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May 13, 2005
Welcome Session - Friday 11 AM
Oh, yes! There is wireless here in the Ballroom. Thanks Free Press for making live blogging possible!
John Nichols is here to rabble rouse, announcing that there are people here from all 50 states and DC. Invokes Joseph Pulitzer, who started the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, saying he would be horrified about the current state of media.
The place is filling up, they have two projector/jumbotrons so those of us in the back can see.
Points out the petition against police repression and violence here in St. Louis and asks people to sign on. Josh told me last night that Free Press as an organization decided not to sign on, saying that it isn't their issue. So I guess this is Nichols' way of making good on it.
Person from KDHK on stage now. They do radio, public access TV and community access TV. They put on the party last night.
Josh Silver, head of Free Press, is up next. He says there are 8 countries here in addition to the 50 states. Says it's an unprecedented network for media reform, and we're actually winning. That's the great untold story, the mainstream media doesn't report it. We blocked the FCC's effort to let big media get even better, forced Sinclair to stop airing electioneering instead of news, and got the FCC to investigate payola pundits. Got Congress to required disclosure of video news releases.
Community internet -- cable and phone companies are trying to make it illegal. Legislation to do this is stopped in Florida, Illinois and Indiana. Cable franchise renewals, there have been great fights on the ground in Arizona, where they beat back hostile legislation that would have hindered cable diversity.
There's a lot of victories that he's leaving out, he says. One of the plenaries is "fight of lives." this is not hyperbole. People said the media reform movement could never come together, but we've proven the sketpics wrong.
He wants to note that we need to support some of the other structural issues, cannot forget about campaign finance reform, election reform. Victories of the past years have happened within one of the most hostile political environments.
Conference organizer Yolanda Hibbensfield (sorry for slaughtering the spelling) is up next. Thanks us for being here, extends thanks to other helpers. Outreach committee (including bethemediablogger Josh) brought in over 175 participants on scholarship.
The theme is building momentum, key policy battles in the coming years, including a rewrite of the Telecomm Act. It's imperative to have regular people who know about these policies and get their voices heard.
Points out conference highlights, panels, videos showing, media democracy showcase open this evening and all day tomorrow featuring 70 media activist organizations. Saturday at 4 PM there is a round of caucuses for constituency groups to gather -- something that was left out of the last conference. There is an opportunity to put together caucuses and meetings. Reception this evening, and on Sunday morning a round of action clinics. Key piece of feedback from last conference was that people were inspired but didn't know what to do, and they're hoping the clinics will help.
Bill Moyers will join on Sunday morning, a new addition to the bill.
Nichols is back, tells us Patti Smith is here at 4 to talk about Rock N Roll and why you don't hear it on the radio anymore.
Nichols says he and McChesney stand on the shoulders of giants, like Don Hazen from Alternet, Danny Schechter the News Dissector. He introduces Bob McChesney.
Bob tries to start with a Dylan quote, wishes everyone could stand in his shoes to see the room full of people. It's an historic moment in this country's history. Where it's going to go, we don't know. In media we have a crisis. The chinese character for crisis is a combination of danger and opportunity.
Public broadcasting is in danger, we have an explicit attempt to violate the law by the person in charge of that body to force political influence. This is causing more outrage than media ownership, and it gives us an opportunity to educate and do outreach to draw people into our movement. A moment of danger and spectacular opportunity.
Five years ago if you asked what the state of the media reform movement was, there would be no answer, there wasn't one. People regarded media like the Rockies, it's there, but you can't do anything about it -- it's in your way, but your powerless. The media system is a corrupt system designed behind closed doors -- it's not designed by the founding fathers. Policies made in my name must be made with my consent. We saw millions rise up to oppose consolidation in 2003 -- this movement has grown so dynamically.
We had to close off attendance to this conference and could have had twice as many if we had the room. You could probably hock your admission for a trip to Europe. Who would have thought that five years ago?
The great new is that organizing around this issue is not hard. It's like putting a seed in 10 foot deep Illinois top soil. If we talk about it, we win. That's why the opposition is dedicated to keeping it behind closed doors in Washington. Not in the streets of St. Louis.
The next conference will probably be in 18 months. You know Moore's Law that says the power of microprocessors doubles every 18 months. We have our own Moore's Law -- this movement doubles every 18 months.
Posted by paul at May 13, 2005 11:17 AM