Important issues often get lost in the media's coverage of elections.
So -- after you vote in today's primary election -- please join us tonight for "When Checks and Balances Fail: The Media and Civil Liberties in the 2008 Election."
Barry Nolan, our emcee for the event, came to the ACLU of Massachusetts office in Boston last week to show us what he has planned. It's great stuff, including clips from "The Daily Show," showing how Jon Stewart is one of the few in the media actually looking at the constitutional issues we face.
There's also truly scary video footage of reporters getting roughed up and arrested at the Democratic and Republican conventions a few weeks ago, just for trying to do their jobs. And Barry Nolan knows firsthand that journalists can pay a price for their work, because he lost his job earlier this year after criticizing Bill O'Reilly.
Please join us, and bring friends!
Sen. Mike Lee: All Entitlement Spending Is Unconstitutional
21 minutes ago
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2 comments:
Last night, I began to think that, despite the seemingly insurmountable task of transforming the media, it’s easier than transforming the American public into one that thinks for themselves. John F. Kennedy once said, “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” Americans seem to be either unwilling or unable to glean their own interpretations of the information the media presents them.
We can blame the media, and Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News, but with an education based on critical thinking and independent inquiry, I truly believe every American should be able to read the Metro, the New York Times, The Economist or Ann Coulter’s ranting e-newsletter, and learn something that shapes their perspective.
We cannot rely on media corporations to do the right thing; corporations are responsible only for the profits they manufacture for their share-holders. News for profit will inherently become entertainment and agenda-driven. I can see how “open-source” media like youtube or the blogosphere can increase media perspectives and information, but unless Americans are willing to learn and analyze; they will still be looking for someone to tell them what to think.
Three cheers for Nick well said.
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