The ITT List
Tuesday Nov 9, 2004 9:27 am
Media, Misinformation and how to strike back
During the last week I've avoided the news. The first three days after the election I felt physically sick even turning on NPR. I couldn't look at newspapers and I kept my mouse far away from the Internet Explorer icon on my desktop. Of course, I couldn't avoid all the emails flooding my inbox. Those emails kept me on top of the latest debates and analysis of electoral maps and the new hot word, "values," as well as the much appreciated black humor coming from friends and family. I didn't want to avoid the news, I just didn't want to go the sources.
While always aware of the superficiality of the mainstream media (that's why I'm in this business) I've become increasingly disgusted with how the media continues to purport itself. More than any debate about how "values," effected this election is the question of how the candidates and the issues were framed by the campaigns and most importantly by the media.
An Oct. 21 report from the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) which put together the findings from several polls and analyzed the variations in perceptions according to respondents' attitudes toward the Presidential candidates said:
In addition to the PIPA study, the Committee for Concerned Journalists released a report in late October that analyzed the election coverage of 13 media outlets (4 newspapers and 9 broadcasts) from Oct. 1 through Oct. 14. One small sample of the results includes:
There is much more info in this report and is an educational read.
The point is that this is the time, not only to continue organizing, mobilizing, and educating citizens for 2006, 2008, and beyond around political and issue campaigns, this also is the time to take back our media. It's time to kick some big, corporate media ass. As Bob McChesney of Free Press says, "Media IS the issue."
One thing to do is to tune into organizations such as Free Press and Media Matters. They have tons of mobilizing efforts which are bringing in a growing number of people every day. One major campaign to get involved in is reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.
The other is to start talking back to the talking heads. When a reporter doesn't represent the real issue, real quote or real facts, call them on it. Write to the reporter and their editors. Write letters to the editors. Let them know that you're watching and expect more.
And in case you're wondering, I did break into the New York Times on Sunday - but I just read the international stories.
While always aware of the superficiality of the mainstream media (that's why I'm in this business) I've become increasingly disgusted with how the media continues to purport itself. More than any debate about how "values," effected this election is the question of how the candidates and the issues were framed by the campaigns and most importantly by the media.
An Oct. 21 report from the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) which put together the findings from several polls and analyzed the variations in perceptions according to respondents' attitudes toward the Presidential candidates said:
The Decision to Go to War
Majorities of Bush supporters and Kerry supporters agree that if Iraq did not have WMD or was not providing support to al Qaeda, the US should not have gone to war with Iraq.
World Public Opinion on the Iraq War and George Bush???s Reelection Only three in ten Bush supporters believe that the majority of people in the world oppose the US going to war with Iraq, while an overwhelming majority of Kerry supporters have this view. A majority of Bush supporters assume that the majority of people in the world would like to see Bush reelected, while a large majority of Kerry supporters believe the opposite. Bush supporters also lean toward overestimating support in Islamic countries for US-led efforts to fight terrorism, while Kerry supporters do not
Candidates??? Foreign Policy Positions
Majorities of Bush supporters misperceive his positions on a range of foreign policy issues. In particular, they assume he supports multilateral approaches and addressing global warming though he has taken strong contrary positions on issues such as the International Criminal court and the Kyoto Agreement. A majority of Kerry supporters have accurate perceptions of Kerry???s positions on the same issues.
In addition to the PIPA study, the Committee for Concerned Journalists released a report in late October that analyzed the election coverage of 13 media outlets (4 newspapers and 9 broadcasts) from Oct. 1 through Oct. 14. One small sample of the results includes:
The press was even more negative when covering policy (55%) and the candidates' characters (47%) than when covering political internal matters such as horse race (36%).
The tendency toward negative tone stands out because it suggests the press is prone to act as an enabler, accomplice or conduit for negative campaigning.
The irony, at least from the standpoint of making coverage appealing to readers and viewers, is that most citizens claim they are sick and tired of negative politics. Apparently journalists, like politicians, either believe that despite what citizens say, negative politics works and thus the attack lines are important news. Or perhaps at minimum journalists themselves simply can't resist the attack lines.
When it came to positive coverage, the networks overall were the most likely to produce sunnier Kerry stories. Cable, entirely due to the two weeks of Brit Hume programs studied, was the most likely to produce stories with a positive tone toward Bush.
There is much more info in this report and is an educational read.
The point is that this is the time, not only to continue organizing, mobilizing, and educating citizens for 2006, 2008, and beyond around political and issue campaigns, this also is the time to take back our media. It's time to kick some big, corporate media ass. As Bob McChesney of Free Press says, "Media IS the issue."
One thing to do is to tune into organizations such as Free Press and Media Matters. They have tons of mobilizing efforts which are bringing in a growing number of people every day. One major campaign to get involved in is reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.
The other is to start talking back to the talking heads. When a reporter doesn't represent the real issue, real quote or real facts, call them on it. Write to the reporter and their editors. Write letters to the editors. Let them know that you're watching and expect more.
And in case you're wondering, I did break into the New York Times on Sunday - but I just read the international stories.
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The following excerpts are from a message I posted to “In These Times” just today. I think they are relevant to your article.
“The attacks, during the ???80s, on and ultimate elimination of the ‘fairness doctrine’, on the baseless position that the ‘free market’ should determine the use of the PUBLIC airwaves, and that an abundance of outlets would preclude the domination of one groups access to exclusion of the other, went without response and with total capitulation given without a whimper.
Any legitimacy of the ‘abundance of access’ argument was totally undermined when media conglomerates were allowed BY A CHANGE IN THE LAW to expand their empires thru the ownership and ultimately consolidation of multiple tv and radio stations, newspapers and magazines.
We now see the result of the shortsightedness of allowing PUBLIC PROPERTY (the airwaves) to be ???de facto??? owned by a select few elitists and special interests.”
It???s not book burning…it???s worse…it borders on mind control.
I was recently a guest on an ultra conservative show and to none of my surprise (and excitement) was the victim of a flood of repubs disgust at my party selection. I informed the misguided listeners of Bush’s laughable record and his ever changing stance on invading Iraq.
I reminded the listeners (it seems to escape so many Bush supporters’ memory) of our reasons of going to this country in the first place. I spoke on his healthcare failures for the country, the number of jobs lost during his administration, and many other things that he has flubbed since his inaguration.
Since we have been getting dragged through the mud by so many conservatives this past week it is my stance that we just remind them of his record and his inability to lead. It is fact that he will again find a way to make us scratch our liberal heads and say, “Don’t ask me, I voted for Kerry”
Is it possible to hack into Murdoch’s satellite system? Do any civiliians possess the technology that would make it possible to shut down satellite transmissions? Imagine what America would be like if it had no TV for a couple of weeks? I guess this would probably be seen as some form of terrorism and as such is not a very bright idea. Just a hypothetical really…
It appears as though the world has truly gone beserk and that people are actually beginning to grasp the fact that we elected (for the 1st time) Bushy.
I was viewing CSPAN’s coverage of the dedication of President Clinton’s library and the evil little smirk “dubba” wore while watching undoubtedly, one of the best U.S. Presidents in history do what he did best, appeal to ALL people gave me pleasure. Watching this gave me hope, hope that we will soon be under new leadership (hopefully democratic) and that we will realize that we are not out of the race yet.
Yes, we lost the election yet we are NOT out of the race. I refuse to let them see us squirm and this my friends will be the sole reason that we will rise and gain control, something that is rightfully ours.
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