Okay, maybe this is reply is a tad bit late, but..
I agree with the apparent gist of the book - hopefully
it will enlighten a lot of people - but probably not
enough - see "One Market Under God" - has it been
mentioned already? But my disagreement is with your
last remarks. Actually, I think capitalism, if it
actually does depend on "competition and diversity"
per Adam Smith, is already dead. I think the global
corporate oligarchic monopolies are much more into
collusion, than competition, ala ADM's price fixing
with "competititors", which would NEVER have been
uncovered but for the semi-psychotic inside informer.
Imagine how much more of this is going on right now.
OT - I heard an interesting quote from a European
reporter "PR is believed by the Americans, but
Europeans consider it corporate lying."
Nancy
--- jeff owens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Rich Media, Poor Democracy
> (Communication politics in dubious times)
> Robert W. McChesteney, 1999,2000
>
> The conclusion of this book (and many others) is
> that we have a serious media problem. It won't
> be solved by governments because politics needs
> media support. The only answer is for everyone
> to understand the problem and act together. Since
> this problem is not well understood (many people
> deny it exists) the focus was on describing the
> problem.
>
> Ecology interests face this same media problem
> and the current trend is to fight one issue at a
> time and not look at the forest (how a society
> learns
> and uses information to solve problems). For this
> reason i will dig into topic and include some
> quotes from the book.
>
> As with the automobile, the primary justification
> for
> this internet commercialism is economic. As the
> automobile
> provided the basis for the expansion of
> twentieth-century
> industrial capitalism, so, we are told, the
> Internet
> and digital technology will provide the basis for
> economic growth in the twenty-first-century. This
> is
> not debated so much as it is reiterated.
>
> The key concept here is that both the automobile and
> the
> internet have serious side effects and we should
> think
> about them. As we approach some limits on
> the earths resources this becomes more important.
>
> a democracy cannot exist without a press system
> that provides
> a rigorous accounting of people in power and the
> presentation
> of a wide range of informed opinions on the
> important
> issues of the day and age.
>
> Chomsky loves to point out that todays media avoids
> many
> important issues because it makes people
> uncomfortable and
> loses readers or advertisers. The media also avoids
> in depth
> discussions if they feel a large percentage of
> readers will
> not be interested. This is normal for competitive
> business.
> The problem is that todays media is controlled by a
> handful
> of people who have a very similar viewpoint. The
> result is
> narrow information and few people knowing other
> viewpoints
> even exist.
>
> For example, last year talking to anyone immersed in
> the media
> about Genetic Engineering or the WTO (World Trade
> Organization)
> or most environmental topics is like talking to a
> parrot.
> They mostly just repeat what they have heard. They
> do not
> have the data to think independently and it takes a
> lot of
> work by activists to get the issues on the table.
> If you go
> back a few years on most issues and look at media
> communications
> the bias becomes very clear. They talk about the
> benefits of
> GMO or the problems solved by WTO. Once again, this
> is normal
> for a competitive business and isn't bad. It only
> becomes a
> problem when the media dominates information (loss
> of diversity).
>
> The notion of public service -- that there should
> be some
> motive for media other than profit -- is in rapid
> retreat
> if not total collapse.
>
> The book talks about New Zealand, England, Canada,
> and shows
> the same trend just about everywhere. A growing
> centralization
> of media control and less diversity of information.
> Very little
> awareness of important issues and intense interest
> in profit.
>
> This months "Sun" magazine shows how this is
> impacting schools
> and how advertising is now becoming accepted. The
> idea that
> media programming (often inside classrooms) is
> shaping our society
> and needs change is seldom taken seriously. Instead
> we focus
> on funding or quality of instruction or say the
> problem is kids
> and parents. Well.. it is kids, parents, funding,
> and.. media.
>
> Another point from the book is that we turn this
> issue into
> a political "right" or "left" issue or an attack on
> capitalism.
> Or people think control of the media is the opposite
> of free
> enterprise and open economics. Actually, more
> diversity in
> the media enhances freedom for everyone including
> small
> business. Plus, capitalism dies without diversity
> and competition.
> At the lowest level politics and many other problems
> can be reduced
> ethics and greed.
>
> jeff
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