Day Two of the National Conference for Media Reform opened with a slam/dunk speech by Bill Moyers that reminded conference goers what, exactly, is at stake for our democracy. If the fourth estate does not remain diligent in our mandate, which is written into the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, we run the risk of becoming an impotent “fifth column.” Imagine a great experiment in democracy that becomes yesterday’s news.
Moyers came out of the gate swinging while the FOX News cameras were whirring in the mezzanine. Moyers warned that media consolidation is a “corrosive social force,” and that “refusal to speak the truth is the reason our country is being plundered.” Moyers cited the manipulation of public opinion that let to the disaster in Iraq “with thousands of American lives lost, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens lost,” and trillions of dollars squandered that could have been allocated to repairing the crumbling infrastructure of the United States. With pieces of the Interstate 35 Bridge still lying in the Mississippi River bed a few miles away, that statement was not lost on the Minnesota alternative media advocates in the audience.
Moyers Speech
Moyers hit all of the high points of media reform, but his best moment came when he read a Native American proverb to the audience. To paraphrase, a young warrior asked the old chief what made him the man that he was. The chief replied that his personality was formed by a continual internal battle between two wolves. One wolf was evil and epitomized greed, pride, revenge, ego, and selfishness. The other wolf was good and exhibited characteristics of empathy, truth, hope and love.
“Which wolf won?” the young warrior asked.
“The wolf that won is the wolf I feed,” the chief replied.
Moyers let that sink in for a millisecond and then boomed, “Media is the fodder.”
Moyers somewhat sheepishly inserted a plea for support for Public Broadcasting, saying that he, like all journalists was human—a “fallen creature.” PBS has done both good and poor reporting, he said, admitting that the programming is often bland and "safe." But, there is something wrong when PBS receives only a “whisper” of the public funding available to public media.
By 2011, market analysts predict that advertising dollars spent on the Internet will surpass all that is being spent in traditional media now. This is not news to many, but Moyers asked the audience to reflect upon what our society will look like when “branded content” takes over and there is no longer a distinction between advertising and content. MYSPACE could very well become ALLSPACE if Moyers is correct, and he most always is.
Former FBI whistleblower, Coleen Rowley, was overhead after the speech. “Moyers is one of the great orators of our time. He writes what he reads and he nailed it.”
Agent Rowley with OEN (guess who)
So, Moyers began with Day Two with an “A” which resurrected my dismal “C” rating of Day One to a “B” average on the conference. Moyers spoke to an auditorium that had ‘way too many empty seats. I would guess that it was four-fifths of its 3,400-seat capacity. Registrants number anywhere form 3,000 to 3,500, depending upon whom you talk to here. Hopefully, there will be an “official” tally by the end of the conference.
Day one was just plain old depressing, with a couple of exceptions.
Let’s begin with the good stuff.
A session called “Corporate Media Confidential” was billed as an insider’s look at big media. Catherine Crier, former 20/20, Court TV, FOX News and CNN correspondent ruled the panel with recollections of her stint with Big Media. She now has her own production company. Crier’s challenge, as she related it, was going from a career as a Texas state judge to journalism. The big boys did not feel that she had the chops for reporting, so she had to earn her way through the ranks. This is all well and good, but as Moyer’s pointed out today, it was journalists from the big prestigious journalism schools who allowed Iraq to happen by being lazy, misdirected, misguided, and afraid of their corporate bosses. It was the big school graduates who told Crier she was not good enough.
Georgianne Nienaber is a writer, author, and investigative journalist. She lives in the world. Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, SCOOP New Zealand, Glide Magazine, Rwanda's New Times, India's TerraGreen, COA News, ZNET, OpEdNews, The Journal of the International Primate Protection League, Friends of the Congo, Africa Front, The United Nations Publication, A Civil Society Observer, and Zimbabwe's The Daily Mirror. Her fiction exposé of insurance fraud in the horse industry, Horse Sense, was re-released in early 2006. Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey was also released in 2006. Nienaber spent much of 2007 doing research in South Africa, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was in DRC as a MONUC-accredited journalist, and recently spent six weeks in Southern Louisiana investigating hurricane reconstruction. She is currently developing a documentary on the Gulf of Mexico DEAD ZONE.
His 40-minute speech is profound and powerful, inspirational and dead serious.
Here's more info from FreePress.net:
You can follow breaking events from the conference and watch speeches from such luminaries as Larry Lessig, Representative Keith Ellison and activist Adrienne Maree Brown by visiting www.freepress.net/conference/video. Stay tuned to the Web site for upcoming speeches by Dan Rather, Arianna Huffington and Van Jones.
