respectable” direction. (I saw that Kucinich is calling for a media reform committee, the deathknell of any movement).

In my many incarnations as political activist, I’ve experienced the frustration of watching people who once wanted to change the system to begin advocating working with the system… which sounds like what may be happening with media reform. Yes, if we can only pass laws — as if you can legislate the truth.

It sounds like Memphis had become a somewhat glitzy affair, with big name “star power.” Media reform, I fear, is becoming very sexy — and more likely to be co-opted. There will be people who will see opportunities for themselves and be willing to compromise and concede points they shouldn’t out of enlightened self interest.

Michael Arnold writes:

”I feel for ya, Danny,

But, you guys never seem to see the forest for the trees.

Talk about Web 2.0, iPhones, iPods and the rest — all you want. But you’ll never make any progress until you take back over the air broadcasting. Never. Ever. (read that line again)

As much as I’m enamored by technology, (I’ve been there–done that, myself) it really means very, very little with respect to “making things right” or “balanced.”

Its the bandwidth, stupid. (sorry! its only to drive the point)

Right, and do we do that with email lists?

Andi Novick writes:

“I support your insight and your willingness to say it.”

Al Schossau writes from Denver:

In military terminology it sounds to me like “Situation Normal, All Fucked Up” (SNAFU) or the current favorite, “Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition” (FUBAR).

Currently I rely on the Independent and the Guardian in the UK, Asia Times and a bunch of other news outlets to find out what’s happening in the world around us. The Deity In Charge (this week) knows we ain’t gonna get shit from US news organizations (media fascists).

Don’t hit your head too hard or too often against that brick wall. I know, from experience in the military (6 years active duty ‘66 to ‘72) federal (just over 4 years) and state (more than 17 years) government service, it hurts.

Try and be well.

Perry Phillips writes in part:

You ask a lot of good questions in the end of your article. Why not more people? Why not specific campaigns? Why not a bit more energy for media reform?

My short response is that those who have followed the last 6 years are overwhelmed, fatigued, outraged, baffled, afraid… Pick your own term for what must surely describe some of your friends as it does my own.

In short, progressives got ‘rolled’ by the mafia that is the corporate-military-industrial-media complex; apparently some of them don’t yet know it….

Like you, I want things to happen, protests to grow, media to become more diverse, but there are reasons we are getting ‘crushed,’ and it certainly seems overdue to reflect on our failures, to ask ourselves why our friends are getting discouraged, getting a second job to pay increasing bills, ducking their own social conscience, and so forth. I’m looking for a new realism, not cynicism. I’ve got my hand on the pulse of the patient; it is faint indeed.

JOHN LOSTETTER Writes:

I just wanted to say that your article on the media and their disgusting and transparent tactics was right on the mark. I haven’t taken any of them seriously since I can remember, they’re just a big joke anymore. They seriously are nothing more than a propaganda machine. And they report nothing but filler!! Especially “speculation”. Listen for half an hour and you’ll get speculation on speculation, “well what’s your speculation on this?” “Well I speculate that we’ll speculate a little longer and then go shove sub sandwiches up our asses, and then we’ll speculate on how to get them out” LOL good stuff pal, I enjoyed the read very much. Keep it up!

STAND CORRECTED: ON JAMES EARL RAY AND MLK

Mark Robinowitz writes:

The King family for many years has said that Ray did not do it - he was set up as a patsy.

King was killed exactly a year to the day after his greatest speech - against the war on viet nam (in case anyone missed the symbolism). It is sad that the “peace movement” stays silent on this, since it
suggests that the empire does not play by democratic rules.

There are not “more conspiracy theories than eyewitnesses” on this scandal - the facts are fairly straight forward.

In 1999, the King family won a jury verdict in Memphis that ruled that the government was behind the assassination, but the media mostly ignored this conclusion.

