Why I hold the Press the most responsible for our problems today

[madokie]

If the American citizens had been told the truth these last few decades we would not be here where we are today, killing brown skinned people like flies and not in only one country but two and beating the drums for a third and a possibly a fourth one too, hell no one outside of a few even really know. Us wondering if we have actually already lost our country to this cabal in the white house now. The damage they are doing is so profound as to need to be stopped and yesterday wasn't soon enough. abc, cbs, nbc, cnn, msnbc and on and on, talk to us, quite lying, or better yet obfuscating the truth, this is your country too for crying out loud. There's never been a sorrier bunch of bastards ever on our presses dime.

[Danieljay]

1. don' forget the Democrats who allowed the nomination of Roberts and Alito, Bush's security blanket,

we are kinda screwed with them on the court.

[madokie]

2. well true but if we had been told the truth and nothing but the truth they would not be

setting on the bench, we would have made sure of that, if only we had known. the we I'm referring to is we the general populace, every day joes if you will

[bullimiami]

3. i hate cnn. theypretend some high and mighty journalistic morality and

they are no better than fox, just more devious.

they 'discuss' everything as if reality is up for debate and they fill the rest of their time with himbo and bimbo grinning reader robots and insipid pablum.

they deny reality through misdirection.

[madokie]

6. yes its their MO, I'm on my 9 day, IIRC of turning their asses off

they jumped the shark for me with the hit piece on MM's sicko. I was getting tired of all the sensational newies and hearing leslie blitzer say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, like fingernails on a chalk board. just think no tv, no electric usage there, money saved, nuclear plant being built maybe averted and on and on. I feel good

[HereSince1628]

4. That's sort of like blaming the barn door for being left open.

"The Press" did what it was told by editors, producers, owners, who in turn listened to sponsors of corporate advertising.

"News," as important as a "free press" may be to Democracy is in the reality of these waning days of the Republic just an attraction to bring readers, listeners, and viewers into a venue favorable to the advertisers' messages. The "news" is really no different than "The Simpsons" or "American Idol" in the need for it to bring consumers to the media. The media then makes its money selling advertisers access to consumers of the medium.

War is good for the counts of readers/listeners/viewers/site visits used to put prices on the advertising minutes.

[madokie]

9. I put them all, editor, producers, owners, reporters all in the same category

and yes they're doing what they're being told to do but thats by choice, they chose too, and by whats right for what journalism is, their choice is wrong, wrong

[KharmaTrain]

5. The Dumbing Down...

Throughout our nation's history there's been an uneasy balance between the needs of the commercial/corporate interests and that of the nation on the whole. From robber barons to Teddy Roosevelt Progressivism to the "Roaring 20's" to the New Deal and so on, the pendulum swung. That balance went out of whack in the 80s...as the interests of government and corporate became very intertwined and our democracry has suffered ever since.

No area is more apparent than the media, where consolidation and technology has enabled corporations to dominate many of the conduits of information and use it for their own profit. With the development of national then cable networks, the national dialogue has consolidated as well. No longer did readers get a local spin on what was happening in Washington, now the spin was shoveled direct...and with it, a new "journalism".

News became entertainment became reality show and the lines between reporting news and delivering opinion have become deliberately blurred. We now have Howard Beales..."newscaster" who really aren't...they're diguising "news" as opinion and wrapping it up in a Roman Circus atmosphere that generates controversy thus ratings. And, yes, these controversies are used to generate support for the corporate bottom line.

I've long said that our biggest battle will be against a complaint corporate media that benefits from the status quo and needs to be held accountable for much of the misinformation and destruction of this country over the past decade.

Cheers...

[madokie]

11. I remember reading about the neo'CONs saying that they needed and were going to start buying

up as many of our newspaper's, tv's radio's, magazine's parent companies so as they could get their message out. And this was early on in this cabals second run on the executive branch, raygun years, IIRC, I wish I knew how to research it and find the statement I kind of remember reading but I don't. but make no mistake this is right where the neo'CONs want us to be. their progress is measured in steps not in time, big difference. They've been with us along time and they will be hard to ferret out and get rid of but we must be diligent and do that very thing, smoke 'em out as we would say about the squirrels back when I was a kid hunting to eat.

[KharmaTrain]

15. I Witnessed It...

One day I tried to write out all I saw that's happened in nearly 35 (sheesh) years of working in radio and especially talk and "full service" radio of the 80's. It's turned into a major screed in massive need of editing, but in essence it goes step by step into how broadcasting regulation came about and how it got abused and eliminated. The turning of our public airwaves into real estate that was gobbled up by large "landowners" who now dominate the airwaves and have rewritten the laws to protect that domination...it was called Telcom '96.

