"We, The Media" ...What do you think?

[AmBlue]

Okay, can't keep this bottled up anymore... I want to bounce an idea off of all of you.

I want to start a "WE, THE MEDIA" campaign. It came to me while sitting in my car in traffic, thinking of how we have to stop preaching to the choir and reach the millions of sleeping Americans out there... probably one of them sitting at the driver's wheel of the car right behind me.

How about this: Car magnets that spread the "real news" by inviting drivers to e-mail us & join our e-mail news chain. They could say something like this or whatever snappy thing we can all come up with:

Where's the real news???
If you care about America, join us:
"WE, THE MEDIA"
Nothing but the Truth
e-mail me at _________________ for more info

I want ideas, thoughts, criticisms, suggestions.... I keep coming back to this. Until our mainstream media cleans up its act (if ever) we need to pick up the ball and run with it.

[libertypirate]

1. I have been thinking for a long time about this...

What about a democratic news aggregator?

If we democratize the news and make it so people decide what is important the powers that be will freak.

We decide we have the power, we don't decide we don't have the power.

I think it's just that simple.

[AmBlue]

4. In essence, it's one and the same....

The car magnet idea utilizes cheap oil (as long as it's still available and people are still spending loads of time in their cars) and puts our message in front of people's noses so they have to think about it. I also hesitate to use the word "democratic" in any of the publicity though, because the sheeple out there will think Democratic with a "big D" and miss the point.

I was even thinking about pulling off my anti-Bush and Kerry/Edwards stickers so there is no partisan appearance to the campaign.

[AmBlue]

13. libertypirate, I like your idea...

How would it work?? Tell us more.

[doodadem]

2. Leslie Stahl on Hardball last night

Anyone see it? She said several times, that she is EXTREMELY concerned with the direction the media is taking now, pandering, and not doing hardcore investigation and reporting. She said the problem is, when she does such stories, they are ignored by the sheeple in favor of things like Shiavo TV. She said Joe Public needs to realize they have a stake in real journalism.

[AmBlue]

5. YESSS!!! She was amazing... n/t

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

8. I think she is dead wrong about the sheeple ignoring it....

Who really ignores the relevant stories are the other media (such as cable news) folk? I do not think any of us really knows what the general public will like or dislike, because we all see only whether the echo chamber is picking it up or not. And the media folk themselves use this as a convenient, if lazy, gauge of public interest.

The fact that cable news and some other media plug Schiavo and Jackson 24 hours a day does not mean that that is what we the people want to see/hear/read.

This is like the proverbial cat closing its eyes...

[babylonsister]

9. Yes, I saw her and thought she was making a lot of sense.

She claimed '60 Minutes' is trying to get the msg. out but not enough people watch. So I considered it, turned to '60 Minutes' last night, and it was cancelled in favor of the right Rev. Billy Graham. How are we supposed to receive the message if shit like this happens?

[AmBlue]

12. Giuliana Sgrena was on 60 Minutes last night....

and it was censored in Orlando, Houston and other cities... Classic example of why we NEED to do something about this.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/12/60II/main687555.shtml

Italian Journalist: U.S. Lied
April 13, 2005

In February, Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena was taken hostage in Iraq. But after 28 days, she was rescued by an Italian intelligence agent, Nicola Calipari.

Sgrena and Calipari thought they’d escaped to safety, when an American patrol opened fire on their car. Sgrena was wounded; Calipari, an Italian national hero, was killed.

The incident has driven a wedge in the coalition. Last week in Rome, President Bush expressed his regret in person to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

How did it happen? The Army isn’t talking. But in her first American television interview, Sgrena tells Correspondent Scott Pelley about the fatal rescue that has enraged Italy.

<snip>

[AmBlue]

18. 60 Minuted Preempted in Orlando

and in its place they put Billy Graham!!!

