The Dominion - Steve Anderson

This Is What Media Looks Like

hillarybain — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:52:53 +0000

A positive agenda for media reform in the USA

At the 2005 National Conference for Media Reform, media reformers were preparing for what they called “the perfect storm.” It was a reference to then-upcoming crucial decisions facing the FCC and Congress about future of the media--specifically the future of the Internet. Activists at the 2005 conference expected the powerful telecommunications lobby to aggressively push these decisions to their favour, while the public (rallied by media reform groups and independent media) would continue to mobilize thousands of citizens to counter their influence. Conference organizer Robert McChesney called it “a moment of danger and a moment of spectacular opportunity.”

The perfect storm has arrived. It was in evidence with the explosive atmosphere of the 2007 National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) that took place in Memphis, Tennessee from January 12 to 14. Media activists, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens from many countries--and nearly every state in the US--attended the conference, which aimed to move media issues to the forefront of public discourse in the United States.

Extensive growth and Celebration

Conference organizers estimate this year’s conference attendance at 3,500, up from 2,500 in 2005 and 1,700 in 2003. Organizers also estimated an increase of 3,000 more people watching major conference presentations online and many thousands more watched video coverage uploaded to Youtube. NCMR speakers included Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Moyers, Phil Donahue, Amy Goodman, Danny Glover, John Stauber, Helen Thomas, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis and many others.

The ranks of a growing media reform movement swelled recently with the fashionable issue of Net neutrality. Telecommunications companies have sought to gain the power to give preferential treatment to some internet sites over others. The ensuing battle galvanized many citizens who had previously not been involved in media issues, creating one of the most successful grassroots campaigns in recent US history.

Many conference speakers celebrated the recent success in securing Net neutrality for two years, while encouraging reformers to stay vigilant on the issue. As keynote speaker Bill Moyers put it, “What happened to radio, happened to television, and then it happened to cable. If we are not diligent, then it will happen to the Internet, [creating] a media plantation for the 21st century dominated by the same corporate and ideological forces that have controlled the media for the last 50 years.”

“This is the great gift of the digital revolution and you must never let them take it away from you,” said Moyers. The veteran broadcaster also took the opportunity to put his detractors on notice, announcing that he would be hosting a new news show on PBS in the coming months.

Other speakers celebrated the growth of key independent media outlets such as LinkTV, Democracy Now! and the up-and-coming The Real News. Touted as the “largest public media collaboration in the US,” Democracy Now! broadcasts on 500 radio and television stations, reaching an audience some estimate in the millions, surpassing many so-called “mainstream” outlets. The Real News expects to begin airing regular newscasts in March.

The demise of the Independent Press Association (IPA) served as a counterpoint to these success stories. The IPA advocated and provided resources for independent magazines. IPA’s collapse has hurt many independent magazines and was a factor in the recent closing of some magazines, most notably Clamor.

A Positive Agenda

One of the major themes of the conference was the move away from merely defending against media deregulation, towards advocating policy that will advance media democracy.

“After years of fighting to prevent further consolidation of media ownership and the dumbing down of our airwaves, the movement is ready to pursue reforms that will transform American media,” Robert McChesney, president and co-founder of Free Press, told attendees. The SavetheInternet.com Coalition (Founded by FreePress; the conference organizer) unveiled the “Internet Freedom Declaration of 2007” which sets forth its plan not only for winning Net Neutrality in Congress, but establishing faster, universal and affordable broadband for everyone. The declaration calls for “World Class Quality through Competition,” “An Open and Neutral Network,” and “Universal Affordable Access.” The declaration is hailed as seizing control of the terms of debate, shifting the agenda from defending against further media deregulation, to demanding a truly public media infrastructure.

Even before the declaration was unveiled, Senators Byron Dorgan (a Democrat from South Dakota) and Olympia Snowe (a Republican from Maine) announced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007, which would protect Net neutrality.

Reformers energized

In addition to recent media reform success and the burgeoning positive agenda, conference attendees also railed against dismal coverage in the corporate media. Robert McChesney summarized this situation well in his address.

“We need to battle the ever-increasing commercialization of our media. We need to fight thinly disguised payola fuelling homogenized corporate music that leaves no room for local and independent artists; we need to fight video news releases masquerading as news, with PR agents pushing agendas that squeeze out real news coverage and local community concerns; we need to fight product placements turning news and entertainment shows alike into undisclosed commercials; and we need to fight rapacious advertisers preying on the unsuspecting minds of our young children,” McChesney told an energized crowd.

Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman put it more concisely, telling activists about the need to stop a media system that produces “the lies that cost lives.”

