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Published on Friday, December 19, 2008 by Huffington Post
Mr. Obama, Make Media Reform a Priority
by Josh Silver
On Thursday, an alliance of more than 100 groups, unions, musicians, bloggers and media and technology leaders sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama calling on his administration to appoint leaders who will reform the media and protect the open Internet.
Along the campaign trail, in recent speeches, and in his technology agenda, President-elect Barack Obama has made big promises on media and technology issues; finally an opportunity to see real change in our media landscape - from diversity in our news to getting fast, affordable, "neutral" Internet connections to every home and business.
Center for American Progress, SEIU, NOW, Free Press, ACLU, DailyKos, Members of Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and hundreds more organizations and individuals signed on. The breadth and depth of the signers reflects growing awareness that every issue we care about - from the economy to national security, from health care to civil rights - depends on the ability of the fourth estate to provide critical journalism, and connect all Americans to the information superhighway.
Obama will soon appoint the first-ever White House chief technology officer, along with positions at the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and in the Commerce, Education, Justice and Agriculture departments.
The letter includes six of Obama's best quotes on media reform to remind him that his words have not fallen on deaf ears; we've been listening, and now we're watching to make sure these promises aren't hollow.
What did Obama say? Enough to bring a tear to the eye of anyone who wants more investigative reporting and intelligent programming, and less Nicole Smith and blathering pundits. Here are the choicest sound bytes:
Protecting an Open Internet: To "take a backseat to no one in my commitment to Net Neutrality" and "protect the Internet's traditional openness to innovation and creativity and ensure that it remains a platform for free speech and innovation that will benefit consumers and our democracy."
Promoting Universal, Affordable Broadband: To see that "in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online" by bringing "true broadband to every community in America."
Diversifying Media Ownership: To create "the diverse media environment that federal law requires and the country deserves."
Renewing Public Media: To foster "the next generation of public media," and "support the transition of existing public broadcasting entities and help renew their founding vision in the digital world."
Spurring Economic Growth: To "strengthen America's competitiveness in the world" and leverage technology "to grow the economy, create jobs, and solve our country's most pressing problems."
Ensuring Open Government: To reverse "policies that favor the few against the public interest," close "the revolving door between government and industry," and achieve "a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America's citizens."
Obama has already made the call to create a more vibrant, diverse and democratic media system and to deliver the benefits of the open Internet and new technology to all Americans. Now he simply has to appoint policymakers who will carry out his mandate.
You can read the letter and add your own name here.
© 2008 Huffington Post
Josh Silver is the Executive Director of Free Press a national, nonpartisan organization that he co-founded with Robert McChesney and John Nichols in 2002 to engage citizens in media policy debates and create a more democratic and diverse media system.
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jack December 22nd, 2008 4:06 am
Let's go. I'll buy you a drink. Biased (prejudiced). Stop saying those things about it. You're just biased.250-365 | 1Y0-259 | MB7-514 |
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Frisbie Einstein December 21st, 2008 1:19 am
Break up the media monopolies.
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Bill Walz December 20th, 2008 6:06 pm
Bill Walz -It is a basic belief in America that capitalism and democracy are nearly synonymous. This is a distortion of understanding that is threatening our true democratic freedom. Both democracy and capitalism have expansion of freedom at their core, but while democracy expands freedom for the population from exploitation by a privileged class, capitalism leads to expanding economic freedom by a privileged class, the capitalists, who inevitably exploit their freedom to the loss of freedom of the citizenry. Capitalism moves inexorably toward the concentration of the power and benefits of society to an ever-smaller economic elite. We have seen this principle at work in this country to an increasingly alarming degree in recent years.
Since the beginnings of this country, these two forces have interwoven. When the urge towards democracy has dominated, the economic dynamism of capitalism has benefited the society, enriching an expanding middle-class. When the urge toward capitalism has dominated, as it does now, the middle-class shrinks and loses freedom as the capitalist elite controls the levers of society for further enrichment of themselves. In our system, a balance has been achieved between these two competing forces through the agent of a constitutional democratic government that guarantees the freedom of citizens from excessive government power while empowering government to safeguard the citizenry from the excesses of unregulated commercial activity. The pendulum has shifted back and forth throughout our history. This role of government as advocate for the people over capital is of the utmost importance, for when government and capital unite, the result is fascism.
Throughout this struggle over the meaning of freedom, there has been a wildcard in the capitalists’ hands in a curious legal/economic invention called the corporation. Created by monarchical England for exploitation of its colonies, corporations have the rights of an individual, while protecting the individuals controlling a corporation from the consequences of their actions. A corporation caught violating the law can be fined and penalized, even put out of existence, or it can go out of business because of unsound practices, but the individual executives running the corporation, unless they individually break the law, can just reincorporate or move their skills to another corporation, and go on. These executives can also pay themselves handsomely, as we have seen in scandal after scandal in recent years, even while the corporation is losing money, unlike in a privately owned business where the owner loses their own money as the business does. This competitive advantage has caused major commerce in this society to be monopolized into the hands of corporations and has largely endangered small privately owned businesses, the original economic backbone of our democracy.