The Web site also features full audio clips from the more than 60 panels and live blogging (sign up to post your own blog and comment on others).
by
Rady Ananda (97 articles, 246 quicklinks, 19 diaries, 696 comments)
on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 10:02:10 PM
Amy Goodman just earned loud applause for calling for a revocation of broadcast licenses of media that continue to work only in the corporate interest. Everyone on this "blue ribbon" panel is speaking to an appreciative crowd that will hopefully be inspired and take the message back. Here's the session I'm in: http://www.freepress.net/node/39002
Maybe it was just a coincidence that this conference was taking place, corralling some of the best independent journalists into a conference in Minnesota, when their presents might have been better served just outside of Washington DC.
One of the biggest stories over the past couple of days was the meeting of Obama and Clinton, speculation ran as to what was discussed, but little was reported on the location of the meeting. And still there are no direct answers to that question.
As timing would have it both Obama and Clinton arrived at Dulles Airport the day the secretive Bilderberg meeting was taking place just a mere 3 miles away. For those of us who have been following the globalists agenda of the Bilderbergs it has always seemed strange that media coverage of this event was one of the biggest black holes in media coverage. So much so that comments I have tried to place on such so-called progressive site as Huffington Post were censored every time I made mentioned of Bilderberg, Obama and Clinton attending this meeting. The Obama camp when asked if he attended Bilderberg has so far declined to say he didn't.
So we have the most powerful people in the world, meeting in secret every year and it just so happens there is a complete media blackout of this event to the point of only the "Truther" sites such as Alex Jones prisonplanet.com and We Are Change stalwarts dared to crack this story as journalists of name and reputation, that could have perhaps cracked the silence of this meeting enough to were M$M would be forced to also cover it, were being drawn like a magnet to a forum on media reform, (or mutual admiration reform) when covering the story of the Bilderbergs would have done more to reform their medium than a dozen back-slapping conventions.
What little coverage of the Bilderberg meeting there was this time, for the first time ever, forced Bill Clinton to acknowledge that he had indeed attended the Bilderberg meeting, let alone that there is such a group, before his ascension to president and a first time ever forced a "press release" from Bilderberg itself, which in of it self was rather scary, especially the part about "cyber terrorism" (?).
But I guess there were more important things to do than cover a meeting where the likes of Condoleezza Rice, Ben Bernanke, Tom Dashle would attend a conference of people made-up of those who wish to destroy our sovereignty and enslave us and make plans to do such with people who are not citizens of this country, who are formulating policy for this country, in direct violation of the Logan Act, if not out-right treason, are allowed to go on without a peep.
A story not covered is a story not told, and for a "conspiracy nut" such as myself having a "media reform" convention going on at the same time the Bildeberg meeting was taking place, at the same time what may be the next leader of the so-called "free world", was having a "secret meeting" at an "undisclosed location" that just happens to be in the same city at the same time as the Bilderberg meeting is a little more than this guy could take.
Reform doesn't come from talking, it comes from performing. One might have been better served if someone at this conference asked its organizers had ever attended a Bilderberg meeting.
I sense a little offence taken. My comment was not directed at you. You know I love ya ...
I just found it more than a coincidence that this meeting would be scheduled at the same time as Bilderberg. Maybe I'm being a little too paranoid, but these are the real criminals and with their power (if I remember even Moyers attended a Bilderberg meeting - I know Cronkite did, as well as all the MSM owners) it wouldn't surprise me in the least that they would plan this event a the same time they had their meeting.
But it's over now. (Bilderberg) What needs to be done is to hound Obama and Clinton, and all the rest of the attendees with questions about what exactly they were doing at Bilderberg, but of course the only ones allowed near them are members of the same M$M that attended the meeting - so good luck with that.
One has to be made aware that these bastards are well on their way to creating a world-wide fascist government within the next few years and so far we haven't even begun to slow them up.
I realize that something of merit will come out of the media reform conference and as always you will do a stellar job ferreting out whatever those merits are, I just can't shake this feeling that for all the talent that attended this event if they and you weren't purposely distracted.
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Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1256 comments)
on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 5:28:03 PM
Don't think that all your work and your writing is unappreciated just because the auditorium was not packed to overflowing. Bill Moyers is a hero and so are you. Do not give up. People really really appreciate the fact that you have taken the time and are writing for us and to us about the need for a free press. The American People are not stupid- just a bit bombarded by too much information to process and the need to just make ends meet. They are coming out of the ADHD fog we have been in for years and waking up at last, and you are a big part of the reason. Thank you.
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Texas Lawyer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 7:09:55 PM
INVISIBILITY OF MEDIA REFORM Why no visible Critiques?
I wonder why I only hear about these media reform movementw when these conferences happen and THEN NOTHING ALL YEAR. why no visibal attacks on the Coroporate Media. Are foundations not funding that?
