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May 13, 2005
Opening Plenary: Janine Jackson from FAIR
Bob introduces the panel -- first up is Janine Jackson from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). Bob will consider this conference a success if you and two right-wing friends each get a subscription to FAIR's EXTRA magazine.
Janine Jackson takes over -- prefers to speak seated at the table, rather than podium. Amy Goodman makes sure all the microphones make it to Janine -- I'm certain at least one of those is for Democracy Now.
Freedom of the Press belongs to the man who owns one. She keeps thinking of another quote: the press is the weak slat underneath the floor of democracy.
The idea that information is public commodity is an old idea. A lot has changed, even since FAIR was founded in 1986. Back then in 86 a lot of smart people thought of media as an ancillary issue. There was a sense that better media might flow from other political change. We know differently.
Years ago if someone complained about what they heard on the media, they were told to turn it off. You don't hear it so much anymore, it's like telling someone 'don't breathe' if you complain about polluted air.
Media is a political issue, a keystone issue that critically affects other issues. To make change people need to see what's wrong and know what to do about it. We know this and it's sea change moment that we do.
Now we've got people talking about media reform -- we won that part. As we go forward we need to keep asking ourselves, media reform for what? Do we want to break up dominant media corporations because it sounds better to have smaller companies? It's not an academic exercise. Bad media hurts real people. Better media would help real people. It means taking power from people who have it now. Media Reform is dangerous if done right.
She wants better media because 45 million Americans don't have health insurance. She wants democratic media because public TV just said that a family with lesbian mothers is unfit to be acknowledged. If we had democratic media then the tens of thousands who died in Iraq might be alive today.
Asking ourselves media reform for what? Helps us keep focused on the changes we want.
You're going to hear this weekend about many ways to get involved. None is better than the others -- the point is what engages you? We're trying to move a big rock, there are a lot of hand-holds on that rock and we need lots of help.
Posted by paul at May 13, 2005 11:46 AM