Check out the DU discussion:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3475943

[kansasblue]

3. we need something

It's like two separate worlds. People well have to already have doubts to be concerned they aren't getting the truth and then to go on and email you. Most people think everything is OK because the talking head aren't worried so much. Iraq: doing OK. Budget deficits: Republican aren't complaining, trade imbalance: nobody saying it's bad, environment: the gov says the environmentalist are crying wolf. The world seems fine. Why contact you about the truth?

That, my friend, is what you have to overcome.

I wish I had some good ideas.

[AmBlue]

6. That's why I'm asking the brilliant minds here....

What could we put on a magnet/sticker that would get the average sheeple's mental wheels turning??? Something like "Is Michael Jackson the ONLY news out there?" There's got to be something we can say to jolt the typical oblivious American.

I also think there are a lot of people out there who are beginning to think there is something amiss with Iraq and SS and all the other crap going on, but don't know how to go about finding truth. I have a list of about 60 people I send to on a regular basis now and I get a fair amount of feedback from people who appreciate, for the first time in their life, feeling like they are better informed.

[The Doctor.]

7. I've been picturing something like that too...

But whatever it is has to be ridiculously accessible.

An easy to remember website would probably be a good place to start.

like "nothingbutthetruth.com"?

It's a memorable phrase and very culturally pervasive.

(unless it's already taken...


... nope - doesn't look like it.)

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

10. I have been thinking along these lines since the summer of 2000

when Gore was being abused so badly by the media.

I think the best way to do this is to print up a short version of a newspaper (kind of like Danny Schechter's newsletter of the day) every day around 10 am (which we all edit collaboratively on the 'net) and distribute around town -- we can start at our expense initially and put a note in every issue soliciting donations if they like the product.

We can all also try and participate in the citizen reporting in Gore's current tv endeavor and help make that a resounding success...

[Taxloss]

11. Try the "Media Carta" project.

That sounds very similar to what you're suggesting.

http://adbusters.org/metas/psycho/mediacarta/

As you can see from the URL, it's an Adbusters project. And is thus worth support.

[AmBlue]

14. Media Carta has some GREAT ideas..

I keep thinking that of all the issues we have to be concerned about that election fraud and corrupted media are our primary problems. If we don't correct these two things, everything else is a waste of time and energy. Then I saw this line from Media Carta's website (talking about media corruption):

"It is the freedom fight of our generation. When we win, it will tip the balance of power from corporations to people, from money to ideas. This is the issue of issues, the jam of jams – the ultimate struggle for a genuine democracy.

A victory here will change everything."

And now I've revised my opinion. I think if we work on the media as our foundation issue, election fraud won't any exist any longer because people will be INFORMED and AWARE of what's going on and won't stand for it.

[chalky]

15. Isn't this what TruthOut.org is trying to accomplish?

Thanks for the Media Carta link, Taxloss. I'm all signed up.

[AmBlue]

17. Yes, truthout is great, but what it lacks is...

neighbor-to-neighbor community outreach. To see a website like truthout, you have to be on the web searching for real news. Or you get a truthout link from a friend who knows you share the same views. I want to wake up people, regardless of political stripe, who were previously clueless that they weren't getting real news and would never ordinarily lay eyes on a site like truthout.

[flyarm]

16. what a great idea amblue!!!!!!!!!!

what a brilliant idea!! i am so sick of the little fishies and today hubby and i were driving and i was getting livid seeing w 04 stickers on people cars..and after todays posting here about ruppert murdock saying he is losing money because of the internet..i thought ..yes!!!!!!!!! now we need to go to another stage..and i think your idea is brilliant!!

fly

[AmBlue]

20. Thanks, flyarm!!

I also love the idea of growing this into a newsletter and website. Still waiting to hear from libertypirate about the democratic news aggregator idea as well.

Our computers make us smarter and better informed, but they are seductive, too, in that there is no end to the information you can glean and, consequently, they keep us sitting right here in front of them for hours and hours on end, with all our smarts, isolated from the very people we need most to be reaching. We've got to move this idea out from cyberworld into the REAL WORLD. Another slogan, maybe? REAL NEWS for the REAL WORLD???

