Bill Moyers’ speech at the National Conference for Media Reform
Text version
http://freepress.net/news/print/20357
Audio version
http://www.freepress.net/conference/audio07/NCMR07_moyers.mp3
A little background on the author: Bill Moyer is a journalist who has had programs aired on PBS, NBC, and MSNBC. Moyer speaks from the left and has been criticized for his liberal biases. He has been off the past couple of years, but is returning to PBS in April, 2007 (wikipedia).
I heard this piece aired Sunday morning on KEXP’s Public Affairs program. I was surprised how it overlapped with our reading and the discussions on blackboard. I was even more surprised when I understood some of the references Bill Moyers made in his speech. What drew me to look further in to his speech was the insight about media from the perspective of a journalist versus my own opinions as a consumer. He is passionate about the state of the media; Moyers refers to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as a “monstrous assault on democracy, with malignant consequences for journalism…a welfare giveaway to the largest, richest and most powerful media conglomerations.”
According to Moyers, the three basic pillars of American society are shared economic prosperity, a public sector capable of serving the common good, and an independent press. I agree and think these are what society should strive for. The independent journalists bring important information to the public that other media and government may not disclose. It seems that the independent press is struggling to hold its place in the media, being bullied by the major conglomerates and government regulations. However, by uniting these small groups of independent journalist they will be a powerful force to wreckin with.
I found the statistics regarding 9/11 particularly disturbing. According to the watchdog group FAIR only 3% of US sources on the major networks expressed dissenting views of the impending war despite 25%(at the time) of the US population being against the war. This discrepancy between the people and the represented media is frightening, without the dissenting voice we are left vulnerable to “group think” where each person or article confirms the beliefs or statement of the previous one, often erroneously.
Moyers expressed concern about the digital age, “what happened to radio, happened to television, and then it happened to cable; and if we are not diligent, it will happen to the internet.” I see this trend happening very quickly on the internet and hope this “window to the world” does not turn into another advertising mogul.
My last thought, I was happy to see Moyer designated a few lines in his speech to the reoccurring theme in our discussions about helping people who cannot afford computers/internet service connect to the digital revolution.
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2 comments:
Independent journalists will certainly have a major impact on our society and culture and the type of information that is relayed. But, just as you point out, they have to contend with big conglomerates, and the potential of being bullied is there. There is also the aspect that being independent doesn't give you credibility. Trust is earned, not given. Individuals will need to cultivate within themselves honesty and integrity. I think many hopeful independents will become a feeding force for our daily news. It depends, however, on their ability to relay that information with accuracy.
I don’t disagree with anything Moyer’s states. There is to much consolidation happening with the media information people receive. I think, it will become more difficult for people to know what is accurate, credible, and truthful information. Unfortunately, the media has fallen into confirmation bias. In other words people are only willing to hear information that appeals to their value and belief systems. People seem unwilling to hear all sides before coming to conclusions.
Some would possibly say Moyer’s reporting leans to far to the left. I’ve never taken the time to listen to Democracy Now! although, I’ve always been aware of the program. Moyer believes this is the only balanced news. This intrigues me enough to see if this is true.
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