Doodling for Media Reform

Posted by Mary Mancini on January 12, 2007 under Uncategorized |

As Bill Moyers gave the opening plenary for The Conference on Media Reform, I found myself doodling on the edges of my notebook like a giddy school girl:

~~Moyers/Clinton ‘08~~
~~Moyers/Obama ‘08~~
~~Moyers/Edwards ‘08~~
~~Moyers Vilsack ‘08~~
Moyers/Colbert ‘08

Moyers’ description of the current media landscape and his ability to put it into meaningful historical context with tremendous clarity and vision makes him a dynamic and motivitating speaker, often moving his audience, and himself, to tears.

He entered to a standing ovation and cited Ben Franklin, always a safe bet when you want a zinger of a quote:

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”

He then went on to reference Thomas Paine, Teddy Roosevelt, the income gap, racial segregation, immigration reform, the deliberate plunder of our country’s resources by the elite, the redistribution of wealth in favor of the wealthy, the redistribution of power in favor of the powerful, media consolidation, the vast right-wing media echo chamber which has taken the “egalitarian creed of our declaration of independence” and stripped it so bare that public discourse has effectively changed the values of the country (managing even to turn the escalation of a failed war into a “surge…,”), the staggering growth of money in politics, and Jeff Chester’s new book, “Digital Destiny.”

He then confessed a crush on Amy Goodman’s journalistic prowess that is so strong (does Mrs. Moyers know that he doodles too?) that he directed all 3,000 of us in attendance to go back to our home cities and begin a campaign to demand our local Public Television station carry her revolutionary program, Democracy Now.

“Big Media is ravenous,” Moyers concluded, “and it will not stop…it always wants more….” It’s up to us to stop it, he says, but how, Bill, how? With “the pessism of the intellect and the optimism of the will,” he said, quoting Antonio Gramsci.

Parts of the conference are being streamed live. C-span is here filming as well.

Fred Bear said,

You really think the media is captured by right wing financial interests?

You’re wrong.

Example: the mainstream media loves to report on sex abuse within the Catholic Church. (1% of Catholic priests accused….not convicted….of abusing kids.)

But they never report on sex abuse of children done by: Democrats, Feminists,
Left wing politicians and , most of all…….journalists……

Example: The media constantly reports only the bad news from the Middle East.
(good news is either ignored or burried on back pages)
You’ll never see anything about the rebuilding of schools, public utilities, and
Internet sources ……done by Americans
You’ll seldom hear about the first elections in the entire history of Iraq…..organied by American efforts…..
Or the gratitude of Iraquis for American soldiers who protect them from the insane suicidal terrorists who blow them up…women an kids included.
You never hear the major media ask:
“How can we deal with a culture that allows some of its members to murder its own citizens in wholesale lots?”

So don’t tell me the media is biased against YOu.
Amy Goodman is getting paid by American Taxpayers to propagandize and denigrate her own country……..that,,,,my misguided left wing folks….is democracy.

Grow up!