How we can reform the media
| By nwourms - Jun 30th, 2005 at 7:44 pm EDT |
There is no Liberal Media.
In case you haven't heard, the mass media is becoming increasingly biased against progressives and our issues. I think that the coverage, or lack thereof, of the Downing Street Minutes and the Conyers hearings is proof-positive of my point. As we all know, despite the hundreds of channels they say we have (that is if you are lucky to get digital cable or dish), the reality is the media is really run by only a few corporations. One is left to wonder what, if anything, can be done about the lies and inaccuracies spewed by this media. I’ve heard ideas ranging from boycotts to starting our own media, but I think these are not very effective in the long run. The only thing which will get thier attention is money, or lack thereof. Interestingly enough, with all the recent mergers, the way to hit them where it hurts is now crystal clear.
Q: What is it that all the media corporations now have in common?
A: They are all siblings of a parent entertainment industry corporation, as the following list shows:
1) [MS] NBC -> Universal
2) ABC -> Disney
3) CBS -> Viacom
4) FOX -> Twentieth Century Fox
5) CNN -> AOL/Time Warner
These entertainment corporations are responsible for at least 80% of all music and movies in the United States. So, when these entertainment industries want to pass their pet “Intellectual Property” legislation or want to insert “Intellectual Property” rights into trade agreements, who do they go to? Who is it that always argues in defense of “Intellectual Property” rights? The Democrats, of course! And like a bunch of suckers, we come to their aid every time; all the while they stab us in the back on their news organizations. Well two can play at that game.
We must bring them to their knees and force this reform down their collective throats. Until they reform their news organizations and start actually reporting the truth, this congressional welfare must cease immediately. That means no more copyright extensions, no more file-sharing legislation, no more broadcast flag, no more hardware digital rights management, and definitely no I.N.D.U.C.E. Act. Every piece of legislation put forth or supported by the entertainment industry must be voted against, watered down, poison-pilled, and/or filibustered. All congressional Democrats should adopt a strict ban on seeing entertainment industry lobbyists. They need to tell the R.I.A.A. and the M.P.A.A. where they can shove it (something they ought to do anyway). Furthermore, we must introduce legislation to repeal any and all legislation we’ve put in place for them in the past fifty years, in particular the most egregious D.M.C.A. and Sonny Bono Copyright Act. Who will they run to? Believe it or not, we would actually have the religious right on our side. They hate the entertainment industry almost as much as they hate liberals. They would like nothing better then to see the entertainment industry go bankrupt. Thus, I believe we can skim off enough Republicans to get the three fourths in both houses of Congress, should the shrub attempt to veto our efforts.
I’m not ignoring the fact that this will have consequences for the many liberals who work in this industry, many of whom have been long time supporters. To them, you have my deepest apologies, but desperate times call for desperate actions. Look to Air America, who is willing to sacrifice itself to see the Fairness Doctrine put back in place (this doctrine would, by definition, put Air America out of business). What about the software industry and corporate trade secrets, you ask? I think that quote by from ‘Gone with the Wind’ sums up my feelings nicely: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” The right-wing is hell bent on pushing us back to the nineteenth century and the media is every bit complicit in helping them. Tough decisions will have to be made and some people may need to be sacrificed for the good of the republic.
However, if the parent entities of the entertainment industry choose to reform their news organizations, then we will be happy to reinstate *some* of the previous “Intellectual Property” protections. However, as a punishment for their blatant complicity in misreporting the truth so far, their pet legislations - The DMCA and The I.N.D.U.C.E. Act - will be scuttled along with any future anti-civil liberties legislations of the same type.
In case you haven't heard, the mass media is becoming increasingly biased against progressives and our issues. I think that the coverage, or lack thereof, of the Downing Street Minutes and the Conyers hearings is proof-positive of my point. As we all know, despite the hundreds of channels they say we have (that is if you are lucky to get digital cable or dish), the reality is the media is really run by only a few corporations. One is left to wonder what, if anything, can be done about the lies and inaccuracies spewed by this media. I’ve heard ideas ranging from boycotts to starting our own media, but I think these are not very effective in the long run. The only thing which will get thier attention is money, or lack thereof. Interestingly enough, with all the recent mergers, the way to hit them where it hurts is now crystal clear.
Q: What is it that all the media corporations now have in common?
A: They are all siblings of a parent entertainment industry corporation, as the following list shows:
1) [MS] NBC -> Universal
2) ABC -> Disney
3) CBS -> Viacom
4) FOX -> Twentieth Century Fox
5) CNN -> AOL/Time Warner
These entertainment corporations are responsible for at least 80% of all music and movies in the United States. So, when these entertainment industries want to pass their pet “Intellectual Property” legislation or want to insert “Intellectual Property” rights into trade agreements, who do they go to? Who is it that always argues in defense of “Intellectual Property” rights? The Democrats, of course! And like a bunch of suckers, we come to their aid every time; all the while they stab us in the back on their news organizations. Well two can play at that game.
We must bring them to their knees and force this reform down their collective throats. Until they reform their news organizations and start actually reporting the truth, this congressional welfare must cease immediately. That means no more copyright extensions, no more file-sharing legislation, no more broadcast flag, no more hardware digital rights management, and definitely no I.N.D.U.C.E. Act. Every piece of legislation put forth or supported by the entertainment industry must be voted against, watered down, poison-pilled, and/or filibustered. All congressional Democrats should adopt a strict ban on seeing entertainment industry lobbyists. They need to tell the R.I.A.A. and the M.P.A.A. where they can shove it (something they ought to do anyway). Furthermore, we must introduce legislation to repeal any and all legislation we’ve put in place for them in the past fifty years, in particular the most egregious D.M.C.A. and Sonny Bono Copyright Act. Who will they run to? Believe it or not, we would actually have the religious right on our side. They hate the entertainment industry almost as much as they hate liberals. They would like nothing better then to see the entertainment industry go bankrupt. Thus, I believe we can skim off enough Republicans to get the three fourths in both houses of Congress, should the shrub attempt to veto our efforts.
I’m not ignoring the fact that this will have consequences for the many liberals who work in this industry, many of whom have been long time supporters. To them, you have my deepest apologies, but desperate times call for desperate actions. Look to Air America, who is willing to sacrifice itself to see the Fairness Doctrine put back in place (this doctrine would, by definition, put Air America out of business). What about the software industry and corporate trade secrets, you ask? I think that quote by from ‘Gone with the Wind’ sums up my feelings nicely: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” The right-wing is hell bent on pushing us back to the nineteenth century and the media is every bit complicit in helping them. Tough decisions will have to be made and some people may need to be sacrificed for the good of the republic.
However, if the parent entities of the entertainment industry choose to reform their news organizations, then we will be happy to reinstate *some* of the previous “Intellectual Property” protections. However, as a punishment for their blatant complicity in misreporting the truth so far, their pet legislations - The DMCA and The I.N.D.U.C.E. Act - will be scuttled along with any future anti-civil liberties legislations of the same type.
!
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