The attack on free speech and a free market media is now in high gear. This will be a challenge for us to fight because the administration can attack using an effective combination of legislation and regulation but we must fight back! Considering the sorry state of the media, alternate media such as cable news, talk radio and the internet are the life line of conservative communications.
Ever heard of Free Press? Until recently I hadn’t either. Here is a blurb from their “About Us” page of their web site:
“Free Press: Reform media. Transform democracy.”
Free Press is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism, and universal access to communications.
Look at the above statement carefully. Do you see the recurring theme of this administration? (Transform, Organize, Diversity & Public)
Free Press has three main units; Free Press, Save the Internet and Save the News.
Next we may have the administration’s mission statement for attacking the First Amendment – Free Speech!
Free Press’s executive director Josh Silver wrote a position paper called “Public Media’s Moment” which spells out to President Obama how to take advantage of the opportunity to reshape our national communications structure: “The growing crisis facing commercial journalism and public media’s unique ability to address it… makes such reform all the more urgent… you have a rare opportunity to achieve real change and reinvent public media.” Adding: “Just as the economic crisis has put an end to free market fundamentalism, so too should the failure of commercial media to adequately serve the public interest end the myth that government has no role in fulfilling society’s information needs.”
Remember this is the Rahm Emmanuel White House that lives the creed “never let a crisis go to waste”.
The issues Free Press works on:
Media Ownership
Public Media
The Future of the Internet (Net Neutrality)
Quality Journalism
Civil Rights and Media Justice
Building the Media Reform Movement
For more visit the following links:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/index.php
And now for their scariest sub-group of all; SaveTheNews.org Here is “What we stand for” from their website:
The crisis facing journalism does not call for a bailout, but for a far-reaching national journalism strategy to save the news. The national journalism strategy must be aggressive but carefully planned, bold but targeted. And it must not be guided by profit-seeking or nostalgia, but rather by core public interest principles.
We need to explore how the federal government can best support the future of investigative journalism, beat reporting and quality news in America. This is not about newspapers, it is about newsrooms. It is not about protecting old institutions, it is about serving local communities.
We understand that the future of this industry will likely consist of a diverse collection of models, and we recognize the need for experimentation and innovation now and in the future.
Based on our analysis, we have identified five promising policies that should be the top priorities for policymakers:
NEW OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES. Encouraging the establishment of nonprofit and low-profit news organizations through tax exempt (“501(c)(3)”) and low-profit limited liability company (“L3C”) models.
NEW INCENTIVES. Creating tax incentives and revising bankruptcy laws to encourage local, diverse, nonprofit, low-profit and employee ownership.
JOURNALISM JOBS PROGRAM. Funding training and retraining for novice and veteran journalists in multimedia and investigative reporting.
R&D FUND FOR JOURNALISM INNOVATION. Investing in innovative projects and experimenting to identify and nurture new models.
NEW PUBLIC MEDIA. Transforming public broadcasting into a world-class noncommercial news operation using new technology and focused on community service.
We make no claims that these models, alone or collectively, will automatically provide a panacea to the crisis in journalism. However, we believe that these alternatives are worth further consideration, study and action. All of these models, to varying degrees, attempt to circumvent market failure with structural alternatives that seek to democratize media. Furthermore, they all could be accomplished via specific policy interventions and are politically viable, though formidable challenges exist. Most importantly, we hope that by highlighting these options, we can begin a truly public conversation about what the future of journalism should look like and point policymakers and regulators toward an agenda that will save the news and serve the public good.
As scary as each of the individual points are consider this statement: We need to explore how the federal government can best support the future of investigative journalism, beat reporting and quality news in America. Is the hair on the back of your neck standing up yet?
Now think back to the comment’s of the FCC’s resident Commie Mark Lloyd, its’ newly appointed Diversity Officer:
In his 2006 book, Prologue to a Farce: Communications and Democracy in America, Lloyd called for making private broadcasting companies pay licensing fees equal to their total operating costs. These funds would be given to public broadcasting outlets to allow them the same funding to support their operations as a private company would have. In other words, corporate redistribution of wealth. Money is not the only thing that Lloyd wants redistributed, he wants to “regulate much of the programming on these stations to make sure they focused on ‘diverse views’ and government activities.” Hmmm, ‘diverse views’ and government activities.” He is a fan of Hugo Chavez and his state run media so… I wonder what he means by “government activities”?
Let’s not forget that this is a White House that refuses any interaction with Fox News and has all but made them an official enemy of the administration. In fact they have demonstrated that they will go after anyone that dares to question or challenge their agenda. Think – Fox, Chamber of Commerce and health insurance companies.
Are you sensing a theme? How about social reengineering through media control? I say it every post and I’ll say it again now, this is another threat to YOUR American way of life!
This is government moving toward policies that control the media, the internet and free speech. These policies will redistribute wealth and control all the messaging.
Radio and the internet are the primary tools for exchange of conservative ideas and conversation. We can not let them take our voices away. We must fight back and stand up for our rights. Liberty and freedom are ours to lose if we don’t get involved; in the end we will only have ourselves to blame if we do nothing.
Restore the Republic, Reject State Run Media and the loss of free Speech!
“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” ~Alexis de Tocqueville
Uncommon Sense 