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TechnoratiWhat Is the Future of Journalism?
It is no secret that American media is in turmoil, with many longstanding fixtures in print journalism either folding or forced to layoff staff. Each week through the end of 2009, a different media insider will offer their perspective on what media will look like in 5, 10, or 15 years--and what will become of investigative journalism. The series includes commentary from John Nichols, Dan Rather, Jane Mayer, Victor Navasky, Ana Marie Cox, David Schimke and Nick Penniman.
This week, Nation contributor John Nichols speaks as part of a panel discussion at the 2009 Nation/Campus Progress Student Journalism Conference about the disconnect between old media models and a nonfunctional new media model for producing journalism. Nichols evokes history in noting that when our country was founded media was heavily subsidized by the government and proposes this as a model to strive for. Nichols is the co-author of Saving Journalism: The Soul of Democracy along with Robert W. McChesney, which will be published by New Press in the fall.
6 Comments so far
Show AllMedia is undergoing a metamorphosis, yet one cannot be sure it would take a new Avatar until and unless it isd freed from the stranglehold of corporate power.
ONE MUST RECALL HOW THE THEN PRIME MINISTER OF THE UK, STANLEY BALDWIN, ROUNDED THE FLEET STREET PRESS LORDS, BEAVERBROOK AND ROTHERMERE, IN THE 1930S AS IRRESPONSIBLE AND DANGEROUS AND FINISHED THEM OFF IN HIS FAMOUS PHRASE “POWER WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY , THE PREROGATIVE OF THE HARLOTS THROUGHOUT THE AGES”. THE PRESS LORDS WERE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN!
YET ONE CANNOT BE SURE OF MEDIA LORDS DOING AN EXERCISE OF INTROSPECTION NOR THE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNANCE AND JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY. TAKE THE CASE OF MEDIA AND ADVERTISEMENTS. IT WOULD BE USEFUL AND RELEVANT TO GIVE THE LINK:
http://www.alternet.org/story/140997/the_corporate_media_state_has_deformed_american_culture_--_time_t...
The Corporate Media State Has Deformed American Culture -- Time to Fight Back
THIS ARTICLE EXPOSES CORPORATE FRAUD COMPOUNDED BY CORPORATE MEDIA: WHAT IT MISSES IS HOW BOTH ARE PROPELLED BY CORPORATE DEMOCRACY!. HERBERT MARCUSE SAYS IN HIS CELEBRATED BOOK ONE DIMENSIONAL MAN (1968) "THAT IN A MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY SO-CALLED "FREE" INSTITUTIONS AND "DEMOCRATIC LIBERTIES" ARE USED LIMIT FREEDOM, REPRESS INDIVIDUALITY, DISGUISE EXPLOITATION, AND LIMIT THE SCOPE OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE...THE DOMINATION OF BOSSES AND OWNERS IS SCREENED BY THEIR TRANSFIGUARATION INTO BURAUCRATS AND CORPORATIONS. CRITICS ARE EFFECTIVELY SILENCED BY CHANNELLING THEIR PROTESTS THROUGH THE HARMLESS SAFETY VALVE OF INSTITUTIONALISED DEMOCRACY.
"THE MAIN TRENDS ARE FAMILIAR: CONCENTRATION OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY ON THE NEEDS OF BIG CORPORATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT AS THE STIMULATING, SOMETIMES EVEN CONTROLLING FORCE; HITCHING OF THIS ECONOMY TO A WORLD-WIDE SYSTEM OF MILITARY ALLIANCE, MONETARY ARRANGEMENTS AND THUS "OPENING OF THE BEDROOM TO THE MEDIA OF MASS COMMUNICATION".
GALBRAITH WAS INDEED A PROPHETIC ECONOMIST. HIS BOOK 'AFFLUENT SOCIETY ' PUBLISHED BY Amazon worldwide http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12884987 bestsellers: Words of warning | The Economist Source: www.economist.com The financial crisis has revived interest in the writings of J.K. Galbraith
YET ADVERTISEMENT IS THE SOUL OF MEDIA WITHOUT WHICH IT CANNOT SURVIVE. WHAT IS A MATTER OF SERIOUS CONCERN IS THAT THE CHILDREN ARE BEING CLEVERLY AND SHAMELESSLY TARGETTED.
