“Just to be direct and frank"... what the hell is MoveOn.org's problem??

[ClassWarrior]

To understand how the United States got into today’s political predicament – where even fundamental principles like the separation of church and state are under attack – one has to look back at strategic choices made by the Right and the Left three decades ago.

~snip~

Though media issues were part of the post-election post-mortem, actual media plans made little progress. The main activities on the Left centered around arranging more conferences on media and holding more discussions, not implementing concrete proposals to actually do journalism and build new outlets.

~snip~

When media activist Carolyn Kay presented a comprehensive media reform strategy, MoveOn.org’s founder Wes Boyd responded with an e-mail on April 24 saying, “Just to be direct and frank, we have no immediate plans to pursue funding for media … "

~snip~

Kay e-mailed Boyd back, saying, “For five years people have been telling me that in just a couple of months, we’ll start addressing the long-term problems. But the day never comes. … Today it’s Social Security and the filibuster. Tomorrow it will be something else. And in a couple of months it will be something else again. There’s never a right time to address the media issue. That’s why the right time is now.”

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/042805.html

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

1. kick

:kick:

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

2. .

[marions ghost]

3. well I read the article from consortiumnews at this link...

thanks for posting classwarrior. It's an interesting perspective. The article goes back to a point roughly 3 decades ago--this seems to be the crux of the writer's argument:
---------------
"At this key juncture, leaders of the Right and the Left made fateful choices that have shaped today’s political world. Though both sides had access to similar amounts of money from wealthy individuals and like-minded foundations, the two sides chose to invest that money in very different ways.

The Right concentrated on gaining control of the information flows in Washington and on building a media infrastructure that would put out a consistent conservative message across the country. As part of this strategy, the Right also funded attack groups to target mainstream journalists who got in the way of the conservative agenda.

The Left largely forsook media in favor of “grassroots organizing.” As many of the Left’s flagship media outlets foundered, the “progressive community” reorganized under the slogan – “think globally, act locally” – and increasingly put its available money into well-intentioned projects, such as buying endangered wetlands or feeding the poor.

So, while the Right waged what it called “the war of ideas” and expanded the reach of conservative media to every corner of the nation, the Left trusted that local political action would reenergize American democracy." (more)
--------------
???????????????
Obviously groups like Move On are STILL not prioritizing the
media issues, but focusing on grassroots issues. Should we even expect them to, or should we give up on these kinds of groups to address media issues, which most of us agree is in a moribund or even detrimental relationship to liberal issues and values?

[KoKo]

4. We've been focused on the media for the over three years I've been

here and while there are so many more "start up" internet sites we don't seem to be able to get a consolidation that would have alot of power.

We can't seem to find anyone to support the smaller sites like "Consortium" and the others rely on ads or donations and hang in there.

We've discussed and wrung our hands and then Ariana Huffington manages to put together her own flashy blog (which is good) but there are so many other sites with good reporters out there begging for funds.

What IS Move On doing fussing around when they had so much momentum before the election? Maybe Media just isn't their thing but somebody needs to step up soon and do something in a big way. If Move On. has money they should give it to some of these sites.

[LittleClarkie]

5. I guess they'd rather spend their money trying to oust Democrats

and their time making pronouncements like "We own the party now because we paid for it" than spend time doing something positive like promoting a much needed liberal voice in America. Even some advertising for liberal radio and such would be nice.

What about Gore's network? How is that coming along?

Moveon.org annoys the shit out of me sometimes. Can you tell?

[cestpaspossible]

6. They just don't seem to be very effective and

they don't seem to learn from their mistakes. More ads won't do it, especially if the most hard-hitting ones are rejected by the corporate media. I haven't totally given up on MoveOn but it's a while since I gave them anything... I hope Wes and Eli take this article to heart.

[LittleClarkie]

8. It may indicate that loud may feel good when you're angry

but it might not get the message across.

[loudsue]

7. MoveOn has moved on....from progressive to redundant.

They're sooo DLC... they like the $$ that comes with a high profile more than they have a commitment to WE, THE PEOPLE.

MoveOn sold out long before the 2004 election was heating up. They're as useless as tits on a boar hog.

:kick::kick::kick:

[LittleClarkie]

9. I hadn't heard that allegation before

They'd already lost power by the time 2004 came around, you say? Interesting. I didn't know anyone from moveon.org. I did know somebody from ACT. They said ACT was unorganized as all hell, so they move to the Wisconsin Dem Party organization. We were battleground, so I guess that's why we were more organized.

I knew a California guy who picked us as well. He'd offered himself to a couple battleground states, and we were the first ones who seemed to have our act together. We doubled our blue margin, but it still wasn't by much.

[DemBones DemBones]

10. We've moved on beyond MoveOn. We gave them money in the past but

no more. We're not giving the Democrats any money now, either, since they, too, need to get their shit together.

Show us some results and then we'll think about it, you know?

[marions ghost]

11. it helps to see the long-range pattern here...

explains the mind-boggling disconnect between the media and progressive organizations we are seeing at this point. This creeping rightwing takeover of the media has been very insidious...Liberal journalists and producers have been suckered and cowed. When are progressive groups such as MoveOn going to fight on this front, if ever? Does anyone know --who is this media activist Carolyn Kay, quoted in this article? It may just have to be approached another way.

[ClassWarrior]

12. Caro Kay is the woman ultimately responsible for Air America Radio.

She runs the web site makethemaccountable.com, which is excellent. That's where she launched a campaign for Progressive media which resulted in her persuading Sheldon and Anita Drobney to put up money for a radio start up. The rest is AAR history. She's not involved in AAR anymore, from what I understand, but it sounds like she's still agitating for Progressive media. Good for her! Contact her.

NGU.