| New Social Democrats |
About Us
Citizen Activists
Workers-Professionals
Public Scholars Elected Officials Contact Us Books Blogs Subscribe-Donate Home |
Logon
Members Research | |
|
| |||
|
Open Media Web Research
The Right-Wing, Neocon Orientation of the Washington Post 3/20/2009 (237) Robert Parry - Article: An insidious power of a propagandistic newspaper – especially one with great influence – is how it can 'frame' an issue so the assumptions behind a story guide readers to a preordained conclusion. Media Marxists in Reverse 2/27/2009 (293) Jamison Foser - Article: Why do so many in the media, like Michelle Bernard, Carlos Quintanilla, Jennifer Loven, and Jeanne Cummings, talk about class warfare when they don't know what they are talking about? Broder's Bad Call on Who has been Gambling with America 2/26/2009 (305) Ed Knudson - Article: David Broder seriously misses the mark in his column on Obama as gambler. It's the financial gamblers who have messed things up so bad. Strange: When Republicans Fail to be Bipartisan the Press Blames Obama 2/14/2009 (336) Jamison Foser - Article: Media coverage of the economic recovery bill and Judd Gregg's resignation as Commerce Secretary says Obama is failing. A little weird? Fundamentally Flawed Stimulus Coverage 2/7/2009 (326) Jamison Foser - Article: Foser of Media Matters reviews the coverage of the media of the stimulus bill and how it fails to comprehend economic facts. Liberal Media Promote Conservative Spin 2/5/2009 (344) Ed Knudson - Article: Why liberals in the media present conservative views when a liberal is president. It's happening again! Money is the Real Motivation for Religious Right Groups 3/2/2005 (136) Article: Salem Communications Corporation buys Christianity.com adding web services to its over 1,900 affiliated radio stations providing Religious Right Ignores the Gannon Affair 3/1/2005 (120) Article: Bill Berkowitz asks religious right groups why they are not outraged by Jeff Gannon in the White House. A Vigilant Press for the American People? 2/22/2005 (135) Bill Moyers - Comment: The right-wing media has become a partisan propaganda arm of the Republican National Committee. Fake News Reporters in the White House 2/17/2005 (165) Article: Jeff Gannon, or James Guckert, is outed as a phony reporter, interupting Karl Rove's media manipulation. Telling Truth about Violence and Responsibility 2/10/2005 (227) Ed Knudson - Article: Ward Churchill, an Indian activist and professor at University of Colorado, is being attacked by Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, supported by Kurt Nimmo and others. FCC Media Consolidation Reversed 1/27/2005 (110) Reprint: FCC CommissionersMichael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein announce good news about FCC efforts to change media consolidation rules. Fired Reporters Challenge Fox TV License 1/26/2005 (162) Article: Steve Wilson and Jane Akre charge Fox with false and distorted news reports. Corporate Media and the Political Use of Religion 1/24/2005 (156) Mahmood Mambani - Article: Fallujah, Vietnam, and how corporate media fail to provide the real facts to Americans. How Copyright Could be Killing Culture 1/18/2005 (184) Reprint: The high cost of getting permission to use archival footage and photos threatens to put makers of documentaries out of business, by Guy Dixon. The President as Draft Dodger 1/12/2005 (245) Article: George W. Bush was certainly a draft dodger but CBS thinks it is in trouble for saying so. Read what Greg Palast has to say. Now It's Pure Propaganda 1/10/2005 (203) Article: The Armstrong Williams case reveals the Bush administration engages in propaganda bought and paid for. Who Owns the Media? 12/23/2004 (129) Comment: The Freepress.net website has a handy reference to media ownership. The Political Misuse of Christianity 12/23/2004 (197) Article: Fox News Commentator Bill O'Reilly claims Christian faith is under siege from the secular movement trying to keep Christ out of Christmas. Imagination and Resiliency in a Time of Despair 12/20/2004 (179) Article: Courageous journalist Sam Smith talks about what keeps him going when there are so many reasons for discouragement. Incredible! CBS and NBC Refuse to Air Ad of the UCC 12/9/2004 (241) Article: The United Church of Christ (UCC) is protesting the refusal of CBS and NBC to air an ad featuring inclusion. Let CBS and NBC know your feelings about this today! Nethercutt Uses Fascist Tactic 10/4/2004 (225) Article: Fascist is not too strong a word to use for what George Nethercutt is doing in his senatorial race with Patty Murray in Washington state. Republican Party Promotes Fundamentalist Religion 9/29/2004 (270) Article: Karl Rove wants to make sure conservative Christians vote. Now the GOP claims liberals want to ban the bible. The Prosperity Gospel of Paul Crouch and TBN 9/19/2004 (450) Comment : Television preacher rejects allegations he engaged in a homosexual tryst. How Liberal Reporters Promote Conservative Public Consciousness 9/16/2004 (298) Ed Knudson - Article : Media professionals want to be fair to conservatives. We are ending up with Pravda, the Russian paper in the Cold War, says Ernest Partridge. Bush Meets with Religion Writers, Wants to Change the Culture 9/9/2004 (240) Article : Changing the culture and the faith-based initiative are topics covered by a select group of conservative religion media writers, including Richard John Neuhaus. The God Gap in Presidential Politics 9/1/2004 (212) Article : Media professionals discuss religion and politics in several forums. My Beef With Big Media 8/7/2004 (223) Comment : Ted Turner writes about how government protects big media--and shuts out upstarts like himself. America's Progressive Majority 7/28/2004 (232) Article : Michael Moore talks about patriotism, media, George Bush and what John Kerry needs to do to get elected in November. Stupid White Movie: What Michael Moore Misses About the Empire 7/6/2004 (265) Robert Jensen - Article : Journalism professor Robert Jensen discusses Fahrenheit 9/11. Rush, Newspeak and Fascism: An Exegesis 3/28/2004 (284) Article : David Neiwert details how fascist themes are now characterizing Republican mainstream politics. An Exploitation Flick 3/3/2004 (253) Robert Scheer - Article : About the recent Mel Gibson movie on Christ. Act Now Against CBS Refusal to Air MoveOn Superbowl Ad 1/27/2004 (411) Article : How to express yourself about CBS censorship of MoveOn Ad Media Issues in the 2004 Presidential Election Year 1/16/2004 (1134) Article : Media Tank provides helpful background on media issues. Clear Channel Gags an Antiwar Conservative 1/13/2004 (402) Comment : Talk radio host Charles Goyette tells about his conflict with radio company Clear Channel. Fascism in the Savage Nation 12/21/2003 (364) Article : Talk show host Michael Savage preaches fascism to gain an audience and make his money. How much does he influence the political culture? Sam Smith's Daily News Summary 11/19/2003 (1449) Article : Since 1964, the most unofficial news source from Washington D.C. by Sam Smith. Inside Fox News: Not so Fair and Balanced 10/31/2003 (254) Comment : A former Fox producer describes the ways -- both subtle and blunt -- that top executives impose a right-wing ideology on the newsroom. Educational Resentment Linked to Popularity of Right Wing Talk Shows 6/10/2003 (442) Article : One possible reason so many listen to right wing talk shows may be resentment of high salaries earned by people with higher education. Pop and Politics 6/8/2003 (215) Comment : Farai Chideya explores connections between culture and politics in the U.S. Move Over, Right Wing Radio - the Liberals Are Coming 5/20/2003 (543) Thom Hartmann - Article : Changes are coming after the June 2 FCC decision on media consolidation. Nina May's Right Wing Renaissance Project 4/6/2003 (389) Note : An example of radical right wing materials on the web. Channels of Influence 3/26/2003 (2725) Paul Krugman - Article : Radio giant Clear Channel promotes support war demonstrations and has Bush connections. Cheerleaders for War 3/21/2003 (401) Article : Fox News has lost any claim for fair and balanced news; it is a cheerleader for war. The Diplomatic Disaster of the Century 3/21/2003 (269) Comment : Columnist Richard Reeves writes on the Iraq war. More Media Concentration Proposed 2/9/2003 (369) Molly Ivins - Article : New rules before the FCC are explained. About Molly Ivins 11/14/2002 (459) Reprint : A liberal columnist who has worked in Minnesota, New York, and Texas. Molly Ivins on Janet Rehnquist 11/14/2002 (404) Comment : Republicans hate waste and fraud in government. Why is Janet doing what she is doing? Apocalypse Now: Tim LaHaye Captures the Press Again 7/5/2002 (576) Article : Time Magazine accents the religious right in a cover story. The Failure of the Corporate Media in Presidential Politics 10/14/2001 (301) Ed Knudson - Article : One of the most pressing needs in politics today is to restructure the corporate media which controls politics in a so-called democratic society. |
Open Media Section
The role of the media in society has become more and more important in the modern world. The Enlightenment belief in and constitutional implementation of freedom of the press has now generated a massive institutional framework of media corporations in which media professionals have to work, and with which they are regularly confronted with moral issues as they try to carry out their vocation. The idea of "freedom of the press" has now become a means more to justify the great power of media institutions than belief in an independent role for journalists. The press has been so captured by economic motives that it is difficult to find real, authentic "independent" media resources. Within this context, it has become especially important for people to intentionally think about the media and how it influences the public context in which we live and work. The media powerfully influence the internal public consciousness of individual persons, the subjectivity of the self. It is vitally important to discern the spirits which enter the minds and hearts of people through the media. This is especially true in the case of the various right wing radio and television commentators. Listen carefully to these commentators; you will hear them attack the weakest members of society as the source of the problems in the country. You will hear them glorify strength and military might. You will hear them justify the power of the wealthy over democratic processes. You will even hear many of them claim that they are god-fearing Christians who are promoting what God wants for the United States. It is important for leaders to explicitly encourage people not to listen to such commentators or take them seriously. They are primarily entertainers trying to gain an audience and make a profit by making outrageous statements. New efforts are needed to completely rethink the structure of how media works in this country, how it is financed and whose voices are made possible. The goal should be an "open media," a media open to many and various forms of organization as well as substantive content. The media should be less focused on either government and economy but rather express the diversity of opinions and meanings expressed in society itself. Rather than be viewed as a means to control society by either government or economy, the media should be conceptualized as an open means to make possible the diverse expressions of society. The Media Matters website is a great place to discover for yourself the misinformation of the right wing media. The site is run by David Brock who was himself once a writer for the American Spectator, a conservative magazine funded by billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife. Media Matters monitors the content of the right wing media, including Fox News. It has found, for example, that Bill O'Reilly of Fox News Channel has one of the hightest rates of false statements of all those they monitor. Other helpful resources to understand contemporary media issues include Media Tank, the Independent Media Center and Media Transparency which provides detailed information on the money behind the media. Democracy Now. A national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 225 stations in North America.Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, community, and National Public Radio stations, public access cable television stations, satellite television (on Free Speech TV, channel 9415 of the DISH Network), shortwave radio and the internet. Disinfopedia is a collaborative project to produce a directory of public relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations and industry-friendly experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and special interests. Sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy, the Disinfopedia was started in February 2003. The Dissenting Internet is one of the best annotated lists of progressive websites, along with Link Crusader. |