I am disgusted with the media. Travesty after travesty occurs and nothing changes. They can not be shamed (think Colbert or Robbins), they can not be bullied with emails (Beck is still on CNN), and they can not be persuaded to do the public’s service. One only has to peruse FAIR, MediaMatters, or watch the MSM to know something is terribly flawed with our 4th estate. And it is clear something needs to be done, but what?
I was chastised for my comments on this diary, and rightfully so. It was in this diaryconcerning my cynicism about any action that we take concerning the ABC debacle. What has been effective in the past, may not be effective now. A boycott is generally ineffective for a variety of reasons including the lack of focus, the lack of information to stakeholders, and the apathy that sets in after a set amount of time when people do not see any results. Sit ins, ok who is going? Who will stand up and get arrested if need be? Honestly, we don’t act against the war, will we act against the disparaging media?
Perhaps we need new techniques, new forms of protest. The freewayblogger is a fine example of something new and seemingly effective at achieving some limited objectives (reaching people with a concise message and getting discussions going).
Perhaps this could be a place where people can brainstorm new 21st century civil disobedience or protest ideas because the old models are just not working.
For example, maybe writing emails and making phone calls, which has been done many times and with negligible affect, is part of a larger, more intense process. We further that process by using YouTube and citizen journalists skills, which can have huge affects on perception and action – think Maccaca. Perhaps people could shine more light on the players in the backrooms and boardrooms, the producers who let this garbage go on, those who pull the strings without having to deal with any of the public repercussions. They do not have to read the emails of protest nor answer the phone calls of disgust and their jobs are not on the line because generally no one knows who they are or what they are doing. Who are they? What is their party affiliation? Do they think reform is needed? If so, how are they working for it?
Perhaps we arm ourselves with cameras, questions, and polite but firm attitudes and get them on the record about the decisions they make that affect our media and we publish and post their responses. If we can’t get close to them, maybe we ask their kids, their wives, and their neighbors. Open it up. Publicly shame them for this trite, biased, uninformative junk they pass as news.
I am sure there are better, more well-formed and artfully articulated ideas out there, so share them – what actions can be implemented? What actions can have meaningful participation and effective results?