by Ed Dunphy
Guest Writer
Dandelion Salad
August 15, 2010
On October 25, 1896 The New York Times slogan: “All the News That’s Fit to Print” made its first appearance on the editorial page. The long reigning well known slogan of the New York Times, is now a figment of our imagination. What do you think Arthur S. Ochs Sr. would feel about former Times columnist Bill Kristol as cheerleader for the illegal invasion of Iraq? Do you think Kristol would have even made it through the first interview from the Times personnel office? How do you think Woodward and Bernstein would have fared with today’s media? Do you think Watergate would have even made it to the six o’clock news? Even some of the most progressive people I know think they are getting all the news that is fit to hear from people like Anderson Cooper and his ilk. According to media reform more than 1 in 4 Internet users in the U.S. now log in with AOL Time-Warner, the world’s largest media corporation, for their news.
The slow but sure conversion of a free and open press to a totally controlled media was done with forethought and expertise. In 2004, the book, The New Media Monopoly, by Bagdikian shows that only 5 huge corporations — Time Warner, Disney, Murdoch’s News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany, and Viacom (formerly CBS) — now control most of the media industry in the U.S. General Electric’s NBC is a close sixth. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the National Association of Broadcasters has spent $16.9 million since 1996 on pressuring lawmakers to assure corporate control of the airwaves.
The damage done to any society when an honest press is not present can be devastating to a democracy. Since the founding of our nation we depended on investigative reporters to dig out the dirt of the wrong doers. The New York Times Company Policy on Ethics in Journalism forbids financial conflict of interest. If you were in charge of licensing companies to own a TV News station, what would you say to GE if you were aware that they manufactured weapons. Would you expect fair and balanced reporting of the Iraq Invasion. Do you think that maybe that is why NBC was one of Bush’s biggest cheerleaders on Iraq?
We can only depend on ourselves to force the Democratic Process. It is more than clear that if “We the people” don’t do it will not get done. If you read my last piece you heard me push the notion of attending town hall meetings. Simply put, we need to go face to face with our representatives and insist that they establish a new House Resolution, creating conflict of interest articles related to the ownership of the electronic news media or loose their jobs. Let’s get the real news people back into the business and end this sham.
Ed Dunphy is a small business owner and Political and Peace Activist in the Princeton area of New Jersey.
see
Michael Parenti: Deep Ideology: How Reactionary Agendas Shape Political Awareness (must-see)
Jeremy Scahill on The Iraq War, Blackwater and WikiLeaks
There is no “Professional Left” on Cable By Timothy V. Gatto
Dandelion Salad 
Pingback: Going Republican By Robert S. Becker « Dandelion Salad
Pingback: American Propaganda By Timothy V. Gatto « Dandelion Salad
Thankfully they quietly got rid of Kristalnacht the neocon zionist warmongering maniac.
That poor paper has yet to apologize for its misdeeds.
But it’s toast, as all print is, only a matter of Times.
Enjoy the op-eds while it’s still here.
I think that’s terrific, and you’re right, the bums need to be confronted, again and again. They’re far too comfortable making decisions unopposed that are not in the best interests of their constituents. If you can get people to do this, more power to you.
If you can poll constituents and show that your Senator and Congressman are voting against what the majority of their constituency really wants, then I think that’s grounds for some kind of legal action to remove them from office. But this is a long discussion, because first you have to be able to authenticate any vote that is taken, as the voting process is also quite corrupted. But let’s lambast the bastards! I’m all for that. Challenge them. Ruin their day. LOL
It’s true that our democracy has been effectively eviscerated by the corporate-controlled media and that real journalists don’t work at newspapers any more, but do you really thinking going head-to-head with corrupted politicians in town hall meetings will make any difference? Why give away our power to someone to represent you in politics in the first place? When was the last time either your Senator or Congressperson voted in a way that you wanted? We need a new form of government.
Actually I think you may be missing the point. I do not disagree that we need a new form of government. However until that happens we need to take these bums to task. You are correct corrupted poiticians do not represent us the way we want. However the only reason they don’t is that not enough of us get face to face with them. If enough people stood together to face these bums, they would have no choice but to vote the peoples issues or loose their jobs. yes it is a loft y goal to get this brain dead country together to make the changes we need. Howver this country was founded based on “we the People” and it is only “we the People” that will effect change”. I have just started a new organization call the New Jersey Congressional Leash. The goal is to organize so many people that these bums will realize who really is in control. An Ideal, yes. But so is formng a new government.
Thank you for your comment.
Ed Dunphy