For the past 100 years, the media has been predominantly controlled by right wing corporations. Many towns and cities have television stations, radio stations, and newspapers in which conservative voices and propaganda are the only voices allowed to be heard or seen while any leftist, progressive, or liberal voice is silenced or marginalized by its sparcity.
The biggest problems lies with four networks, three major cable news outlets (Fox, CNN, MSNBC/CNBC), two news gatekeepers (AP, Reuters), several national newspapers (NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today) and several internet news filters (Yahoo, MSN, AOL) that systematically cancel important news, provide cover for right wing politicians, and shift the Overton window several places to the right of center. In a nation where the overwhelming majority of people are progressive to liberal, George W Bush, George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon never would have become President if it wasn't for the collective bias and negligence of these media outlets.
Yet despite the overwhelming evidence that the news media has a corporate conservative bias, that same media has been able to conceal that bias for decades while utilizing the tactics of Joseph Goebbels and the fears of George Orwell by claiming that the media has a "liberal bias." Of course the primary place where you here claims of "liberal media bias" (Received 274,000 hits as of Saturday morning and don't hear claims of "conservative media bias" (received 10,100 hits as of Saturday morning is in the media where the phrase is TWENTY FOUR TIMES to be heard. (And this is a low figure considering many of the 10,100 hits are mainstream bloggers fighting back.)
Democrats need to bash the media relentlessly day in and day out until the media outlets above start reporting the news and providing balance in their coverage. (While I'm not Einstein, I am aware of the problems of a freeze out.) How we do this is terms of details is something we still need to figure out. But here's my blueprint.
1. We need our elected leaders and presidential candidates to lead the way.
The rejection of a Faux News smear debate was a wise course of action but our Democratic politicians could be doing more. They have the power to take to the House floor or Senate floor and highlight the examples of media bias. They have the power to ignore the big media outlets in Washington and take their message directly to the people at home and attack the big media outlets when doing so. They have the power to appear on many of these shows and then bash the media while on these shows. They also have the power to pass meaningful reforms such as truth in news labeling, a wall of separation between news and advertisement departments, and laws that break up the media monopolies of Rupert Murdoch and company.
2. Take names and compile the data.
There are many excellent organizations (Ex: Media Matters) that do a terrific job of gathering the information of the instances of conservative bias.
The most important names are those not at Faux especially since some want to ignore Faux News. It's the right wing talking heads on CNN (Soledad O'Brien, Wolf Blitzer, Suzanne Malveaux, Nancy Grace, Glenn Beck, etc...) NBC (Tim Russert, Brian Williams, etc...) CNBC (Erin Burnett, etc...), (MSNBC (Tweety, Scarborough, etc...), CBS (Madam Deep Thoughts), etc... that we have to keep track of and boycott and shame them into oblivion. Keep in mind that the Faux News crowd is still going to watch Faux News even though these other talking heads are just as biased and conservative. But if we boycott these people, shame them, put pressure on them, etc..., their ratings will shrink, shrink, shrink to the point where they have to be fired.
3. Show up where they show up.
We might have to be prepared to constantly show up at live events where these news outlets and talking heads are and have signs that attack the media and the talking heads. A simple sign that shows up in a crowd can make a difference.
This requires perfect precision, planning, and stealth tactics. The key is not to do anything stupid or criminal like curse, steal equipment, or trespass on private property. Remain calm, let your one simple sign do the talking.
4. Keep blogging away.
Writers for major corporate media outlets are mostly bloggers with a newspaper. Talking heads for Big media are handpicked bloggers who use their mouths.
What we should do is keep putting the information out there. This builds up an Internet data base, resources for others, etc...
And when they attack you, you attack back.
5. Bypass the Big Media.
I alluded to this earlier. You can make the media irrelevant in many ways. Gone are the days of a top heavy structure where 3-5 people determine what America reads or listens to.
6. Boycott and hit them in the wallet.
Again, a powerful tool.
7. Talk to your family, friends, and people you meet.
Word of mouth is still the most persuasive form of advertising. You can make a difference by having conversations with everybody you meet. Do it nicely and use humor, anecdotes, examples, etc...
8. Suggested Slogans
Ignore the Media, Vote Democratic
I Hate the Corporate Conservative Media
Whatever we do, we have to make the media an issue in 2008.