I agree with you that the current state of the news media is sad. However,
I differ on where the fault is. When I invested racism at the Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction (DPI), I was surprised by the large number
of complaints filed against DPI and other state agencies. And, when I
investigated the poor treatment of disabled students by schools in
Wisconsin, I was surprised by the large number of complaints filed. And,
each issue I investigate, I discover a large number of complaints filed.
So, I bet that there is a large number of complaints against the news
media. I suspect the issue is coordinating the complaints.
The Madison Public Schools and the City of Madison do
study-after-study. However, all they need to do is competently and fairly
resolve the current complaints.
At 03:43 PM 7/5/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I believe it was Alfonso that sent out information to us all about the
>Journalism class lectures open to the public on Tues. & Thursday evenings.
>The issues raised here would have been and still could be germane. I
>haven't seen many community folks at these lectures but they have been very
>interesting -- and I don't mean that the message has always been good.
>Tomorrow night's lecture is on regulating the media. I encourage all to
>attend.
>
>There was a time when the press and journalists were to be respected and
>admired for their dogged determination to uncover lies and bring truth to
>the people. However, the days of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are long
>over. Journalism -- as a relentless search for truth no matter where it
>takes us -- is dead and buried. Every newspaper, radio, tv station has it's
>political perspective to push. More and more stories are compiled by news
>services; investigative reporting has by and large ceased to exist.
>
>What stories are covered, what constitutes a story, who gets their photo in
>the paper, who has access to refute false and misleading statements, where
>stories appear within the paper, what the headline reads.... are all
>political decisions handled by people who regularly prove themselves to be
>less than honorable.
>
>Most people are content with the tidbits they hear on the evening tv news --
>where far more time is devoted to weather and sports than to news. Even
>worse, news magazines, Inside Story, Hollywood blah blah blah, Entertainment
>Tonight get more and more attention.
>
>Who is at fault? Everyone of us who does not demand equity, fairness,
>accuracy, disclosure. We buy newspapers that tell us nothing and watch
>glossy tv shows and think we're informed. We're lazy and getting stupid and
>we have no one to blame but ourselves. We get the leaders, the news, the
>education, etc. we deserve because accepting less than we need is easier
>than rocking the boat.
>
>Tomorrow nights lecture begins at 7:00 at Grainger Hall, Room 1100. It's a
>small way to show that a "free press" must regain the public trust or be
>doomed to extinction.
>
>I offer a Yiddish proverb: "Truth never dies but lives a wretched life."
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Calaman, William <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 10:59 AM
>Subject: Re: [african2000] Urban Legends.
>
>
> >America's course in Vietnam was set in motion well before the Gulf of
>Tonkin
> >incident. In any event, the media did not mislead anyone, they were misled
> >by the United States government. The media, in the case of the Vietnam
> >conflict, were frequently at the forefront in exposing the inconsistencies
> >(deceptions, lies, if you prefer) of their government. This happens seldom
> >in any country, and it is perhaps unique to the United States that an
> >unfettered and, ostensibly at least, independent press can function as a
> >clarion call to the voting public during times of international
>hostilities.
> >I say this not to wave a flag or to excuse the abuses that occur regularly
> >in the media, but the fact is a good number of decent people put their
>lives
> >and careers at risk to report the truth to the American people during
> >Vietnam.
> >
> >You will also recall that during this period there was a flourishing of
> >underground and alternative newspapers that one might equate with what is
> >currently happening on the Internet. It's exciting, it's daring, and it can
> >be, at times, the source of hurtful and irresponsible material. To
> >acknowledge this fact is not to undermine the medium -- it's to encourage
> >the kind of critical thought that, I'm sure, everyone on this list takes
> >pride in practicing.
> >
> >-- whc
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: conduit [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> >Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 10:40 AM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Fwd: [african2000] Urban Legends.
> >
> >
> >>
> >>Instead of decrying "Urban Legends", which are on the internet, we should
> >>be applauding the quickness and efficiency of the internet. There was a
> >>rumor about Hilfiger. Within hours, facts debunking the rumor was on the
> >>internet. There was a rumor about U.S. postal stamps of African
> >>American. Within hours, facts debunking the rumor was on the internet.
> >>
> >>Compare this to the rumors started by the Western press. The Western
>Press
> >>helped start America's role in the Vietnam war with the corporate legend
>of
> >>the Gulf of Tonkin. In the Vietnam war, 67,000 American soldiers died and
> >>100,000's of soldiers are permanently injured and millions of Southeast
> >>Asians died and millions of Southeast Asians are permanently injured and
> >>1,000's Southeast Asians die every year from the remaining land mines.
> >>
> >> And, we all can easily make a list of the harm caused my "Corporate
> >>Legends". For example, "the war on drugs". The harm caused by urban
> >>legends pales in comparison to the loss of life caused by corporate
> >>legends. And, most of the corporate legends are never exposed.
> >>
> >>Gulf of Tonkin legend:
> >>http://www.fair.org/media-beat/940727.html
> >>
> >
If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have
freed thousands more. -- Harriet Tubman
========================================================
Nathaniel Harwell
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