Do we really want our reporting on Warren, Sanders or Klobuchar--all of whom support bills to defend local media and block media mergers--brought to you by the world's biggest wealth-suckers? (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Iowa Media Back to the Future
If local residents want local media, they’d be smart to volunteer or pledge for it.
In the first week of February, every four years, coastal correspondents decamp to Iowa to cover the first-in-the nation nominating contest. Face-to-face, caucus by caucus, what the state lacks in demographics, it makes up for in down-home democracy, we're told. And down-home democracy rests on down-the-street media. That's why when the Des Moines Register endorses Elizabeth Warren, it makes national news. When Bernie Sanders leads in the Register's celebrated Iowa Poll, it sends shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. But much as we may want to believe that Iowa takes us back in time, it's not a time capsule. It's the frontier face of our media future.
Last November, GateHouse Media, the nation's largest newspaper chain gobbled up the Register when it merged with Gannett, the second largest, in a merger valued at $1.2 billion. The new company, called Gannett, now owns one in every six papers in the country, and the paymasters are a private equity firm, Fortress Investment Group, which itself is owned by a Japanese conglomerate, SoftBank.
At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper.
Local news brought to you by profit predators is as American as apple pie. The most recent study by PEN America reads like an obituary for the US news business. At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper. Most of the rest have only one--usually a weekly.
Casino capitalists have been vacuuming up the press, not to spruce things up, but to suck what remains dry. It's not scoops they're after, it's so-called "synergies." Gannett says they'll be seeking some $300 million of those, and across the network, layoffs are already happening.
What's a synergy in a newsroom? It's Tony Leys, veteran Register reporter, writing a feature, an analysis of the Iowa Poll, a human-interest piece and two explosive investigations in 3.5 weeks. He described his job to Politico.
Journalists from the Register, or papers like Sioux City Journal or the Quad-City Times, may still appear on your screens caucus night, bringing authenticity and some actual local knowledge to national coverage, but beat reporters in rural states are not some quaint exotic species. They need to eat too, and all across the country, they've been taking a beating from the very same monopoly capitalists and finance vultures who control commerce, communications and even our consciousness through buy-outs, buy-ups and advertising.
Local broadcasting is faring no better. Two leading TV stations in Des Moines and Davenport changed owners in the last year. Christian stations dominate the airwaves and Iowa has very few national public radio affiliates. The state's solitary community station, KHOI in Ames, is funded by listeners and staffed by volunteers. That's where I'll be this monday, co-hosting for the Pacifica network so that those volunteers can go caucus.
"We will go directly to the people--from farms to cities to the Meskwaki Native Tribe--for the important insights and context driving the results. It's not your typical national news coverage," says station manager Ursula Ruedenberg.
It may not be typical, but it may be the future. If local residents want local media, they'd be smart to volunteer or pledge for it, and maybe that's not so bad. After all, do we really want our reporting on Warren, Sanders or Klobuchar--all of whom support bills to defend local media and block media mergers--brought to you by the world's biggest wealth-suckers? I don't.
You will be able to follow the livestream of KHOI'S caucus coverage at our Facebook page and catch my live posts on Twitter. Monday, Feb 3 at 7 p.m. to Midnight EST. FIND OUT HOW AT LAURAFLANDERS.ORG
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters 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. |
In the first week of February, every four years, coastal correspondents decamp to Iowa to cover the first-in-the nation nominating contest. Face-to-face, caucus by caucus, what the state lacks in demographics, it makes up for in down-home democracy, we're told. And down-home democracy rests on down-the-street media. That's why when the Des Moines Register endorses Elizabeth Warren, it makes national news. When Bernie Sanders leads in the Register's celebrated Iowa Poll, it sends shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. But much as we may want to believe that Iowa takes us back in time, it's not a time capsule. It's the frontier face of our media future.
Last November, GateHouse Media, the nation's largest newspaper chain gobbled up the Register when it merged with Gannett, the second largest, in a merger valued at $1.2 billion. The new company, called Gannett, now owns one in every six papers in the country, and the paymasters are a private equity firm, Fortress Investment Group, which itself is owned by a Japanese conglomerate, SoftBank.
At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper.
Local news brought to you by profit predators is as American as apple pie. The most recent study by PEN America reads like an obituary for the US news business. At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper. Most of the rest have only one--usually a weekly.
Casino capitalists have been vacuuming up the press, not to spruce things up, but to suck what remains dry. It's not scoops they're after, it's so-called "synergies." Gannett says they'll be seeking some $300 million of those, and across the network, layoffs are already happening.