At the closing of the conference, support for media reform was higher than every before in recent memory, and the record number of attendees left energized to work for a democratic media system.

National Conference On Media Reform

Danger and Spectacular Opportunity

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 01:53:23 +0000

The National Conference for Media Reform hosts a growing movement against corporate media in St. Louis

Participants at the National Conference for Media Reform. Photo: San Diego Indymedia

Out of 393 interviews by the major news networks leading up to the invasion of Iraq, only 4 contained anti-war voices," said Democracy Now's Amy Goodman at the opening of the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR)

Over 2,500 media reformers and revolutionaries gathered in St. Louis, Missouri in mid-May to discuss everything from micro radio licensing policy to direct action campaigns against media conglomerates. The second annual NCMR had to turn away attendees, with registrations far exceeding capacity.

"That is not a mainstream media, that is an extreme media," Goodman added, to loud cheers from the standing-room only crowd.

Norman Solomon of the Institute for Public Accuracy reminded conference-goers that The Phil Donahue Show was cancelled by MSNBC because it allowed room for anti-war voices during the Iraq War. Solomon quoted a internal MSNBC report that stated that Donahue's show could create a "difficult face for MSNBC in a time of war" and that there was a danger of the show becoming "a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity".

"Every day, we hear a story that, if amplified, could bring down the government"

Populist radio personality Jim Hightower noted that "108 cities have defeated Wal-Mart" and asked: "why isn't the big media reporting this?" Author and filmaker Naomi Klein commented that "every day, we hear a story that, if amplified, could bring down the government."

Celebrating Media Reform Victories

Participants were reminded that media reformers have much to celebrate, starting with an unprecedented level of popular support. According to Janine Jackson of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, "when we used to talk about media reform people used to tell you to just turn [your TV] off; you don't hear that so much today".

One widely-touted success was the recent Congressional decision barring federal agencies from producing video news releases (VNRs) that do not clearly disclose the government as their source. Another came in 2003, when the FCC was forced to role back plans to further deregulate media ownership after hundreds of thousands of people voiced their oposition in letters to the FCC. It was the largest outpouring of public input the commission had ever received.

The growth of independent media at a time when mainstream print and TV outlets are shrinking was also celebrated. Democracy Now!, a daily newscast featuring social movements and underreported news, airs on 330 stations in North America, and was nearly ubiquitous at the NCMR. By some estimates, as many as three million hear host Amy Goodman's passionate style of journalism every day.

Conference organizers created a space specifically to feature independent media organizations. Over 70 organizations staffed displays for the "Media Democracy Showcase" meet and greet.

A proposal for an "Independent World Television" network generated considerable buzz. Founding Chair Paul Jay, the former executive producer of CounterSpin, announced plans to raise to raise $25 million to start a global television network featuring "serious news and full-spectrum debate".

The Perfect Storm

Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein predicts what he calls a "perfect storm" in the coming years. In the next few years, he says, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and US congress will make crucial policy decisions regarding internet content and broadband delivery. These decisions will come at a time when media reform activists, media education organizations, and independent media outlets enjoy their greatest influence and political momentum in decades, while the corporate media (especially those involved in telecommunications) are pouring unprecedented resources into lobbying the FCC and Congress. The result of these forces gathering momentum in the coming fight over policy, says Adelstein, will be an historic clash with massive implications for the coming decades.

Bill Moyers addresses the National Conference for Media Reform. Photo: San Diego Indymedia

Jim Hightower called it "an historic moment" and Free Press chair Robert McChesney said that the present is "a moment of danger and a moment of spectacular opportunity." While the outcome is far from decided, the media reform movement appears to be gaining momentum and enthusiasm, and activists seem to be spoiling for a fight with corporate media conglomerates.

"The public is beginning to understand how critical healthy media are to a healthy democracy," said Robert McChesney. "They are recognizing they must get involved if they want a better system."

US public broadcasting veteran Bill Moyers galvanized this recognition in a widely rebroadcast speech to an electrified audience.

"An unconscious people," said Moyers, "an indoctrinated people, a people fed only partisan information and opinion that confirm their own bias, a people made morbidly obese in mind and spirit by the junk food of propaganda is less inclined to put up a fight — ask questions and be skeptical. And just as a democracy can die of too many lies, that kind of orthodoxy can kill us, too."

Steve Anderson is Managing Editor of COA News. Sign up for the free COA News Alert Service.

Over 2,500 media reformers and revolutionaries gathered in St. Louis to discuss ways to discuss strategy and alternatives. Steve Anderson reports.