[opendtv] Re: FCC's spectrum plan gives broadcasters food for thought
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 09:01:35 -0400
At 9:40 AM -0700 7/4/10, Dale Kelly wrote:
We don't disagree that politics and radio/TV are tightly coupled and
have always been so.
The discussion, however, was about how (from which media) most
people receive political info in the last campaign but you
interjected into that discussion your personal political opinion.
That's not what opendtv is all about.
That's a fair criticism Dale. Sorry if I let my disgust for what the
mass media has become dominate the conversation.
As far as the last election, and most of the elections I have
witnessed in the past few decades, I still believe that the media
conglomerates dominate the coverage. I guess you can add the major
newspapers like the NY Times and Washington Post to the list.
In many cases, it is not so much what they cover that influences the
political discussion, it is what they choose NOT to cover, or worse,
what they invent out of thin air - the Dan Rather report with the
obviously fake letter about Bushes' military experience comes to
mind. In the last presidential election it was the total lack of
journalistic investigation into Obama's past and his political
philosophy that made one scratch their head...
The Internet has added a new dimension to all of this. We are all
accustomed to political ads that exaggerate, make false claims, or
outright lie. The Internet can and is being used to make and
"back-up" the claims, be they real or fake. Sites like SNOPES are now
offering the public the opportunity to analyze these claims, although
one might be walking on thin ice to totally believe ANYTHING they see
on the net. The unfortunate reality, is that like other media, we
tend to migrate to the sources that match our experience and tell us
what we want to believe.
A big chunk of the electorate obviously wanted to believe that Obama
was going to "change" things in Washington, and clean up some of the
corruption. Not everyone was on board for the kinds of change he was
really advocating. But anyone who really wanted to find out what
Obama was really all about, could, and these folks are the least
surprised by what has actually happened.
And then there are the weird folks like myself who are frustrated by
both parties and most everything that happens in Washington. I could
not support McCain, despite the fact that he chose a running mate who
appealed to the conservative base. Many folks decided to support the
other guy, and hope that when people saw what he was really about,
that they would wake up and advocate for REAL CHANGE.
The coming election should be very interesting to watch with respect
to media coverage. To date I am not encouraged. Just another re-run
of the same mud slinging campaigns we have come to expect from the
political class. The Florida Senate and Governor races are right out
of the book...
Regards
Craig
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