It's War. Media War

From the Huffington Post, By:

Sue Wilson

Emmy winning Director of Broadcast Blues

Posted: August 10, 2009 08:49 PM

Hundreds of protesters are turning Democratic Town Hall meetings into combat zones in a battle over health care. They are angry, really angry. Barack Obama's healthcare plan, they believe, is going to euthanize Grandma.

I would be angry, too, if they were going to kill my grandmother, wouldn't you? Except, of course, the government is not going to euthanize anybody; the Obama administration, like most family doctors, just want people to prepare advance directives, statements which give people control over their own end of life issues.

But the protesters don't know that. They really believe that the government is going to kill their grandparents.

So mad as hell, they soldier into town halls ready to fight, into forums like the one Rep. Lloyd Doggett held in South Austin, Texas. Elise Hu of KVUE News reported that Doggett's "opponents have become a vocal, viral army."

They are vocal, and they are an army. But their "viral" campaign is aided by a giant radio and TV cheerleading squad. As with the "Tea Parties," Fox News and AM Radio are promoting both the town halls and the lies to tens of millions of unwitting people. No wonder people are upset; trusted voices are scaring them to death. Voices like Rush Limbaugh, on 600 radio outlets, telling them, "as Obama said, they'll give 'em some pain killers, and let 'em loop out until they die." Laura Ingraham, on 300 stations, "Some will call them death camps." Glenn Beck, on 400 more, "Why is there no more discussion than there is on Sarah Palin, and what she said over the weekend that there would be a death panel for her son, Trig? That's quite a statement. I believe it to be true..."

So, average people, shut out of the facts and terrified of the Obama plan, storm into town halls to shout down their elected representatives.

Here's where it gets good: this irate army creates just the kind of spectacle news loves to cover, so the "real" news amplifies the falsehoods way beyond the walls of the hall. The mainstream news no longer takes the time to clarify the facts, but instead becomes an effective PR machine for the right wing war of words. (See more on this phenomena in my Tea Party Story on www.broadcastblues.tv.)

Meanwhile, President Obama starts a new website to counter the propaganda. David Brock, former Conservative writer and founder of Media Matters, in an interview for Broadcast Blues, told me, "The conservative movement, going back to 1969, has had a coordinated and well-financed attack on journalism in this country....While they claim that the complaint is one of liberal bias...the real goal is to disable journalism from being able to do its job independently and neutrally." Worse, he says, "A lot of the falsehood and misinformation that's coming out of the conservative media is coming out intentionally. In other words, they know they're misinforming people, and that's a significant problem."

The Right has been piling up major victories in this war over the control of information for dozens of years. Dateline 1987: Ronald Reagan dismantles the Fairness Doctrine. 1996: Conservatives rewrite Telecommunications law so they can control the message on almost all the nation's radio stations. 2003: Fox News gets a court ruling in the "Akre/Wilson vs. WTVT" case that stations can legally lie to the public.

In USA Today, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD write, "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades."

Wake up, Democratic Leadership: We have been at war over facts for decades, and our democracy is suffering because of it. Thomas Jefferson said, "A nation cannot be both ignorant and free." Only you can save us, and it's about time you get into the fight.

Follow Sue Wilson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sueblueswilson

• Barack Obama
  
• Nancy Pelosi
  
• Health Care
  

It's war. Hundreds of protesters are turning Democratic Town Hall meetings into combat zones in a battle over health care. They are angry, really angry. Barack Obama's healthcare plan, they belie...

It's war. Hundreds of protesters are turning Democratic Town Hall meetings into combat zones in a battle over health care. They are angry, really angry. Barack Obama's healthcare plan, they belie...

Related News On Huffington Post:

Steve LaTourette Calls Town Hall Question "Bullshit" (VIDEO) Republican leaders have defended rowdy town hall protesters, saying people should be allowed to speak their minds. But it was Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette (Ohio)...

Grassroots Groups Tell FCC: "Stop Hate Radio"!