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA HAS HELD (5 AUGUST, 1995) IN A JUDGEMENT SETTING ASIDE THE JUDGEMENT OF THE BOMBAY HIGH COURT IN THE CASE RELATING TO 'TATA PRESS YELLOW PAGES HAS HELD THAT ' ADVERTSING IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE CORNERSTONE OF OF THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM...THE PUBLIC AT LARGE HAS A RIGHT TO RECEIVE 'COMMERCIAL SPEECH" AND THAT "APRT FROM THE LIFE LINE OF THE FREE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY ADVERTISING CAN BE VIEWED AS THE LIFEBLOOD OF FREE MEDIA, PAYING MOST OF THE COSTS AND MAKING THE MEDIA WIDELY AVAILABLE.
THUS, SUPREME COURT HAS HELD THAT ADVERTISING "COMMERCIAL SPEECH" IS PART OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION GUARANTEED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION"IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT. (!!!) AS A RESULT IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT TV CHANNELS ARE ARE RECKLESSLY TARGETTING CHILDREN EG:
Secretary-General, All India Jain Minority Forum, New Delhi,
Ex-Member, Media Expert Committee, Govt. of India,
Ex- Member, Maharashtra State Minority Commission, Govt.of Maharashtra, Mumbai,
Ex-President, National Society for Prevention of Heart Di
On March 26, 2006, the Whistler Blower of Israel's WMD Program, Vanunu told me:
“Many journalists come here to the American Colony, from CNN and NY Times. They all want to cover my story, but their EDITORS say no...CNN wants to interview me; but they say they can't do it because they don't want problems with the Israeli censor. BBC is doing the same thing.
"Sixty Minutes from the United States from the beginning they wanted to do a program, but because of the censor situation they decide not to do it. Also big media from Germany, France, Italy, Japan. None of them wants problems with the Israelis."
And so, we taped "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and a follow up in 2008-"13 Minutes with Vanunu" freely streaming @ VANUNU ARCHIVES:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
A little background:
After 18 years in Israeli jail for taking 2 rolls of film documenting their WMD Program Israel released Vanunu to house arrest on 21 April 2004-forbidden to speak to foreigners and leave the state.
On January 25, 2006, Vanunu was convicted by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court of 15 violations of a military order that prohibited him from talking to non-Israelis-who happened to be media-and because he supposedly attempted to leave Israel by taking a cab to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to attend Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in 2004.
The original indictment included 22 different violations; Vanunu was charged with 19 and acquitted of four. He was acquitted of speaking to foreign nationals on the internet and via video and voice chats.
On July 2, 2007, Israel sentenced Vanunu to six more months in jail for speaking to foreigners-who happened to be media-in 2004.
On September 23, 2008, the Jerusalem District Court reduced Vanunu’s sentence to three months, "In light of (Vanunu’s) ailing health and the absence of claims that his actions put the country’s security in jeopardy."
On June 14, 2009 Mordechai Vanunu told me, “The Central Commander of the General Army testified in court that it is OK if I speak in public as long as I do not talk about nuclear weapons.”
On July 6, 2009, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish continued to deny Vanunu the right to leave the Jewish State, claiming his "case is still generating great interest, like any other security-related case. The media's attention he gets is proof of that."
IF only they would pay attention to a Freedom of Speech trial and conviction in the 'democracy' of Israel, i wouldn't be the only one.
Eileen Fleming, Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org
A Feature Correspondent for Arabisto.com
Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
journalism: what's written along with the advertisements...
the really important lifetruths are few, and not new...
American journalism died after Vietnam, and it has been transformed into Republican cheerleading since then. From self-censorship to planting phony stories (think Judith Miller) to partisan pro-Israel demogoguery, there is nothing that passes for "journalism" in America. The NY Times and the Washington Post deserve to crash and burn for all the deception and sycophantism they have demonstrated over the last decades.
Nichols may ultimately be correct when he says that "Information cannot be caged . . . ." but Wall Street is certainly never going to stop trying to control it.
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Was sucking up and sitting in Bushes lap or listening to alligator mouth Cheney worth it? You people wrote lies about the war,you help cover up the war crimes and any other crimes the Bush admin. did. People knew you people were lying now you all must pay. Lets hope they band all the propaganda bull. Go look for a job and think about how you people help destroy this Nation.That is why I do not buy papers any more.