“For a quarter of a century, Bill Pepper conducted an independent investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He opened his files to our family, encouraged us to speak with the witnesses, and represented our family in the civil trial against the conspirators. The jury affirmed his findings, providing our family with a long-sought sense of closure and peace, which had been denied by official disinformation and cover-ups. Now the findings of his exhaustive investigation and additional revelations from the trial are presented in the pages of this important book. We recommend it highly to everyone who seeks the truth about Dr. King’s assassination.” — Coretta Scott King

www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKactOstate.html

www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/WFP020403.html

www.counterpunch.org/valentine02112003.html

www.villagevoice.com/issues/0302/goldstein.php

www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKtarget.html

www.versobooks.com/books/nopqrs/nopq-titles/pepper_w_act_state.shtml

FORGIVE ME SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Steve Knight writes:

Your book “When News Lies” is terrific, I really enjoyed it. Thanks very much too for your posting “Beyond the Call to Surge” at Commondreams.org, another brilliant contribution. Just remember in the future that Sen. Durbin’s first name is Dick, not Charles!

And thanks to all the readers who caught the mistake. Sorryyyy.

Suzanne Skubick writes:

I saw the President on MSNBC and they actually they too ran the Dems response. I was so surprised I began to flip among the channels to see who else might be carrying it but none except PBS and MSNBC appeared to believe it was necessary to air 2 sides to the story. Our media is indeed in a sorry state. The regular networks believe their prime time programming is much more important than providing some compare and contrast comments from a Democrat. As for FOX and CNN…they are shameful…but especially FOX which is a joke except the laugh is on all of us seeking truth and information not their definition of fair and balanced.

INTRODUCING MEDIA BITE FROM IRELAND

We would like to introduce you to MediaBite, an Irish based non-profit media monitoring organisation. Our intention is to establish a healthy debate between the dominant media and it’s consumers.

Please find below our first MediaShot, I hope you will take a few moments to read it and perhaps write to the journalist/organization in question with your own opinions. If you find our work of interest please feel free to distribute it.

If you would like to discuss the content of our MediaShots or subscribe to receive future Shots please visit our website www.mediabite.org. Our public messageboard there is an essential resource for media related discussion and the sharing of information and ideas.

We hope you will find our work both compelling and informative, and that it encourages you to contribute.

Kind regards,

David Manning
Miriam Cotton
Editors, MediaBite

FREE CELL PHONE INFO AVAILABLE

Jackie Newberry writes:

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Snopes confirmation. This one is true. It is actually a free service. Here is the link to verify it

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/free411.asp

FINAL NOTE ON MEMPHIS

The city is mostly black and mostly poor with its legendary jazz center, Biehl Street, mostly owned by whites. That’s where I went for some ‘cue, to put a little South in my Mouth. The union that Dr. King came to help here is now struggling with the threat of a privatized prison being built by the Corrections Corporation of America with a side deal cut with a company run by a Memphian, Ben Hooks the former NAACP President. Opposing privatization is a union-community campaign led in part by singer-organizer Si Kahn of Grassroots Leadership who was at the media conference too but not invited to speak. Not only should Si have spoken, but some of media pioneers there like George Stony and Dee Dee Halleck should have been recognized.

These economic realities seem invisible to many of the progressives who came to town to discuss strengthening democracy. Juan Gonzalez did raise some of the eco realities in the Media Biz and I supported him in a question from the floor. If you saw the biz section of the NY Times yesterday, it was all about business and media with TIME mag changing its format for eco reasons.

I am writing while waiting for my plane at the Memphis Airport, way back at gate 39. The building is thin and squat and goes on forever and looks like it was built in the fifties. But the real money here is not made on passenger traffic. Memphis is the main hub for Fed Ex, with a large non union work force. It is the cargo capital of the industry. When Fred Smith came up with the Federal Express (now Fed Ex) idea years back at Yale, he got a C on the paper. The company was rescued from bankruptcy reportedly when Fred went to Vegas and got lucky.

That’s what we all need: to get lucky in miserable times. Your comments welcome to dissector@mediachannelorg