This struggle over freedom, fairness and equity has been waged on a relatively even playing field over the history of this country due to the important constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press and speech. The advantage that the corporation gave to capital over regulating government has been to a significant degree balanced by a free press that also worked as a watchdog over the concerns of the common citizen relating to matters of both government and business. In the past century, however, a new element, commercial electronic media, has entered the equation, unforeseen by our founding fathers, that has destabilized the balance in favor of the forces of corporate capitalism. The takeover and concentration of the instruments of information in this country by mega-corporations has undermined the basic principle of freedom of speech and information upon which a democratic society must rely.
When the society looks to corporate media to inform the citizenry and shape their values, attitudes and their perspectives on national and international events, we have the fox guarding the henhouse and we can know that the chickens are about to be eaten. Pay attention. The recent vapid and sensationalist coverage given to the Presidential election is an example of corporate media undermining democracy. Distracting the population with false and lurid issues keeps the corporate media as the only vote that counts and citizens as their manipulated proxies. This increases the responsibility of citizens to seek independent sources of information and to support candidates who stand outside this virtual government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations.
We the people must force drastic reform and regulation of corporations and particularly of media to once again enjoy our constitutional guarantees of a free press and speech (as well as commerce). There is no freedom of speech when speech is equated with money and the money is concentrated into the hands of those whose interests are contrary to the national well-being. These anti-democratic forces can then use that money to buy political power and drown out dissenting opinions. There is no freedom when these corporate interests misuse the Constitutional freedoms of press and speech as a means to deprive Americans of the very intent of these freedoms by distracting and brainwashing the populace.
Everything that our democratic constitution is about is at stake. All real reform in this country is dependent on first reforming the rules for ownership and the responsibilities of media. Ironically, the reestablishment of true freedom of press and speech is going to require government intervention. You can bet that the corporate media will trumpet such moves as anti-democratic socialism. Don’t you believe them. It is the rightful exercise of a democratic government protecting the constitutional rights of its citizenry.
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Sierra December 20th, 2008 4:32 pm
I would like to see some changes on the radio and in the ownership of multiple media. Let's see the airwaves placed in the hands of the people again.
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wsws.org webpage December 20th, 2008 3:51 pm
"Priorities," eh ...
Guess what Barack Obama's #1 priority is -- SERVING THE INTERESTS OF THE OLIGARCHIC-FEW!!!!
To all those "soft-left" suckers who voted for Barack Obama, instead of supporting a third party movement (Nader, McKinney, or whatever socialist was on your ballot), what the hell did you expect?
America will continue to move to the right, thanks to the con job pulled off by Barack Obama, the DLC and the political establishment as a whole. ...
And it was so damn easy there's no reason to expect that they won't keep doing it election after election. With of course the aid and comfort provided by the soft left.
Question: What is Obama going to do with all those CHANGE signs? ... ANSWER: Change them to AUSTERITY signs.
Imagine how hard it would have been for John McCain to
a.) continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan;
b.) start up other wars (Pakistan, Iran);
c.) allow the military the option of using nuclear weapons in Iran;
d.) increase the Pentagon budget;
e.) reinstate the draft;
f.) continue class warfare against the poor, the working poor and the middle class.
But no problem for Con Man Obama. ("Hey, if Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, sez we have to nuke/annihilate the Iranians then, gosh, I guess we do.")
Once "our savior," Barack Obama is now (surprise, surprise!) "hitting the ground running" when it comes to bailing out the economic elite and screwing what's left.
And to those trusting souls who think Obama will all of a sudden become a progressive once in office, dream on. ...
-- See "Obama picks Wall Street insider to head main regulatory agency " http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/sec-d19.shtml
-- See "Obama, in a ‘slap in the face,’ invites right-wing evangelist to the inauguration" http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/warr-d19.shtml
-- See "Obama’s defence appointee signals continuing US belligerence" http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/gate-d16.shtmlthe
The chickens have come home to roost and sadly -- pathetically -- the soft-left is, as usual, in denial.
What do you have to say now Katrina Van however-you-spell-your-last-name (editor of The Nation magazine)?
What do you have to say now Norman Solomon, Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention?
What do you have to say now Tom Hayden, you remarkable phony?
What do you have to say now CommonDreams.org, lover and advocate of the "lesser-of-the-two-evils" con?
DEMOCRATIC PARTY APOLOGISTS UNITE! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR SELF-RESPECT!
