Archive for May, 2008
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 by Megan Tady
Rupert Murdoch — an aged and male version of a pouting Veruca Salt — didn’t get his umpa lumpa. He lost the bidding war for Newsday this week when Cablevision swooped in to plunk down more cash than Murdoch was willing to cede.
Anti-Murdochs are celebrating that News Corp’s talons couldn’t extend long enough to pluck up the paper. His giant corporation already owns the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, two New York television stations and dozens of small papers in New York. It certainly is a relief that Murdoch’s empire didn’t expand.
Newsday’s new owner will be Cablevision, the fifth-largest cable provider in the country, which also owns Madison Square Garden, the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers. The company is based in Long Island, which is also Newsday’s home turf.
Cablevision may just have begun to dabble in the newspaper business – Newsday will be its first – but we should still be worried about the emergence of a new media conglomerate.
We shouldn’t necessarily be celebrating when the same company who owns the local News 12 Network, a string of movie theaters, and several cable TV networks (AMC, IFC and We), suddenly gets a hold of one of the country’s biggest newspapers.
This scenario has the ill effects of consolidation – from lack of diversity in the newsroom to stale and streamlined coverage – written all over it.
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Friday, May 9th, 2008 by Megan Tady
One by one, members of Congress are demanding an investigation into the Pentagon’s covert scheme to sway public opinion about the Iraq war by placing propaganda pundits in the media.
Since we first launched our petition urging Congress to act, 41 representatives have appealed to the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate the Defense Department. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) called the propaganda program an “unethical, and potentially illegal, propaganda campaign aimed at deliberately misleading the American public.”
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) also chimed in with his support for an investigation during a live blogging session at Firedoglake.com. In response to a question about whether he would hold hearings on the Pentagon’s propaganda program, Sen. Reid said, “The answer is yes. I have personally spoken to Chairman Levin and he is [as] tremendously concerned as I. And we are proceeding accordingly.”
And Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has submitted a letter to the Government Accountability Office demanding an investigation. He’s asking the public to co-sign the letter.
Recognizing that the Pentagon did not act alone, some in Congress don’t want to allow the military analysts and the media networks to slink out the back door. Rep. Delauro and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) are appealing to the Federal Communications Commission to probe whether networks violated the FCC’s “sponsorship identification rules” when analysts working from Pentagon talking points and working for military contractors appeared in broadcasts.
Their letter to the FCC states, “When seemingly objective television commentators are in fact highly motivated to promote the agenda of a government agency, a gross violation of the public trust occurs.” The letter continues, “The American people should never be subject to a covert propaganda campaign but rather should be clearly notified of who is sponsoring what they are watching.”
The Society for Professional Journalists has also expressed its concern, and urged the nation’s media to use ethical standards of journalism – such as vetting and disclosure – when using military analysts as sources. In a press statement, SPJ said, “The nation’s news networks have an ethical responsibility to conduct ethical autopsies on their own coverage, explaining and analyzing how sources were selected, what perspectives they conveyed and to whom they were beholden.”
And the Pentagon’s actions became all the more real – and all the more frightening – when it released 8,000 pages of documents last week related to the propaganda program. One transcript shows an unidentified analyst suggesting they “parrot” then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
The documents are a clear indication of how far the government went to lead the American people into war and should make it obvious to Congress that those members who haven’t done so yet, should stand up now.
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Thursday, May 8th, 2008 by Megan Tady
Just in case Congress hadn’t heard your voices shouting out against media consolidation, we thought they should see your faces, too.
Last fall, more than 5,000 people posted their photos and comments on our virtual wall of protest against the Federal Communications Commission’s move to relax media ownership rules even further. This week, we’re delivering many of these photos and comments to the Hill, asking members of Congress to look their constituents in the eye before voting yes or no on whether Big Media should be allowed to get even bigger.
 More than 5,000 people posted their picture on the Stop Big Media Wall |
Passing the “resolution of disapproval” would allow Congress to reject the FCC’s decision to allow media companies to own both a major broadcasting station and a newspaper in the same market.
We’ve strung together many of the most inspiring quotes, stories and photos, and Free Press staffers will be delivering these protest packets to 27 Hill offices.
Sen. Wayne Allard will be hearing from Colorado constituent John L., who said, “Media consolidation hurts local community voices in media, and compromises a free, independent press that speaks truth to power and demands accountability. The effects are all too clear in this country. Keep corporate media monopolies at bay.”
Dan L. will tell his Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Samuel Brownback, “I live in Kansas City, and most of our media outlets are owned by people who have no stake in the welfare of our community. We don’t need more consolidation.”
And Jayme W. from Nebraska will speak up to Sen. Benjamin Nelson, saying “The freedom of the press is one of our most important freedoms. The rush to allow even more consolidation of media in the grip of large corporation is one of the greatest threats to our national freedoms.”
These photos and voices aren’t just another brick in the wall — they’re messengers of the media reform movement. And the message is clear: we don’t want more media consolidation.
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Thursday, May 1st, 2008 by Josh Stearns
It is your call. The action of a quarter-million citizens like you pushed the Senate Commerce Committee to unanimously pass the congressional veto that would overturn the FCC’s big media handout. The next step is a vote by the full Senate – we don’t know when that’ll happen but we need to line up support now. Your call today could make all the difference.
Picking up the phone is the most effective way to influence your member of Congress. Your Senator could cast the deciding vote to reject the FCC decision and stop tycoons like Rupert Murdoch from setting the news agenda. Can you take a moment to call your senator today?
Call Your Senator: Save Local Voices. Stop Big Media.
This bill couldn’t have come at a more important moment. Rupert Murdoch is trying to buy Newsday, which would be his third New York newspaper. (Murdoch already owns the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and two television stations in this one media market!)
The FCC’s own data shows that allowing one company to own a major newspaper and broadcast station in a community leads to less local news overall. We also know that more consolidation leads to cuts in newsroom staff and erodes quality journalism.
We can stop consolidation by passing the resolution of disapproval. To do that, we need your help right now. We have tips and talking points available for you.
Make a Call: Stop Rupert Murdoch and Big Media.
We’ve already secured 25 Senate supporters, and we need you to convince your senator to tip the Senate vote against Rupert Murdoch and the other media giants. Your Senator could be the swing voter on the resolution. If your Senator is already on the bill (Click here to check: http://tinyurl.com/63wdbf) then call and thank them for their leadership.
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