What's a synergy in a newsroom? It's Tony Leys, veteran Register reporter, writing a feature, an analysis of the Iowa Poll, a human-interest piece and two explosive investigations in 3.5 weeks. He described his job to Politico.
Journalists from the Register, or papers like Sioux City Journal or the Quad-City Times, may still appear on your screens caucus night, bringing authenticity and some actual local knowledge to national coverage, but beat reporters in rural states are not some quaint exotic species. They need to eat too, and all across the country, they've been taking a beating from the very same monopoly capitalists and finance vultures who control commerce, communications and even our consciousness through buy-outs, buy-ups and advertising.
Local broadcasting is faring no better. Two leading TV stations in Des Moines and Davenport changed owners in the last year. Christian stations dominate the airwaves and Iowa has very few national public radio affiliates. The state's solitary community station, KHOI in Ames, is funded by listeners and staffed by volunteers. That's where I'll be this monday, co-hosting for the Pacifica network so that those volunteers can go caucus.
"We will go directly to the people--from farms to cities to the Meskwaki Native Tribe--for the important insights and context driving the results. It's not your typical national news coverage," says station manager Ursula Ruedenberg.
It may not be typical, but it may be the future. If local residents want local media, they'd be smart to volunteer or pledge for it, and maybe that's not so bad. After all, do we really want our reporting on Warren, Sanders or Klobuchar--all of whom support bills to defend local media and block media mergers--brought to you by the world's biggest wealth-suckers? I don't.
You will be able to follow the livestream of KHOI'S caucus coverage at our Facebook page and catch my live posts on Twitter. Monday, Feb 3 at 7 p.m. to Midnight EST. FIND OUT HOW AT LAURAFLANDERS.ORG
In the first week of February, every four years, coastal correspondents decamp to Iowa to cover the first-in-the nation nominating contest. Face-to-face, caucus by caucus, what the state lacks in demographics, it makes up for in down-home democracy, we're told. And down-home democracy rests on down-the-street media. That's why when the Des Moines Register endorses Elizabeth Warren, it makes national news. When Bernie Sanders leads in the Register's celebrated Iowa Poll, it sends shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. But much as we may want to believe that Iowa takes us back in time, it's not a time capsule. It's the frontier face of our media future.
Last November, GateHouse Media, the nation's largest newspaper chain gobbled up the Register when it merged with Gannett, the second largest, in a merger valued at $1.2 billion. The new company, called Gannett, now owns one in every six papers in the country, and the paymasters are a private equity firm, Fortress Investment Group, which itself is owned by a Japanese conglomerate, SoftBank.
At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper.
Local news brought to you by profit predators is as American as apple pie. The most recent study by PEN America reads like an obituary for the US news business. At least 3.2 million Americans in 200 counties have no local paper. Most of the rest have only one--usually a weekly.
Casino capitalists have been vacuuming up the press, not to spruce things up, but to suck what remains dry. It's not scoops they're after, it's so-called "synergies." Gannett says they'll be seeking some $300 million of those, and across the network, layoffs are already happening.
What's a synergy in a newsroom? It's Tony Leys, veteran Register reporter, writing a feature, an analysis of the Iowa Poll, a human-interest piece and two explosive investigations in 3.5 weeks. He described his job to Politico.
Journalists from the Register, or papers like Sioux City Journal or the Quad-City Times, may still appear on your screens caucus night, bringing authenticity and some actual local knowledge to national coverage, but beat reporters in rural states are not some quaint exotic species. They need to eat too, and all across the country, they've been taking a beating from the very same monopoly capitalists and finance vultures who control commerce, communications and even our consciousness through buy-outs, buy-ups and advertising.
Local broadcasting is faring no better. Two leading TV stations in Des Moines and Davenport changed owners in the last year. Christian stations dominate the airwaves and Iowa has very few national public radio affiliates. The state's solitary community station, KHOI in Ames, is funded by listeners and staffed by volunteers. That's where I'll be this monday, co-hosting for the Pacifica network so that those volunteers can go caucus.
"We will go directly to the people--from farms to cities to the Meskwaki Native Tribe--for the important insights and context driving the results. It's not your typical national news coverage," says station manager Ursula Ruedenberg.
It may not be typical, but it may be the future. If local residents want local media, they'd be smart to volunteer or pledge for it, and maybe that's not so bad. After all, do we really want our reporting on Warren, Sanders or Klobuchar--all of whom support bills to defend local media and block media mergers--brought to you by the world's biggest wealth-suckers? I don't.
You will be able to follow the livestream of KHOI'S caucus coverage at our Facebook page and catch my live posts on Twitter. Monday, Feb 3 at 7 p.m. to Midnight EST. FIND OUT HOW AT LAURAFLANDERS.ORG