Added: Oct 4, 2006
From: ChallengingMedia
Duration: 5:27
http://www.mediaed.org If a key indicator of the health of a democracy is the state of its journalism, the United States is in deep trouble. In Rich Media, Poor Democracy, Robert McChesney lays the blame for this state of affairs squarely at the doors of the corporate boardrooms of big media, which far from delivering on their promises of more choice and more diversity, have organized a system characterized by a lack of competition, homogenization of opinion and formulaic programming. Through numerous examples, McChesney, and media scholar, Mark Crispin Miller, demonstrate how journalism has been compromised by the corporate bosses of conglomerates such as Disney, Sony, Viacom, News Corp, and AOL Time Warner to produce a system of news that is high on sensationalism and low on information. They suggest that unless citizen activism can reclaim the commons, this new corporate system will be characterized by a rich media and an ever impoverished, poor democracy.
Channel: News
Tags: activism critical education educational industry jhally journalism literacy mass mcchesney media mef robert sut
Rating: 4.95 (133 ratings) Views: 33823' favoriteCount='310 Comments: 25
julesrulesny Says:
Mar 3, 2008 - America has done some horrible things all in the interests of National Security! Latin America has been destroyed again and again b/c we have gone in there to overthrow governments. Just b/c we are told Chavez is a bad man, we believe it. where's the evidence? Other than him staying in power. Does anyone know that Bush is developing 2 new NUCLEAR weapons?? But, he has the right to say to Iran NOT to develop new weapons? what kind of diplomatic policy is that??? It's disgusting.
julesrulesny Says:
Mar 3, 2008 - America has done some horrible things all in the interests of National Security! Latin America has been destroyed again and again b/c we have gone in there to overthrow governments. Just b/c we are told Chavez is a bad man, we believe it. where's the evidence? Other than him staying in power. Does anyone know that Bush is developing 2 new NUCLEAR weapons?? But, he has the right to say to Iran NOT to develop new weapons? what kind of diplomatic policy is that??? It's disgusting.
julesrulesny Says:
Mar 3, 2008 - America has done some horrible things all in the interests of National Security! Latin America has been destroyed again and again b/c we have gone in there to overthrow governments. Just b/c we are told Chavez is a bad man, we believe it. where's the evidence? Other than him staying in power. Does anyone know that Bush is developing 2 new NUCLEAR weapons?? But, he has the right to say to Iran NOT to develop new weapons? what kind of diplomatic policy is that??? It's disgusting.
vourdou Says:
May 1, 2008 - i think that this is bigger than america . i think that pinky and brain finaly had a plan and look like its working.
popecorkyxxiv Says:
May 21, 2008 - The mistake most people make is thinking we live in a Democracy, we don't. We live in a Hegemonic Plutocratic Oligarchy, which means, We the People 'choose' which members of the socio/economic elite class rule us. If we lived in a Democracy ANYONE could effectivly run for office, in reality only the top tier has the influence and funds to run. We do not choose WHO we vote for, we select from the options provided. This is not Democracy, it is Oligarchy, we do not rule, for we are ruled.
popecorkyxxiv Says:
May 21, 2008 - No form of Representative government is capable of true Democracy, especially in a Free market economy where money talks loader than people. Ruling classism is nearly unavoidable in any governing system, we need to learn to harness that fact to our advantage. A Technocracy for example has a ruling class of the Intellectual elite, a system where those who rule are those who are best suited to do the job, as opposed to those that have the most money/friends.
socalord1 Says:
May 23, 2008 - The people at the top don't realize is that history will always repeat itself. The people or the very few who say enough is enough are the revolutionaries of the world
SerbDav Says:
Jul 9, 2008 - If you want to increase you current political knowledge check out on youtube the Czech documentary STOLEN KOSOVO for the truth concerning this issue!!! Kosovo je Srbija
oo446611 Says:
Jul 19, 2008 - personally i think America should be barred from owning nukes until they get that madman out of office , think the policeman of the world has become the bully of the world overdose of power the cause
sereno093088 Says:
Aug 8, 2008 - I been trying to explain to people how big corporations affect us, and they think i am crazy. I tell them how they all focused on little things like welfare when big corporations steal millions compared to these other individuals whom steal from welfare. and all they say it's their profit.
goatstone Says:
Sep 2, 2008 - yeah yeah, it seems that these issues are symptoms of a psychological problem that most americans have, they want federalism but aren't sure why. communal purpose alludes us, and the vaccum sucks in corporate purpose which is selfish to a fault, because the corporation also lacks purpose, everyone is just trying to survive and buy martinis and trips to the bahamas, Bullshit! at least stand for something eh? at least say, "i will die for this!" and then follow through! that's all i ask.
