Media That Matters Day 2

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FRIDAY

Go to: Media That Matters Day 1

Go to: Media That Matters Day 3

Go to: Media That Matters Day 4

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Friday Morning Check In

Check-in: modified (via TeamWorX) 'mad, sad, glad, scared, sympathertic'

Followup discussion of Silent Killer (http://www.silentkillerfilm.org/):

Problems with the way the film frames the green revolution and biotech: as too sympathetic, not a full enough airing of the critiques of both.

JDG: A matter of audience and intent (to reach a broad audience and policy ciricles): but also reflects the way that de Graf's view change didn't he course of making the film.

Distinction between journalism and activism: journalism as requiring greater willingness to listen, consider, present other views -- even change your mind. John Stauber: Questions the distinction, sees instead a range of positions/approaches within both journalism and activism.

Lief Utne: There's no monolithic left position or right position, but increasingly don't fall into right/left kline but issue-based.

Stephen Marshall: On the making of BattledGround, going in w/a strong left anti-war perspective, on the plane meets a former anti-Sadam loyalist: the film made me, no choice but to honor the trip. The film infuriates the left. Honoring the vast grey area. Sometime sthe most revolutionary act is to go against your entrenched beliefs.

Anne: An academic bias: that info by itself will lead us out this mire. But, there are many ways to do documentary storytelling.

Josh: Debate speaks to a larger issues: pragmatic politics vs. activism. A push-pull bet. what's do-able. Moving substantive structural reforms forward. At FreePress, constantly hving to push back against smart, good people for strategic policy change ends. In the US, we've seen poeple so willing to compormise that they become spineless so we've become afraid of compromise. We need to re-approach this, form a pragmatic standpoint.

Lief: Importance of being willing to change your mind. An infelxibility on the left.

Discussion of the terms left/right: no longer capturing the dynamics and positions in the field.

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Policy / Structural Reform

Josh Silver

FreePress: Breaking media policy issues down into smaller chunks, identifying areas where change is possible, and increasing public participation.

Ownership
Noncommerce
Cable
Community Internet
Global Trade Deals
Intellectual Property & Copyright

In Canada: Issues around consolidating ownership of newspapers

CBC: News, children, sports, drama, regional. Govt. has been clawing back funding mid-year. War increased expenditures. Govt. funding is year-by-year.

The hockey strike: 60-70% ad revenue lost, labor contract disputes a mess. New VP for English TV. Funding dependent on Canadian response/support => schlock film that brought revenue instead of Canadian content integrity.

CBC News International: sold license for a cable channel to Al Gore for Currents.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Current-TV

http://www.current.tv/

CPB (corp fro public broadcasting): Board made up of presidential appointees, 7-9 out to destroy PBS.

Policy proposals:

Charging licensing fees to commerical stations
Taxing digital equipment manufacturers
Taxing stations portion of ad revenue

In Canada, trend to dis-conglomerate the largest co's

But, this wouldn't affect the cross-platform partnerships and promotions

Most of what we do is rear-guard action

In the states, 2 initiatives/devs that are promising/exciting:

Communites challenging cable renewal licenses: for more community access
- In Canada: Not enough concern/activism around this
COmmunity internet
- All wil be through an internet pipe in a few years
- Adhoc and municiple internet connections springing up
  - Hub and center
  - Mesh network: hundreds of users on one T3 network
  - Cable co's passing legislation in 14 states to eliminate this activity

=> Millions need to say no, not a left-right issue

Rightwingers resonate w/issues of localism and decency

Larger the media co, the more transgression sof the deceny act (fact)

Why hasn't the right gone oafter the internet: they tried with the Communications Decency Act

The role of gender: men control the media, the internet, etc and men watch porn. But in Canada: many woman in key media programming positions.

We need to make media reform a bona fide issue: on a par with the environment, health care.

The cornerstone of democracy. election, campaign finance: also corenrstone issue.

To frame the issues in ways that bring right and left together: