I was also at the MoveOn sponsored showing of OutFoxed that Tim Trentham wrote about. The video shows how the partisanship of Fox news trumps the pretense of news reporting. Funny but telling bit included a reporter assigned to provide stirring and dramatic coverage of Reagan’s birthday at the Reagan library a few years ago, even though there was nobody there but a group of fourth graders; and watching the Fox team echo RNC talking points, like the day they repeated the ridiculous meme mocking John Kerry for knowing French. The scarier parts were the news anchors calling anyone opposed to the Iraq war unpatriotic, and the surveys falsehoods believed by many Fox viewers, like WMD discovered in Iraq,.
The follow on actions promoted by MoveOn, Common Cause, and other sponsoring groups include
* opposing media consolidation
* asking local networks for fairer news coverage
* supporting AirAmerica, a new, left-of-center radio network, and other alternative networks. (Added. Note. I haven’t seen AirAmerica – don’t have an opinion about it).
* a campaign to legally challenge the Fox News “Fair and Balanced” trademark. One the one hand you can’t trademark a phrase, so the suit has grounds. On the other hand it seems rather goofy to sue about a marketing slogan (“Coke doesn’t really add life….”).
What really struck me, watching the debased state of corporate media, was the role that we can play. It’s not just about begging the mass media to do a better job (in conflict with their mission to make a profit by selling violence and sex).
It’s about being the media. Local news is understaffed and insubstantial. If a blogger goes to a meeting and writes about what happened, we can cover the story.
And it’s about using the access we have to to get more sources of media. John Robb does a much better job of covering international terrorism in Global Guerrillas than the mainstream press. Google News provides a selection of stories from worldwide media. It’s eye-opening to see the take on the day’s news around the world.
So, we need to fight the system, but it’s as important to create the new system.
More – nice piece by Lessig disarming criticism of the film.
Still more, via Joi Ito — 80% of of blog readers read blogs for “news they can’t get elsewhere.
Outfoxed
We went to Jo’s yesterday evening to check out the new documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism at one of several MoveOn.org/Common Cause house parties in Austin. After noticing that there were nearly 200 people RSVPed on the MoveOn Web…
Outfoxed in Southwest Austin
After moving into new digs the day before, Marsha and I hosted a viewing of the documentary Outfoxed last night. We had about twenty people watching the DVD and listening to the conference call that followed, then talking about…
“The video shows how the partisanship of Fox news trumps the pretense of news reporting.”
Unlike the partisanship of the NYTimes or the LATimes or the BBC. Give me a break…..
http://www.commentarypage.com/johnson/johnson062904_print.php
http://www.nypost.com/cgi-bin/printfriendly.pl
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1065252421366
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/005iqpvz.asp
http://www.opinionjournal.com/forms/printThis.html?id=110005164
http://instapundit.com/archives/016413.php
“the surveys falsehoods believed by many Fox viewers, like WMD discovered in Iraq,.”
Um, WMDs have been discovered in Iraq. At least the materials for producing same and Saddam’s clear intentions to reconstitute his weapons programs when he could.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A32195-2004Jul6?language=printer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/butler/story/0,14750,1261388,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/financialtimes/business/FT1087373295002.html?pagewanted=print&position=
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7457247%255E2,00.html
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040624-112920-5897r.htm
http://www.alphapatriot.com/home/archives/2004/07/13/un_admits_saddam_had_wmd.html
(lots of links here)
Even the UN had to admit Saddam had dangerous materials.
http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/650/documentid/2563/history/3,2359,650,2563
Clinton – who got all the intelligence Bush did – says so too.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040624-112920-5897r.htm
Adina, I can’t believe you are approving of Air America and moveon.org. You are too smart and discerning for that. You have a good critical intelligence. Please don’t drink the Koolaid.
Next thing you’ll be breathlessly promoting F911 as a credible indictment of US foreign policy ….
It’s 1938, and well-adjusted intelligent people are uncritically swallowing ahistorical, mendacious, banal absurdities in order to feel part of a righteous community.
“It’s about being the media. . . . using the access we have to to get more sources of media. John Robb does a much better job of covering international terrorism in Global Guerrillas than the mainstream press.”
Yup. US soldiers in Iraq and Iraqis blogs do a much better job of covering Iraq than anyone at Air America or moveon.org or the Washington Post.
for the record, I’ve never listened to AirAmerica, — repeating that recommendation prolly sounded like an implied endorsement — will fix the post.
I’m against further media consolidation, and for anything that gets better news.
Sure, the NYT and others have biases. Nobody’s neutral. Fox does go pretty far toward propaganda.
I belive that the administration exaggerated the reasons to attack Iraq, and that the war in Iraq makes the US less safe.
Fox has played a major role cheerleading for war. The video showed anchor quotes and sidebars saying that anyone in the US who opposed the war should be silent.
The big problem is the consolidation of media, which leaves us with fewer international reporters, fewer local reporters, coverage that focuses on hype and fear to boost ratings.
Outfoxed in Southwest Austin
After moving into new digs the day before, Marsha and I hosted a viewing of the documentary Outfoxed last night. We had about twenty people watching the DVD and listening to the conference call that followed, then talking about…