Another notable item from HuffingtonPost this week (where they’ve recently removed BRAD BLOG from their blogroll for reasons unknown to us, but probably known to Scoop@HuffingtonPost.com), this time from Alex Keyssar, a Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Keyssar was in Chicago a week or so ago for a Rainbow/PUSH conference where Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) spoke about his Right to Vote amendment to the U.S. Constitution, otherwise known as H.R. 28 and currently co-sponsored by 55 other House Members. That’s right, you have no constitutional right to vote in this country…just in case you didn’t realize it.
In covering the event where Jackson and Howard Dean spoke on the proposed constitutional amendment, Keyssar had the following observation pinpointing precisely where it is that the Mainstream Corporate Media in this country is failing America…
One might have thought, thus, that Dean’s public endorsement would get some attention in the press, particularly since numerous reporters were in attendance. But at the press conference that followed the event, reporters displayed little interest in (or knowledge of) the right to vote amendment — although they had just spent two hours in a room where it was the sole subject of discussion. A room where hundreds of people, many of them African-American, seemed to enthusiastically welcome the prospect of an amendment that would guarantee their right to vote.
Instead, the reporters’ questions focused obsessively on the comments that Dean had made a few days earlier disparaging some Republicans. What the press wanted to cover was not an important substantive issue but a spitting contest between political personalities: e.g. would Dean respond to criticism that vice president Cheney had voiced that morning? Even worse, they seemed more interested in promoting the spitting contest — by asking questions designed to continue it — than in sorting out an issue for their readers. Not a single question was asked about the meaning or significance of the amendment itself.
And so it goes. Nothing new there. Just a reminder of what most BRAD BLOG readers know all too well already.
If only a young blonde white girl had introduced a Right to Vote amendment in America before being kidnapped! Perhaps then the Mainstream Corporate Media would have decided such an issue was worth letting Americans know about. The abysmal record of the MSM continues…
See… this is why I rarely watch the MSM news these days… and when I do, I never give them much credibility.
My sources for hard news are Brad Blog, Liberal Oasis, The Raw Story and others who are committed to decent journalism!
Down with the MSM!!!!
"…If only a young blonde white girl had introduced a Right to Vote amendment in America before being kidnapped! Perhaps then the Mainstream Corporate Media would have decided such an issue was worth letting Americans know about…"
Headline would be, "Young blonde white girl kidnapped! "
LOL George 🙂
Reminds me of a parody NY DAILY NEWS that came out years ago when I lived in NY. Main headline:
NUCLEAR BOMB EXPLODES IN LA!
Michael Jackson, Million Others Killed!
OK guys: Let’s do the media’s job for them.
The Whispering Campaign has three new one-page large-font messages:
Censorship by Dahr Jamail
Fallujah Is The Model by Dahr Jamail
Unleashing The Resistance by Karen Kwiatkowski
Psst! The Whispering Campaign. Pass it on. And if you’re a DU member, please KICK this thread.
Amy Goodman, from Democracy Now, asked a rhetorical question , "what would be the diference if we had state media." Let’s wake up here. In the Clinton years, 24-7 Monica was oin the media because, we are a business. We have to give the public what they want. Now Jeff Gannon a known whore was slipping around the W.H. night and day…the public doesn’t want to hear about republican extra-maritals. Come on…we are in a fascist govt.
Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now, as ked a rhetorical question, what would be different if we had state media?It was Monica 24-7 when Clinton was in office. Media said we are a business..have to give the public what they ask for. Jeff Gannon in and out of the W.H., known hooker, media pretty much ignores it. Has the public Changed? Nope. We have a fascist govt.
Re: Molly’s #5: “It was Monica 24-7 when Clinton was in office… Jeff Gannon in and out of the W.H., known hooker, media pretty much ignores it. Has the public Changed? Nope. We have a fascist govt.”
This is what I don’t understand. Although there supposedly are only eight major “Mainstream Media” principals that own virtually all the media, doesn’t it seem strange that there aren’t even any “fringe” media outlets that would take these people on? I mean, what an incredible opportunity out there for a news network to make hay with all the obvious criminal activity we see the Bush Administration perpetrating. How could these people have put such an effective cork in virtually the entire MSM? It doesn’t make sense to me, unless it’s all happening underground and they’re waiting for the big smoking gun or deep throat to expose it all. It’s just un-American for someone not to be taking advantage of the stories that they put out there every day.
What would it take for one of the MSM players to break ranks and go ahead and start covering what’s actually happening?
Jeff J. #7
Here is a link that shows who funds the more liberal media: http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/chart.htm. Virtually all the funding sources lead back to fairly conservative foundations–even the funders of Democracy Now.
Perhaps this partially answers your question about why even the liberal/progressive media are quiet on certain issues.
There are almost no truly independent media outside the blog-world.
If anyone else has comments on this chart or the folks that created it (http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/index.htm) please post.
Jeff J. #7
Here is a link that shows who funds the more liberal media: http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/chart.htm. Virtually all the funding sources lead back to fairly conservative foundations–even the funders of Democracy Now.
Perhaps this partially answers your question about why even the liberal/progressive media are quiet on certain issues. There are almost no truly independent media outside the blog-world.
If anyone else has comments on this chart or the folks that created it (http://www.leftgatekeepers.com/index.htm) please post. I’d like to know more if there’s someone out there who has first-hand information.
Catherine A & Jeff,
We did a bit of discussion on the subject at this thread back in May. Unfortunately, we didn’t go very far with it, but it generated quite a bit of conversation before it got dropped — not because of lack of interest, though, I’m sure.
I’m also curious if anyone has 1st hand info and also would like to see if more would like to join in on the discussion!
Thanks for the links & thoughts.
We know there has been some kind of threat behind the scenes applied to journalists. Some have died – i.e. Mark Fineman, who died of an "apparent" heart attack. He was at the time trading information with Sam Gardiner (see Truth from these Podia Summary of a Study of Strategic Influence, Perception Management, Strategic Information Warfare and Strategic Psychological Operations in Gulf II) who says Fineman was interested in publishing his (Gardiner’s) investigative work on the above linked subject.
Here’s another link:
Iraq Memorial Wall – Journalists Killed in Iraq
And this:
Raw Story on Pelosi
In a sprawling interview with RAW STORY, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) lauded blogs for their role in raising the profile of the Downing Street memo, and extolled their ability to present unvarnished facts in an age where media focuses on sound bites.
While also raising what she herself described as a litany of core Democratic issues such as education, healthcare and the environment the House Democratic leader made striking comments about the mainstream media, even asserting that reporters had told her journalists couldn’t tell the Democrats story because they feared losing access.
"I’ve had reporters say to me, I have orthodontia, I have tuition, I have mortgage, I need access, I’m not writing your story," Pelosi remarked.
==================
I’m sure this is a very tangled web we’re dealing with!
Things just get curiousier and curiouser…
There’s a thread at DU that’s an action alert from votersunite.org… After you catch your breath reading about the "gathering" of all the electronic election equipment companies and our county election officials, get ready to be totally outraged and follow the link to Election Center. Scroll down past "National Task Force on Election Reform Report" and check out the word file titled "DRE’s and the Election Process". Seriously, be ready to be enraged!!! grrrrrr.
Nancy Pelosi misses the point, I think. It isn’t reporters with orthodontia bills and mortgage payments who cover up for the administration. It’s their bosses in the editorial executive suite. If any reporter really said that to Ms. Pelosi, she should have replied, "Even if you wanted to print my story, the editors wouldn’t let you."
But Nancy Pelosi is really part of the problem, thus she can’t be part of the solution. Both major parties are beholden to the corporate media/lobbyist/government cartel…the truth can’t be allowed out about two stolen elections, about 9/11, or about Iraq, simply because the stock market would implode, America’s dominant position in the world would be weakened, and the foreign governments (China and Japan especially) whose purchase of U.S. Treasuries have kept interest rates under control would pull their money out.
Catherine A and Kira:
Thank you very much for your responses. I have a much better understanding of what’s going on now, and it’s pretty scary to say the least. These criminals are pure evil and it’s hard to believe their reach is so long.
It also points out how courageous people like Brad, Larisa and the other investigative bloggers are to do what they’re doing. I have even more respect for them after reading the Nancy Pelosi interview.
This is going to be quite an effort to rid our government of these people, especially now that it’s clear the Democrats aren’t going to do anything about real election reform and getting rid of the private companies that are counting our votes.
Heaven help us, and thanks alot to you fine ladies for helping to educate me.
Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now, as ked a rhetorical question, what would be different if we had state media?It was Monica 24-7 when Clinton was in office. Media said we are a business..have to give the public what they ask for. Jeff Gannon in and out of the W.H., known hooker, media pretty much ignores it. Has the public Changed? Nope. We have a fascist govt.