Obama --Let's Challenge the Murdochization of Our Media

[marmar]

by Katrina vanden Heuvel for The Nation:






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The Nation Blogs Campaign 08

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Obama --Let's Challenge the Murdochization of Our Media
posted by Katrina vanden Heuvel on 05/19/2008 @ 01:05am



In a speech Sunday, Barack Obama said he would pursue a vigorous antitrust policy if he becomes U.S. president and singled out the media industry as one area where government regulators would need to be watchful as consolidation increases.

His statement signals a key opening for media and democracy reformers and the movement they have spawned in this last decade--a movement The Nation has been centrally involved in ever since we launched our National-Entertainment series (complete with glossy centerfolds) in 1996. Working with this movement, an Obama Administration could effectively challenge the destructive and concentrated attack by corporate media consolidation on the integrity of our democracy.

Obama will have smart allies among this movement, such as the media advocacy group Free Press. He will also find allies in the current Congress and in the two Democratic Commissioners on the FCC, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, who are committed to defending a free, independent and diverse media.

Obama's speech comes on the heels of a sweet victory: Senator Byron Dorgan's successful push back against the Republican-dominated FCC's efforts to repeal the cross-ownership rule --which would allow media oligarchs like Murdoch to gobble up more outlets in one city. Dorgan's Senate resolution --which would work to ban a single owner from controlling a tv station and a newspaper in the same market--has 25 co-sponsors and corresponding legislation has been introduced in the the House.

Obama is tapping into the powerful and passionate view shared by millions of Americans that our current hyper-consolidated media landscape--with 90% of it controlled by some six corporations- is a disservice to a democracy which demands diverse voices and views.


http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/322037

[lligrd]

1. One Of The Most Important Issues Yet

But most of America hasn't acknowledged it yet.

[FrenchieCat]

5. yes....but a lot of Americans now "get" it. They are trusting the media

less and less the more they see of it.

GOBAMA.

Glad that he's right there in the frey fighting!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6015088

[Independent007]

10. When Dean mentioned this the next day he was out of the race

Maybe it was a coincidence but after Dean mentioned this, he was persona non grata in the media, and instead of a reformer like Dean we got a true politician in Kerry who backed the Iraq war and was swiftboated into oblivion.

The media is not going to like this and we can watch an attempt by the media to isolate Obama on this issue, and also marginalize him on others.

Only this time, the American people are watching, and will not allow this. I have been wishing for more diverse points of view in MSM for years.
I would love to have TV shows that show Republican and Democratic shows where constructive debate can take place, not as talking points determined by a select producers interested in ratings.

Maybe C-SPAN can open up another channel just dedicated to these diverse views. One thing for sure, the American people are assumed to be stupid, and the only thing these moguls care about is sound bites.
All I have to say is BRAVO,Obama.

[katty]

2. murdoch, ... the deathstar

[Skittles]

3. Sen Byron Dorgan should have run for president

yes INDEED

[zeos3]

4. The Fairness Doctrine, eom

[bvar22]

6. !

[Uncle Joe]

7. Kicked, too late to recommend.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.

[Doctor_J]

8. Murdoch and GHWB are probably the two men most responsible for the devastation

of the country over the last 25 years. They should both be in prison for sedition.

[yurbud]

9. kick

[salguine]

11. And McCain benefited...

...as every big media conglomerate and CEO in the country just pulled out their checkbooks.