Along the way comes the political and religious operatives who used the changes in broadcast laws to build their own empires that now crank out much of the bile that pollutes our airwaves...and how its financed. It's not a very pretty picture.

Unfortunately it's also a large and complicated picture that most can't get their hands around and this benefits the ongoing controls on many of the sources of information and "entertainment".

Cheers...

[madokie]

18. telcom '96 was railroaded through both houses by the new repuke majority

IIRC too. its been too long for me to remember the how they got it past the big dog though, I wish I could remember it

[KharmaTrain]

21. Clinton Supported It

The worst act of his Presidency.

Here are the details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996

A provision in the bill called for a review in 2002...needless to say our Repugnican House ignored it. A review is long overdue.

[madokie]

25. my wonder has always been why did he support this bill

was he forced into it by any chance, stupid or just being a jerk. How could he not see what the results of it would be, hadn't he had enough time to figure out the repukes were up to no good with everything they did, why bill did you do this why

[KharmaTrain]

36. Similar Reasons To Why Supported NAFTA

Remember, one of Clinton's big supporters has been the entertainment industry. Millions flowed into his coffers from the "Hollywood" elite. This wasn't just movie stars but the studios as well. Telcom '96 enabled the last wall between the consolidation of Hollywood and broadcast media to happen...thus today's NBC/Universal, Viacom/CBS and ABC/Disney.

At the time, we were told it would "increase" variety and choice in entertainment as the large coporations would be able to support a lot of different operations better than some cash-strapped smaller guy. Ta see where that got us.

Cheers...

[madokie]

38. yes it gave us rightwing hate radio

for instance, a lot of people listen to the comedian limpballs, as KO calls him, and hang on his ever word, its disgusting.

[The2ndWheel]

40. You can't stop it

The same way you couldn't have two governments running America, you can't have two corporations doing whatever they do(like running America).

[AndyTiedye]

31. I Read an Interview with Jack Welch Where He Said He Bought NBC to Control Its News

[madokie]

34. and it very well may be some or all of what I read years ago too

these traitors, for the lack of a more descriptive word, should have their day in court starting here not too long from now.

[RFKJrNews]

7. RFK Jr. agrees with you

...and so do I. It's time to hold the press responsible. As RFK Jr. said in his LIVE EARTH speech, they are LYING TO US.

During a tour of West Virginia to protest mountaintop removal mining practices this week, RFK Jr. took direct aim at the media, saying that if the press reported what's *really* going on, "there would be a revolution in this country."

Do you agree? When will we demand better from our fourth estate?

Read the full story, hear the audio of this *powerful* interview, and share your thoughts at:
http://RFKin2008.com

If you support Bobby, please SIGN THE PETITION to draft him into the 2008 Presidential Race.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/RFKin2008 /

[madokie]

14. The thing of it is the owners could be investigated for treason and very possibly charged too

with convictions being very likely also, Yes I agree with RFK Jr. especially the revolution part. People I know some of them would go stark raving mad if they only knew what is real compared to what they've been led to believe. a revolution is what it would be.

I'll do that, thanks for the links,

[Skidmore]

8. The press was bought and paid for. They became the

"lifestyles of the rich and famous." They became the arbiters of fashion and consumption. Who oohs and aaahs over the latest gadgetry, vacation spot, clothing, and entertainment/ers most? The fuckin' press.

[lazer47]

10. I am not trying to start a war here,, but it is US I blame

we as a people are to blame, not the media, not the Democrats, but us in general, we are the ones who are supposed to be in charge, not Senators of Representatives, But US the American people, we sent them there, we elected them, we sponsored them, it is US who are to blame, and it is US who will have to take it BACK, they can only use the power we give them, if we as a people take that power away, then they have none, Until we develop a spine, we can't ask anyone else to.

[madokie]

16. but it all comes back to us not getting the true info to base our votes on

with truth in the matter very few of our congress critters would be there representing us

[lazer47]

22. I agree with you there, but at this stage I don't trust either anymore

I question everything they do or say,,

[madokie]

24. yes the only thing I do trust is I know they will, both dems and repukes will

fuck us every which way from sunday and twice on the other days with no time off for good behavior or holidays. I know that for a fact, I've been living and paying attention somewhat for way too many years to not :-)

[Jack Bone]

12. I just came up w/ an idea...of sorts

:think:

I've heard Thom Hartman discuss how our founding fathers used to print leaflets, pamphlets..or whatever..to hand out to the citizens to inform them of things that were happening.

maybe, we can bring that notion of pamphlets back into the public discourse..

If you read an article online that sums up a particular interest you have..print it out and slap it up on a bulletin board @ work. If it really peaks your interest, print a slew of them out and pass them out on a street corner.

For the tech savvy, make a video and submit it to YouTube, or Current...

Little by little, maybe we can take our media back?

