If we are not involved in our government, in it's elections, its decisions, and its policies, then we are not a free nation. If we are not an informed citizenry we cannot blame the press alone; if the press and our government use us, confuse us, trick us, lie to us, and keep information from us, we are as much to blame as they.
Here's one way we can do something about it. Go here (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=o25T0BspJ7c) to hear Dan rather speak to the issue of a corporate-controlled press and here (www.freepress.net) to supplement your daily controlled news intake. As Mr. Rather points out, we need a press that "provides the raw material of democracy and the information to let us be full participants in a government of, by, and for the people."
For more information about media control read Deck Deckert's essay (http://www.swans.com/library/art8/rdeck022.html) or read some of the entries at http://mediamatters.org/
As of 2004, 5 huge corporations - Time Warner, Disney, Murdoch's News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany, and Viacom (formerly CBS) control most of the media industry in the U.S. How are they informing us and what are they not telling us? Are they the only news media you subscribe to, listen to, agree with?
Unless we ask, unless we protest, unless we claim the right to be well-informed and then make sure we are by reading every viewpoint, not just the ones we already agree with, how can we make truly informed decisions? We should ALWAYS question, ALWAYS search for our own reasons for believing what we're told, ALWAYS insist that we be involved in our government's decisions. It's what being free entails - responsibility. Our own.
photo credit: img179.imageshack.us/.../ 2383/freedomcopyzk6.jpg
11 comments:
such an important post - thank you!
it is so frightening to think that 5 major corporations have so much influence in what we think we know and who is in power in this country.
This is pretty scary! I always thought that newspapers like the NYT were fairly unbiased in their reporting.
I haven't really time to visit Youtube but I have deep suspicions about the 'news' fed to us by the media and a deep dismay at the general public's willingness to take what they hear as the 'truth', unquestioned. *sigh*
Ah Pauline ... a change of image ... nice. Like Lee, have no time to visit youtube ... lucky to be getting time at all on no.2 daughter's laptop!
Loved your thoughts on a windblown day.
I have a million unwritten blog posts on "politics." What happened to being told the facts? Now we're listening to he said/she said, and spin until I want to scream.
sky - we are a vastly misinformed nation - on purpose
not if they're owned by a corporation, barbara...
it's a two way street, Lee - they say they tell us what we want to hear. we say we believe what they tell us. how informed is that?
thanks rise - glad to see you back
ruth - i rarely post about politics but a lot is riding on this election. just what change we'll get and how we get it depends a lot on how much change WE make in ourselves and the way we are informed...
It's probably much the same in Canada. We're led to think we have our say and are a free-thinking society, but that's not credivle if our thoughts are based on misinformation and biased info.
Because I mistrust the media so, I tend to avoid it. Wrong I guess.
Media personel knew about a politician's pedophile ways, but never once reported or hinted at the fact. Once he was exposed & sent off to jail, they all came out & said they had known. I felt utter disgust.
Always ask...........
Bravo. How can we not dump poetry for awhile, come away for awhile from the great task of bringing the spiritual into the mundane, and just kick some butt!?
America is worth our effort.
Alarming, I say to myself, feeling nude in the mall, to argue instead of gently guide, yes, outright telling 'em off, to revel in an enemy, to discover a citation to a lie, a blemished flaw, a tryst in the penthouse. I do not like the taste of politics.
Ashamed, I say to myself, why am I here, hallways of cheap, corrupt pathology, gilt lies? I do not like to see politics.
Well, America is worth it.
I'll recover.
I'll celebrate Hope and Change.
exactly, MOI - we need to check our sources, check numerous sources, and always question what we're being told...
meggie - unfortunately, avoiding things don't make them go away or change for the better...
always, HHB
Brian - you're doing your part to expose readers to various ideas - bravo to you, too!
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