The News Networks' SOPA Blackout
You may have heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Simply put, this Web-censorship bill in the House could open the door to widespread Internet censorship.
Opposition to the bill has reached a boiling point. Millions of activists, hundreds of startups, social media sites like Tumblr, Reddit and Twitter and even big companies like Google, Yahoo! and eBay have joined with Free Press and other Internet advocacy groups against it.
This is one of the biggest tech stories of the year. Yet as a recent report from Media Matters for America shows, TV news has ignored it.
According to the report, SOPA -- and Protect IP, its cousin in the Senate -- have "received virtually no coverage from major American television news outlets during their evening newscasts and opinion programming." Among the offenders are ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC.
A likely reason for the media blackout? The big networks -- and their parent companies -- support these two Internet-censorship bills.
This is what happens when the interests of big business get in the way of the need to inform the public and protect free speech. These same media giants are lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to loosen its ownership rules and allow for even more media consolidation -- another issue they've failed to cover. If the FCC permits runaway consolidation, media blackouts like the one affecting SOPA could become even more common.
Meanwhile, rank-and-file journalists are coming out strong against these censorship bills. And print media have reported on them. Earlier this month New York Times columnist David Carr wrote that SOPA was "alarming in its reach." Time, the Atlantic, Forbes and the Boston Globe have all reported on the legislation in the past week.
What is TV news afraid of?
These networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC -- need to be held accountable for failing to provide coverage of such damaging legislation.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
You may have heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Simply put, this Web-censorship bill in the House could open the door to widespread Internet censorship.
Opposition to the bill has reached a boiling point. Millions of activists, hundreds of startups, social media sites like Tumblr, Reddit and Twitter and even big companies like Google, Yahoo! and eBay have joined with Free Press and other Internet advocacy groups against it.
This is one of the biggest tech stories of the year. Yet as a recent report from Media Matters for America shows, TV news has ignored it.
According to the report, SOPA -- and Protect IP, its cousin in the Senate -- have "received virtually no coverage from major American television news outlets during their evening newscasts and opinion programming." Among the offenders are ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC.
A likely reason for the media blackout? The big networks -- and their parent companies -- support these two Internet-censorship bills.
This is what happens when the interests of big business get in the way of the need to inform the public and protect free speech. These same media giants are lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to loosen its ownership rules and allow for even more media consolidation -- another issue they've failed to cover. If the FCC permits runaway consolidation, media blackouts like the one affecting SOPA could become even more common.
Meanwhile, rank-and-file journalists are coming out strong against these censorship bills. And print media have reported on them. Earlier this month New York Times columnist David Carr wrote that SOPA was "alarming in its reach." Time, the Atlantic, Forbes and the Boston Globe have all reported on the legislation in the past week.
What is TV news afraid of?
These networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC -- need to be held accountable for failing to provide coverage of such damaging legislation.
You may have heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. Simply put, this Web-censorship bill in the House could open the door to widespread Internet censorship.
Opposition to the bill has reached a boiling point. Millions of activists, hundreds of startups, social media sites like Tumblr, Reddit and Twitter and even big companies like Google, Yahoo! and eBay have joined with Free Press and other Internet advocacy groups against it.
This is one of the biggest tech stories of the year. Yet as a recent report from Media Matters for America shows, TV news has ignored it.
According to the report, SOPA -- and Protect IP, its cousin in the Senate -- have "received virtually no coverage from major American television news outlets during their evening newscasts and opinion programming." Among the offenders are ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC.
A likely reason for the media blackout? The big networks -- and their parent companies -- support these two Internet-censorship bills.
This is what happens when the interests of big business get in the way of the need to inform the public and protect free speech. These same media giants are lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to loosen its ownership rules and allow for even more media consolidation -- another issue they've failed to cover. If the FCC permits runaway consolidation, media blackouts like the one affecting SOPA could become even more common.
Meanwhile, rank-and-file journalists are coming out strong against these censorship bills. And print media have reported on them. Earlier this month New York Times columnist David Carr wrote that SOPA was "alarming in its reach." Time, the Atlantic, Forbes and the Boston Globe have all reported on the legislation in the past week.
What is TV news afraid of?
These networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC -- need to be held accountable for failing to provide coverage of such damaging legislation.