4770set Says:
Sep 13, 2008 - Wow that is amazing and scarey , I want to hear more!
kinvicchah Says:
Sep 18, 2008 - "1-person 1-vote" is the problem. It is the same old political ideas with different people. People suffer more and more, corruption and embezzlement is on the rise and the gap between the minority rich and the majority poor keeps on widening. I think the democratic reform idea that says: "the more you earn, the less your vote counts and vice versa" is the best for now. It is called VOTE SIZING and I recommend everyone to find out about this.
ranjistudent Says:
Sep 25, 2008 - so true coquers, invaders, dominations, all repeat. no point
jimiydoorshamelech Says:
Oct 4, 2008 - Darfur has killed 400,000 in less than 5 years, not to mention the countless women left alive and gangraped by govt sponsored militia Israel-less than 5,000 in the last 10 years, and by far the bloodiest 10 years of Israels existence since the declaration of the 2nd intifada, bloody war declared by Palestinains after Israel offered them E Jerusalem W Bank and Gaza, and they refused
packlakedm Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - Exactly... Democracy in the usa is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner...majority rules, minorities lose...
popecorkyxxiv Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - That's a good comment but I think it's slightly inaccurate. A more apt quote would be US politics is like two sheep and a wolf in sheeps clothing deciding what to have for dinner, the wolf will say anything the sheep want to hear, but in the end the menu has already been decided. Human society will always have one class ruling, once it was the military that ruled, then the church, then the mob, now it's the merchants, maybe it's time we let the scholars rule since they are the once that know how
popecorkyxxiv Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - Weird how thousands of years of religiously inspired hatred in the Middle East doesn't just disappear when when the Western world decides to abolish theocracy huh? It's almost as though they don't give a crap about what the logic and reason of the West, and instead they continue to live their lives the way the way their dogma dictates they must... You cannot reason with the deeply religious, for religion is not based on reason or logic, but on xenophobia and a deep seated need to believe.
jimiydoorshamelech Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - Herzl proposed a practical program for collecting funds from Jews around the world by a company to be owned by stockholders, which would work toward the practical realization of this goal. (This organization, when it was eventually formed, was called the Zionist Organization.) He saw the future state as a model social state, basing his ideas on the European model of the time, of a modern enlightened society. It would be neutral and peace-seeking, and of a secular nature.
jimiydoorshamelech Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - 5,000 Total Palestinains killed since 2000 , the bloodiest 8 years of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. caused by intifada (bloody war declared by Palestinians)[SELF-IMPOSED] 25,000 Arabs killed by Syria in one day (Hama Massacre) fighting terrorists 400,000 in 5 years in Darfur, countless left alive and gangraped (ahmadinejad supports Al-Bashir) Rwanda- 1 million killed and countless left raped Saddam- 100,000 Shiite killed in one repression 100,000 Kurds mustard gassed to death
popecorkyxxiv Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - Ultimatly this is caused by conflicts between the religion of group and the religion of the other. Faith is dangerous, it causes people to believe they they alone are right about the most fundemental ideas and if anyone disagrees they must be 'corrected'. It took Christianity nearly 2000 years to adopt a stance of semi-secular freedom of faith, these primative cultures have not denounces fundementalism but instead they actively help it prosper, causing the horror and chaos you mentioned.
jimiydoorshamelech Says:
Oct 10, 2008 - Palestinians are religous muslims like rest of middle east Israel is a secular country Israel is one of the least religous and most nationalistic countries its a very basic fact that people keep getting WRONG over and over and over and over and over... just because its a Jewish state doesnt make it religous, your telling me that America isnt a christian state? Even Barack is a christian! dont give me that
popecorkyxxiv Says:
Oct 11, 2008 - Did I say that Israel were the psychtic religious ones? I was trying to say subtly that Islamists are a pack of blood thirsty, neanderthalic, zealots; without actually having to say it but it seems you missed my nuances. I agree that Israel is not the problem, the problem is a large group of nomadic primatives that were given their own nations as payment for support following WWI, and their idiocy driven jyhad against anyone who's differnt from them.
1PRF1 Says:
Oct 19, 2008 - I am so horny right now!!! I
julesrulesny Says:
Mar 3, 2008 - as an american... very well said! Our country is controlled by corporations. the average citizan can donate no more than $2k to a candidate, the average corporation..whatever they want. Which in turns buys media coverage. Why should we believe our media? just b/c we have freedom of speech? Whether from the media itself, or politicians, countless times we find out we've been lied to later. American media is flooded with opinionated broadcasts where the decision has already been made.