Activists, members of community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area who plan to attend the San Francisco Premiere of Broadcast Blues , also plan to Rally prior to the presentation of the film to highlight the need for Media Reform and to demand for the FCC to open a docket on Hate-Speech, misinformation and Media Consolidation, which is the model that allows a more widespread and uniform disemination of racist, xenophobic, nativist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, et al, views to a nationwide audience already prejudiced with feelings of intolerance and hate.
And we have been seeing the results of their dehumanization of other human beings, people are being abused, discriminated, verbally bashed, beaten and even murdered by listeners of Hate-Radio, some of them (Listeners) have taken the arguments against targetted people and groups that the Shock Jocks make on a daily basis, to their logical, and in far too many times, fatal conclussions.

Firmly believing that one of the biggest, if not the biggest factor in the abuse and attacks against people and groups which are viewed as different, is hate speech in the media made possible by the extense consolidation of it, grassroots forces have concluded that the former needs to be stopped and the latter changed.

Members of The Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coalicion SF, this time joined forces with Common Cause and Media Alliance, to once again, mount a Rally / Demonstration against Hate Speech, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, et al in San Francisco in front of the Victoria Theater prior to the showing of the San Francisco Premiere of Broadcast Blues by Emmy Award winner Sue Wilson on Sunday June 28 at 4:00p.m. - The Rally will be held before the showing of the documentary.

"We feel that this film is one everyone should see, specially the ones who are not that well informed about Media Consolidation and the harm it does to our Democracy and Communities." This is a common view held amongst the people who will be protesting.

It was shown in Sacramento CA on March 22 and it was a huge success together with the action they held there, now it is coming to San Francisco and the plans are to have a nationwide tour in a couple of months, Common Cause will be one of the Organizations sponsoring it.

Personally, the way I see it, is that people need to hear about this Documentary, what is all about and what we can do to take the media back, after all, we own the airwaves.

We need to publicize the film, the actions we are taking and can take - we need to keep up the pressure, our people will benefit, we need to have Media Reform, we need to have the FCC open a docket on Hate Speech, there is so much that needs to be done - the words of FCC Commission Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps are so true, in case you didn't know, he said that if we want to have any progressive reform enacted, we need to have Media Reform first to open up the Media to opposing points of view.

In addition, demonstrators are in agreenment and in support of the NHMC Petition to the FCC and will be asking attendees and the public in general, to also contact the FCC in support of the Petition.

SUMMARY: Hate speech against vulnerable groups is pervasive in our media – it is not limited to a few isolated instances or any one media platform. Indeed, many large mainstream media corporations regularly air hate speech, and it is prolific over the internet. Hate speech takes various forms, from words advocating violence to those creating a climate of hate towards vulnerable groups. Cumulatively, hate speech creates an environment of hate and prejudice that legitimizes violence against its targets.
Because the media has a powerful influence over people’s behavior and perceptions, it is not mere conjecture that hate speech over the media is producing concrete harms. As they have become the victims of more hate speech in media, hate crimes against Latinos have increased in frequency and in intensity. Indeed, hate crimes against Latinos have increased by 40% in just the last four years. And physical violence is not the only harm suffered at the hand of hate speech – studies show that such speech causes severe emotional and psychological distress to its targets. These harms may be particularly acute for Latino children given that children are uniquely susceptible to messages in the media.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) applauds President Obama’s commitment to equality and justice, and therefore respectfully requests that the FCC complement his efforts by initiating an inquiry into hate speech in the media.
Specifically, the NHMC requests that the Commission invite public comment on hate speech, inquire into the extent and nature of hate speech, examine the effects of hate speech, including the relationship between hate speech in the media and hate crimes, and explore options for counteracting or reducing the negative effects of such speech.
The NHMC is very supportive of First Amendment freedoms, and believes the cure for bad speech is not the suppression of speech, but more speech. The NHMC asks the FCC to shine a spotlight on those who use the public airwaves to promote a divisive agenda, heedless of the human cost.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Grassroots Groups Tell FCC: Stop Hate Radio!