[flyarm]

21. hey amblue..i have been

saying this for a very long time..as a delegate for the dem convention and as a retired flight attendant for one of the airlines involved in 9/11 i spent all of last year out speaking at least 4 nights a week..on the lies of 9/11 ..of course i couldnt and wouldn't give out security info..but i was educating people on pnac, and the voting machines, and it never ceased to amaze me how few people were aware of any truth that was going on in this country..i used to come home nightly and just scream to my husband how ignorant americans were,.and i remember a very specific event ..i was in paris and was sitting in the hotel lobby and had a conversation with the guy running the desk..well this guy knew everything that was going on in the world..he was so up on everything..pnac, the lies all around 9/11 and then i came home and was out speaking again, and i would look at a room of americans who just looked back at me with blank looks on their faces..and then as i spoke there would be gasps..and many times people challanging what i was telling them..i made so many copies of the stuff i was telling them and handed it out..all on my own $$..becuase i was determined i was going to educate as many people as i could..

i run a huge internet group nationwide..and all my wonderful people work so hard to educate as many as possible..they work the message boards..like an army of teachers...but its just not enough..

i think your idea is wonderful!! we need to get to more people..

i have written here..several times and trying not to preach or push people to do what they are not comfortable with..but so many here have so much knowledge..i just wish many would go out and speak..at rotary clubs, at churches, at womens clubs..everywhere..it doesn't have to be a controlled group...

we need to be as organized getting the truth out as those who are trying to keep the truth from getting out!!

i think your idea is so good..everyday i pass cars with the yellow ribbons and they just piss me off..support the troops..what a joke ..those who say that are the very ones who stood together in the entire republican party in congress and turned down and increase in veterans benefits...

any help you need amblue..let me know..i am ready to put something on my car!! and not a yellow ribbon that insults our troops!

fly

[AmBlue]

24. Thanks, fly......

Thank you so much for the offer to help. Correct me if I'm wrong, but can see this starting off as a bumper sticker, reserving the web domain name, of course (although I'm webdesign illiterate--can anyone help with that?), then after the website is up and running, add the URL to the stickers, and if that takes off, start printing up newsletters....

Can libertypirate explain in detail how a news aggregator works, what it is, etc.?? Do you need a special website for this or would it be part of the main website? (see? I'm a web dummy!)

[CBHagman]

19. There was a book called "We the Media"

I'm blanking out on the name of the author, but it was basically a resource and essay book for progressives. It included the Nation's famous charts of media consolidation (which now, sad to say, are outdated in months instead of years).

I don't know if it's still in print, but you can check around.

[zann725]

22. Great idea! Except bumper stickers would be more durable than magnets

I like:
"We the Media.com" - Nothing but the Truth"

...Then perhaps: "Blog Today!"

[libertypirate]

23. I am not sure this is what you are looking for

Make it so the bloggers who join an aggregator process news related blog entries themselves.

They categorize the blogs and news that they read. Which then gets published in simple lists so readers can find them.

Closed community maintaining it's own categorizing of published news, which focused heavily on blogs. Make the lists fully public something basic like google.

Basic may be boring to some but it is hands down the best format of communicating via the Internet.

[Andy_Stephenson]

25. Kick for

a great idea.

[libertypirate]

26. First you have to understand the problem....

There is information that the people are not getting.

We can not use the normal channels because they appear compromised. What we can do is attempt to merge channels and create our own. There are many blogger software packages and what they don't do is network bloggers they have to do that themselves.

There is a real need to build a community for a blogger publication. Not a club or a hang out place, but more of an institution to build news stories out of blog entries and publish them together.

Large subjects do not get efficiently covered in the main stream press. Everyday it seems that the plate is cleared and the press starts over, that is just a means to forget what is going on. We can break through this... Also if done correctly people would not have to re-read the news they have already covered. Like most of the dup content presented in the Corporate Media.

It could cover everything in the MSM and everything they like to forget.