Then again, no real hardship will befall the likes of those just named -- after all, they're members of the same privileged class Obama is. ... Or hadn't you noticed?
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Grappa December 20th, 2008 1:15 am
Grappa
Germany, During the reign of Hitler realized the importance of propaganda,and appointed one his most trusted insiders, If I remember correctly his name was Heir Himmler to insure that media put out media speak only after it went through a thorough scrubbing to ensure it met the needs of the Third Reich.
In this writers opinion we took that giant step in that direction when the Supreme Court Issued its ground breaking ruling that " Money is speech". If I'm Not mistaken this ruling was on a 5 to 4 vote. Just awful! So those with the "do re me, get to speak and those without the, "do re me"don't.
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NateW December 19th, 2008 6:31 pm
While many here rightly bemoan the corporate media, an essential thing remains unsaid: the public (especially the more desirable advertising demographic groups) are fleeing the "old media" in droves. This is borne out in the audience figures of the "major networks," who face a splintering who want to watch programming they want when they want (it explains the rise of DVR's). What habituates of this site really need to stay focused on is Net Neutrality. It is the most current, valuable, and winnable battle of the five explicated in the piece. Rome was not built in a day and wars are not won instantly either.
www.wunderman-comics.com
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JWVerez December 19th, 2008 2:36 pm
Sorry folks but the media helped him win the primaries big time and even gave him some pass or he wouldn't be on his way to the White House. Obama is more of status quo based on his appointments so far. He ain't gonna change the media and don't bother counting on it. Go find yourselves better pols on local and state levels so that in time we can finally TEAR DOWN THE WASHINGTON FORTRESS !
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countcoup December 19th, 2008 2:18 pm
I believe that the "people of the United States" can reform the Media, and the body politic, and every other area of there lives that are unsatisfactory .
By applying the "Maters of the Golden Rules"
"Those that have the Gold make the Rules and that makes them the Masters".
Every aspect of life in the modern world as never before (but always has been) is controlled by the people with the money. In the historical past the few who had the money ruled the multitudes who had less. For awhile, the American dream put more money into the hands of more people, through the Trade and Labor Unions. These were the only true successful form of Democracy the world had known. In the past twenty five years or so, at least since the Reagan era, the "Unions" have lost power, and the money has been concentrated into the hands of a relative few. This has led to the very "painful" reinforcement of my argument if one looks at the current economic disaster that has occurred. For just one example, Mr. Madoff, just one man, has been credited with having caused a $50 Billion collective loss to the economy,wiping out the finances thousands of individuals. This kind of concentration of wealth has led to other disasters in the past as well. The conservative mind set, being one defined as to "maintain the status quo" cannot by its definition learn from the mistakes of the past; therefore they are doomed to repeat them. And they have repeated them "big time". The Bankers went to the White House for a "bailout" from the results of 'concentrating the wealth', and they got a nice one. The Auto Giants, got something of one, but with conditions, and the same concentration of wealth/power/control that has led to the problems; because the Unions were involved.
When more Americans take more control of more of the "money", then the media, the body politic, even the environment will be under their control, and not that of a few.
I have a difficult time in believing that a Nation of People can collectively advance to the point that they can put highly trained members of their own species on the surface of another planet (the moon) and then outer space, but they cannot solve their own economic problems. That is such an absurd concept to me that I cannot imagine that it seems at this point to be a reality.
Collectively the American people are infinitely more wealthy than even the wealthiest individuals.
T-H-E-Y are the "Masters of the Golden Rules" all they need to do is assert themselves. Take the control that is theirs.
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ezeflyer December 19th, 2008 2:00 pm
Some unanswered questions:
Do we need more economic growth or sustainability?
Do we keep concentrating wealth and power or do we cap wealth and power and share collectively in our economy?
Do we keep increasing the world's population for the sake of superstitious dogma and cheaper labor?
Do we keep depleting the world's resources and causing global warming?
What government can possibly be more open than a direct democracy?
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Siouxrose December 19th, 2008 1:13 pm
Sioux Rose
Let's pray he doesn't sell out on who he appoints to the F.C.C. Attempts on the part of the Bush boys to further consolidate media resulted in a letter-writing campaign that spanned the entire political spectrum. Free speech is sacrosanct, and with the TV stations moving to the next bandwidth (digital), the open "spaces" are ripe for new voices to emerge. Only that exposure to out-of-the-box possibilities can move America to where it needs to go.
That, along with emerging from an equivalent lobotomy... which our imploding economy seems to be facilitating.
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since1492 December 19th, 2008 12:59 pm
The media is a tool of corporate America. It's also a tool of our elected officials in D.C. Hand in hand they will set the agenda for America, and the world. Obama ain't gonna change anything about the media. Obama isn't going to change the empire, he's going to try and manage it
Hoa binh
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