At 3:00 PM on Sunday June 28, the Hispanic/Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition, Media Alliance, and California Common Cause will mount a rally outside the San Francisico Premiere of Broadcast Blues at the Victoria Theater at 16th and Mission. The message is clear: Tell the FCC to schedule hearings on Hate Radio. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the federal agency which oversees broadcasters.

"A recent UCLA study shows a correlation between hate radio and hate crimes. We are demanding the FCC listen to the public about this crucial public interest problem," says Dr. Marcos Gutierrez, radio host and director of Hecho en California Radio.

“Common Cause is concerned when a few corporations own our media resulting in less local programming and fewer viewpoints being broadcast. More alarming, we are hearing more `hate speech' including broadcasters spreading misinformation, stereotyping, and fostering violence against certain people or groups,” notes California Common Cause staffer Emily Pears.

Broadcasters say they have the right to exercise Free Speech, but Broadcast Blues director Sue Wilson challenges that assertion. "There is Free Speech, and there is Radio Speech. The two are not the same. When the radio dial is opened up to all points of view, radio speech will be free. Until then, it is owned and operated for a political agenda. That must change." Broadcast Blues reminds us that we the people own the airwaves, and that we do have the power to hold stations and the FCC accountable.

Tracy Rosenberg of Media Alliance says, "How is it in the public interest to call other human beings …vermin? If I were a regulator whose job was to rent out the nation's communication space, I'd look into that. That's what we're asking the FCC to do.”

The rally will be held at the Victoria Theater, 2961 16th Street, San Francisco, at the 16th St. BART station. The screening of Broadcast Blues will follow at 4PM. More information is at www.broadcastblues.tv

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Para distribucion inmediata

Los grupos de base dicen al FCC: ¡Parar el odio en la radio!

A las 3:00 P.M. del domingo 28 de junio, la Coalición Hispánica/Latino de la Anti-Difamación, la Media Alliance, y Common Cause de California montarán un rally enfrente del Teatro Victoria antes de la premier de Broadcast Blues en San Francisco en la calle 16 y la misión. El mensaje está claro: Decir al FCC que programe Audiencias sobre la radio del odio. La Comisión Federal de las Comunicaciones (FCC) es la agencia federal que supervisa los locutores.

" Un estudio reciente del UCLA demuestra una correlación entre la radio del odio y los crímenes de odio. Estamos exigiendo al FCC que escuche a el público sobre este problema crucial de interés público, " dice a Dr. Marcos Gutiérrez, anfitrión de radio y director del programa Hecho en California.

“Common Cause esta preocupado de que algunas corporaciones poseen nuestros medios resultando en menos programación local y menos puntos de vista difundidos. Más alarmante, estamos oyendo más “discurso del odio” incluyendo los locutores que diseminan información falsa, estereotipando y fomentando violencia contra ciertos gente o grupos” Hace notar Emily Pears que es empleada en la plantilla de Common
Cause de California.

Los locutores dicen que tienen el derecho de ejercitar su libre expresión, pero la Directora de Broadcast Blues, Sue Wilson, desafía tal aserción. " Hay discurso libre, y hay discurso de radio. Los dos no son iguales. Cuando el dial de la radio se abra a todos los puntos de vista, el discurso de radio será libre. Hasta entonces, se posee y es operado para una agenda política. Eso debe cambiar." Broadcast Blues nos recuerda que la gente somos dueños de las ondas, y que tenemos el poder demantener a estaciones y a la FCC responsables.

Tracy Rosenberg de la Media Alliance dice, " ¿Donde esta el interés público al llamar a seres humanos… bichos? Si yo fuera un regulador cuyo trabajo fuera el alquilar espacio de la comunicación de la nación, indagaría sobre éso. Eso es lo que estamos
pidiendo que la FCC haga.” El Rally será en el teatro de Victoria, 2961 calle 16th, San Francisco, en la estación de la 16th del BART,la proyección de Broadcast Blue seguirá a las 4PM. Para más información www.broadcastblues.tv

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