ALL in all I am amazed at the COMPLETE LACK OF VISIBILITY OF MEDIA REFORM MOVEMENT. WHEN WILL WE UP THE ANTE???????????????????????????
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Nathaniel Heidenheimer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 44 comments)
on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 7:30:51 PM
Don't get me wrong, it is always nice to hear that you are appreciated...but then the ego starts to get involved and the messenger becomes more important than the message, and ultimately more important than the truth. I am seeing it here, where the media is starting to interview the media and new alternative media stars are being born, and now it looks an awful lot like a celebrity culture.
The stars are at the podiums and Iraq/Iran is all the buzz. Congratulations all around on how smart everyone was. Just a few mentions of New Orleans, except as a nice buzz word to throw in here and there..with a couple of exceptions, Africa is totally off the table.
Naomi Klein set everyone right tonight, reminding all about personal responsibility. But again, she is the biggest "get" interview here. I asked her about New Orleans and gave her my card, and she looked at me like I was nuts. I am nuts to be doing this.
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Georgianne Nienaber (145 articles, 46 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 338 comments)
on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 12:23:42 AM
...may soon be eclipsed by no newspaper stories at all...just TV and the Web.
My favorite daily, which is not the L.A. Times, but the L.A. Daily News is, just like the Times, falling on really hard financial times. They are constantly cutting back.
The DN just reduced its editorial staff to 100, and there may be more changes on the horizon. Quite a ways back, both papers reduced their page sized by an inch or two to save on newsprint.
If print media becomes a dinosaur, we can only hope they continue their online publications, which is probably the way it will go.
The internet is great, but we must be really careful of which sites to rely on. The investment to get a site going is small, and there is hardly any vetting of what's published.
Not that newspapers print the whole truth [the DN has one regular who covers City Hall who's a hack that does nothing more than rewrite press realeases], so I guess it's whatever we read, wherever we read it...reader beware!
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Sandy Sand (133 articles, 0 quicklinks, 169 diaries, 1272 comments)
on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 7:28:41 AM
The Times Picayune does a good job for NOLA, and I have always said this. The News Ladder is a terrrific blog. What NOLA needs are more plain old investigative journalists who will wear out their boots poking around in the dark corners...and there are many. One or two of us cannot do it on our own, and I have been trying to get that message across to people like Naomi Klein and Arianna Huffington to no avail...so far. It is one thing to say we need a free and open press, but with no resources how do you get the job done? We need a free press news bureau in New Orleans.
There are more music magazines and journalists in New Orleans that news gatherers and investigators. Or the investigators are in and out without hooking themselves up with the community...and that takes time. Whatever happened to good old beat reporting?
You have to choose your battles, and for now, I think Africa is a lost cause for information.
Look at the map. People forget that Africa is a CONTINENT. Congo alone is bigger than western Europe.
oh...I could go on and on...
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Georgianne Nienaber (145 articles, 46 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 338 comments)
on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 8:24:21 AM
US Foundations and the ""Radical"" Media: This article poses
the most importatant questions facing the media reform movement today in my opinion.
Also I wonder if there is any discussion of the following QUestion: Is it time to stop only focussing on the development of "alternative media" and start uping the ante on the Corporate Media? ie by visibly challengine their credibility in public.?
The reason I ask this is that it seems internet "alternative issues" are still having ALMOST NO EFFECT ON THE CAMPAIGN! The big comon denominator issues that the candidates get asked about are still COrporate framed "terrorism" questions and Rev Wright.
Is it REALLY alternative media, if it cannot reach millions of people and become a variable in the campaign? Indeed it could be a treadmill that wastes energy.
Im not trying to be negative, just ask a critical question, that emerges from watching a campaign where the New Media has seemed to entirely irrelevent.
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Nathaniel Heidenheimer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 44 comments)
on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 12:54:43 PM
The questions that Nathaniel poses are excatly the questions that need to be answered. (and asked by the alternative media of itself) I am formulating some ideas on this based on this conference and am working with other journalists in attendance on this isse. One journalist in particular is from Africa and has some very candid observations about this.
Be patient and give us some time. If I had the answers I would be a genius.
My guess is there will have to be some kind of hybrid press developed. You cannot expect bloggers who are a thousand miles away from a situation to come up with anything resembling investigative journalism. You need a beat; you need reporters; you need a bureau. Now, in this day and age, I could set up a bureau in New Orleans with three people, and an internet connection.
Part of the problem with this conference is that it was a mix of activists, journalists, bloggers, and authors.
Then there was the question of media aggregation, which was a totally separate issue.
We have to get back to the basics. Beat reporters who know how to use the internet, and the plain old who, what, where, when and why. Maybe add "how" to the mix.
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Georgianne Nienaber (145 articles, 46 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 338 comments)
on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 2:56:00 PM