Oh and of course, continue to plead w/ Congress for the re-institution of The Fairness Doctrine, and future conglomerate regulation.

[madokie]

17. and all of that made very easy with todays technology

any one of us could be a publisher is we so wanted. not me but you know what I mean

[GCP]

28. DS1, Matcom, Will Pitt and I did that in 2003 in Harvard Sq

When the war drums started beating in Iraq. Will Pitt wrote the text giving information about the neocon PNAC. Matcom got thousands printed and we handed them out on weekends. Preaching to the converted I know, but I felt good getting information out which people hadn't got a clue about.

[madokie]

29. I think that might just be the thing we should do again.

I can print off many pages of type on this here inkjet printer I have here. hell I could drag out my old 25 pin printer and let it work its magic all night, page after page. who would care what the type looked like, it would be like arguing about the colors of the two cars in the wreck, it wouldn't matter.

[Jack Bone]

30. Yes, great job..all of you...

I'm seriously contemplating doing something similar concerning impeachment.

what I'm concerned about is possible plagiarism, if I borrowed an article online. or if I wrote the article, possible liable or defamation of character..

[tom_paine]

13. Well said.

[glitch]

19. I blame the people who own the media. The people who sit on boards who the editors bow down to.

I also blame the writers and editors for being owned, mostly I blame the people who own them.

[madokie]

20. all of them are complicit in not telling us the real news

and in that complicity they are very much responsible for the mess we are in today. a democracy has to have a fourth estate, the press and it will not work for long with a compromised one either

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

23. One word, Rupert Murdoch...

I had never been exposed to the crap he published until my husband and I went to his hometown in Ireland in December, 1981. I had heard about his infamous "News of the World" tabloid before that however from Mr. Wonderful and a few of his friends here in Chicago. According to them, NOTW, was the paper that people bought if you wanted to ogle semi-naked women and read pure "dung".

Quite frankly, when I finally got a look at it, I agreed wholeheartedly. It truly was nothing more than a rag. When I heard that Murdoch was going to make his move into the American market, I laughed. I stupidly thought that the American people would take one look at his so-called "journalism" and write it off they same way I did. Boy, was I wrong...

I'm not just blaming Murdoch for the literal downfall of American journalistic standards but he and his gazillions of dollars went a long way towards where the "corporate" media is at right now.

[annabanana]

26. Broadcast Media Monopolies are running rampant.

The word "broad"cast is important here. If you can get a message, ANY message, to hundreds of thousands of people all at once.. you are broadcasting.

If the information has to pass slowly, word of mouth, one website at a time.. you may be "casting". but it is not broad.

[madokie]

27. no doubt, Dixie Chicks blacklisting comes to mind

as to how powerful the spoken word is, one need to look no further

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

32. The only "business" explicitly protected by the Constitution is the press.

What we don't have is a free press on the mainstream outlets...

We still have some intrepid reporters on some local news stations and newspapers, but those who are on the national stage say the most ludicrous things with straight faced sincerity, those snakes. MKJ

[madokie]

33. If it wasn't for the few we would really be in hell right now,

those few you speak of keep the others from totally obfuscating what little they already don't. A protected free press is an necessity in a democracy, the framers knew that, hell I know that and I'm dumb as a post so why don't the masses not see that.

[Alpharetta]

35. Bob Woodward singlehandedly could have stopped the Iraq War

All he had to do was say

"I cannot name my source, but I can tell you this. A member of the White House attempted to discredit a critic of the yellowcake allegations against Iraq by revealing the name of a CIA operative related to that critic."

[madokie]

37. yes he could have and should have

maybe it was the reporter in him that kept him from doing that I don't know. Nevertheless he should have honored his country over self reason's.

[The2ndWheel]

39. Which is why we're so passive

The press is most responsible, not the consumers.

We should be told the truth, not stop the machine and think about it for ourselves.

"abc, cbs, nbc, cnn, msnbc and on and on, talk to us, quite lying, or better yet obfuscating the truth, this is your country too for crying out loud."

And apparently, corporate personhood seems to now be a given.

But that is the price we pay. We've taken the easy way out. Governments and corporations(if there is a difference in those two entities) own more and more land. Corporations and governments(if there is a difference in those two entities) own more and more food and water. Corporate governments, and Governmental corporations(if there is a difference in those two entities) own more and more of life. So maybe, in a way, you're absolutely right in your observation. What does that say about our worth though?

[cassiepriam]

41. I think there is plenty of blame to go around.

It took a lot of support by many for the dictatorship
to be established and maintained.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. At Take back America, there was a forum with several journalists

And one of them said there were 3 major stories the media has dropped the ball on:

1. the 2000 election

2. the lead up to the war

3. the Downing Street Minutes

[madokie]

43. and I would agree with that 100%