Make sure both sides are heard. Re-regulate the radio and television industries to limit station ownership and demand diversity of management and product. Re-instate the old rules that denied one man all the voices in a public square. End all waivers of multiple ownership of television stations and networks and newspapers in the same market.
And, yes, if a voice of the privileged classes unfairly uses his cable platform to call our neighbors who are the victims of this, "losers" to insist he alone speaks for the real people.
Or if another, indicts without equal time for defense a particular elected official, and then offers himself as a candidate for that very official's seat, in violation of all canons of good or even fair broadcasting then tell the cable industry that the free ride is over and it is time that it too be regulated by the FCC.
Enough!
In less than seven minutes, Olbermann connected the rapacious greed of corporate executives to the need for true economic reform in this country and also to the need for true media ownership and regulation reform in America. How often do you hear a pundit cry out against media on a channel owned by Big Media (i.e. NBC owned by General Electric)?
Not too many know what media reform is but let’s just say if media ownership rules and media regulation was different in this country, presumably, not as many newspapers would be printing their last editions. Not as many newspapers would be scaling back the degree of journalism practiced so they could continue to put out a paper for citizens to read on a regular basis.
Why should we be concerned about media reform? In two words, I would say “public naïveté” is why.
Why should we be vigilant about the media which citizens consume? Why should we care so much about where the public gets their “news”?
The rapaciousness of media occurs in the same manner that the rapaciousness of corporations like A.I.G. occurs. All function in a system which allows for greed and corruption to subvert the well-being of communities and taxpayers nationwide.
I was writing when the Bailouts stormed through Washington, D.C. I was following it closely when politicians were crying, “The sky is falling!” like Chicken Little.
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