It's Time to break up the Media

[Eric-the-Read]

FoxNews is a deserving first target. I think it's a great idea to get as many different organizations on them as possible...even goofy ones like the AARP. that was a joke...sort of.

Fox has been totally out of control lately. Have you all seen the vid of the MSNBC anchor who is up against O'Reilly in the same timeslop slams O'Reilly. Priceless.

I really do believe they're losing it over there. Their ratings are slipping ,and Murdoch is threatening in public to fire their asses. Good time to strike. When they're down.

www.mediamatters.org has a wealth of information on them and so does that one other site (we watch Fox so you don't have to? the name escapes at the moment),

Thanks very much, Gyps and Internecine. I've added those links to my allies page ( http://hometown.aol.co.uk/rericswan/allies.html ). As you'll see from this there are many groups who have a lot in common with people on this forum. The question is, how do we get them to take this seriously? I'm talking at a university next week so that may lead to some contacts. How do we get others to see the logic of tackling our enemies systematically, one at a time, instead of diffusing their efforts over a vast front, as is happening right now? Could we start an online petition calling for, say, organisations (US sp. organizations) such as those on my allies page to co-ordinate, or do we get a petition going calling for the boycott of Fox in the US and News of the World or The Sun in the UK? Any ideas for which tentacles of Murdoch to tackle in Australia and elsewhere? Just stray ideas as I type...

If we want people to boycott Fox News then I believe it has to be relatively easy to do or we won't get anywhere (see my essay on this subject: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/rericswan/essay.rtf ). I'm UK-based, so while I'm aware of what Fox pumps out I don't know about such things as whether people subscribe to it. Is it financed by advertising or subscription? The former would be good news for us. If people subscribe to it, on the other hand, it might be harder to get them to switch off.

What demands will we make of Fox? I suggest that Fox/Murdoch comes clean on his tax-dodging, and that it lets its content be chosen for a week, say, by the editors of News Hounds ( http://www.newshounds.us/ ), for example. They would be very efficient at exposing the evils it has perpetrated.

My strategy calls for a carrot and stick approach, so that if Fox accedes to our request

[internecine]

you're welcome.

all i can think of right now is the 2000 election...

[Gyps]

http://www.newshounds.us/

that's it...thanks!

[Eric-the-Read]

My strategy calls for a carrot and stick approach, so that if Fox accedes to our request

Sorry, for some reason that got cut off. What I meant to say is that if Fox/Murdoch accedes to ourr request then we should ask people to switch back.

This brilliant piece on Murdoch's relationship with the UK government just appeared: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... 66,00.html

I urge all of you to read it!

[Ry]

Create your own media or support others who have. Like this site here. We are the new form of Media the web. As this site grows I can justify making videos. We have already exspanded into radio in Japan and web radio all over the world.

Reforming the old media is nearly a lost cause. Tell peple to turn off the TV. As their ratings drop and people turn to the web, they will realize people want the truth. And one of the MSM station because they are motivated by profit will start to leave the srcipt and report real news.

[Eric-the-Read]

Of course creating new media is part of it (and, coincidentally, I've just posted mp3 files of my essay on my site: http://www.hometown.aol.co.uk/rericswan/) but there are many such outlets and a huge amount of information (see http://www.hometown.aol.co.uk/rericswan/allies.html). I would really appreciate it, Ry, if you would give me some feedback on the ideas in my essay, one of the main points being that we are doomed to failure unless we come up with a simple, step-by-step strategy which is easy for everyone to understand and participate in.

[Eric-the-Read]

Ry, I don't think it's realistic to expect anyone but activists to turn off all mainstream media, and we will probably have little impact as we are in the minority. Most people are unlikely to make big changes in their lives. Please read/listen to my essay and respond to the points I make.

[Ry]

ah see I live in Japan and I think as far as the US goes you are right, but the rest of the world is waking up and turning away from the US. I sold a lot of my books in Hong kong. This website gets almost as many hits from Australia and the UK as it does from the US and even though its all in English we get plenty of hits from Iran, China, and Germany.

I like your idea of hitting Ruppert first. I promote the Out Foxed video to everyone. I am sure you have seen that one.

Still I hold that we need more alternative media. Think aobut how little most would know without the internet. Everyone think about how much you would know about 911 or the war i nIraq were it not for the wev. If you only had the TV and radio to go by how much would you really know? That is the pwer we have been making. Lot of us bloggina nd making films books etc.

I think we are having a bigger impact than we realize. Im for a dual pronged attacked. Create alternative media which tells the truth and has predictive power and it will grow. Newpaper sales are shrinking and TV ratings are dropping while the web is growing. We are kicking their ass, the writing in on the wall.

We also have a foothold in the comaedy channles. TV is still by FAR the most powerful tool. We need to slam Fox so hard that anyone who says they heard something from Fox will just be laughed at.

[Eric-the-Read]

Obviously my direct experience is of the UK but I am aware of the situation in the USA - there are great alternative, non-mainstream sources there and I have friends there who are driven up the wall by the constant propoganda in the corporate stuff. I think the UK is better in terms of the quality of some of the mainstream media (and you have commented on this I seem to remember, possibly in a Left of Larry bulletin?) but still most people appear to be addicted to the worst of it. I'm delighted to hear that the situation isn't so bad elsewhere, however, and completely agree that promotion of alternative media is essential.

Anyway, to conclude, it seems we all agree that hitting Fox News in the USA would be a good first move. What's the best way of getting the word out? Could we put out a petition calling on Amnesty International and all other groups concerned about the current state of the world (probably most of the bodies here: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/rericswan/allies.html) to ask all their readers and members to boycott Fox until Murdoch pays his taxes like everyone else and lets News Hounds (for example) have editorial control for a week?

Even if he doesn't concede, if we get enough people interested then some of the rest of tha mainstream media might take an interest and help us publicise it. What is Fox News' main rival?

[internecine]

the mainstream news in australia is shithouse. the best news stations we have are abc and sbs.