Back   OpEd News
Font
PageWidth
Original Content at
https://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_the_web_080209_sam_zell_drops_an__22f.htm
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

February 9, 2008

Sam Zell Drops an "F-bomb" on one of his journalists

By the web

So there you have it.Tribune Company doesn't want anything like journalism to get in the way of Zell's profits. And AT&T keeps telling us that Net Neutrality isn't needed,that we should just "trust them" not to censor the Internet.But they won't even allow someone to raise the issue on their show.We have arrived at a unique time in the history of media,where traditional gatekeepers to information are threatened by a revolution

::::::::

Sam Zell Drops an "F-bomb" on one of his journalists
Watch the Video
Normally, we tell you when Big Media is behaving badly.
But this time we caught it on video. It's outrageous. See for yourself.
EXHIBIT A: Sam Zell, the new owner of media giant Tribune Company dropped an "F-bomb" on one of his journalists when she asked him about the balance between profitmaking and investing in newsgathering.
Tribune's New Owner Drops the F-Bomb (0:43)
EXHIBIT B: During the taping of a talk show produced by AT&T, the control room shut down production moments after a guest criticized AT&T's plans to filter Web content. Fortunately that guest, Joel Johnson of the blog Boing Boing, had a friend secretly videotape the segment from the audience. Now you can see what AT&T doesn't want you to know.
AT&T Shuts Down the Program (1:02)
So there you have it. Tribune Company doesn't want anything like journalism to get in the way of Zell's profits. And AT&T keeps telling us that Net Neutrality isn't needed, that we should just "trust them" not to censor the Internet. But they won't even allow someone to raise the issue on their show.
We have arrived at a unique time in the history of media, where traditional gatekeepers to information are threatened by a revolution in communications. Big Media's reaction is the same they have taken for decades: shut down discussion, dictate policies, increase profits, and maintain control.
User-generated media like YouTube, blogs and, even, e-mail are helping ensure this sort of stuff doesn't go unreported. But now the basic freedoms we expect on the Internet are under threat.
Our challenge is to use our creativity to educate the public about what's at stake and organize for policy changes that will finally keep these gatekeepers in check.
Free Press is leading this fight, but we need your support. You can help by supporting the Free Press Action Fund today.
Support the Free Press Action Fund
Without your support, decisions about the future of our media will be made behind closed doors, without our input or approval. And powerful companies like the Tribune and AT&T will continue to behave with impunity.
Please make a contribution now to help take on Sam Zell, AT&T, and the other Big Media bullies.
Sincerely,
Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press Action Fund
www.freepress.net
P.S. Big Media has vast resources. Free Press Action Fund can push back -- effectively -- with your immediate, loyal and generous support. Make your contribution today. We won't back down. Join us now.

Submitter: Joan Brunwasser

Submitters Website: http://www.opednews.com/author/author79.html

Submitters Bio:

Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which since 2005 existed for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election reform. Our goal: to restore fair, accurate, transparent, secure elections where votes are cast in private and counted in public. Because the problems with electronic (computerized) voting systems include a lack of transparency and the ability to accurately check and authenticate the vote cast, these systems can alter election results and therefore are simply antithetical to democratic principles and functioning.



Since the pivotal 2004 Presidential election, Joan has come to see the connection between a broken election system, a dysfunctional, corporate media and a total lack of campaign finance reform. This has led her to enlarge the parameters of her writing to include interviews with whistle-blowers and articulate others who give a view quite different from that presented by the mainstream media. She also turns the spotlight on activists and ordinary folks who are striving to make a difference, to clean up and improve their corner of the world. By focusing on these intrepid individuals, she gives hope and inspiration to those who might otherwise be turned off and alienated. She also interviews people in the arts in all their variations - authors, journalists, filmmakers, actors, playwrights, and artists. Why? The bottom line: without art and inspiration, we lose one of the best parts of ourselves. And we're all in this together. If Joan can keep even one of her fellow citizens going another day, she considers her job well done.


When Joan hit one million page views, OEN Managing Editor, Meryl Ann Butler interviewed her, turning interviewer briefly into interviewee. Read the interview here.


While the news is often quite depressing, Joan nevertheless strives to maintain her mantra: "Grab life now in an exuberant embrace!"


Joan has been Election Integrity Editor for OpEdNews since December, 2005. Her articles also appear at Huffington Post, RepublicMedia.TV and Scoop.co.nz.

Back