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The news that must not have happened
Tens of thousands march against "president" Bush. Where the F*#k was the major media?
The news that must not have happened
By Sean Bell
On Oct. 26, 2002, something undeniably revealing occurred in America. Did you notice? If you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t worry because you are not alone. Over 100,000 people in Washington D.C. and over 80,000 people in San Francisco marched and protested against “president” Bush. Not only that, but solidarity marches of the same happened in major cities around the world. Unfortunately, many people in America took no notice of the event, let alone the importance of why such an event even occurred.
The American news agencies in amazing unison virtually blacked out the protests. By nationwide omission, an agenda that many do not agree with will continue to advance. War is the agenda from Washington and the illusion that America is united is what the policy makers want the whole world to believe.
I was a participant in the S.F. protest, which was said to be the largest in that city for over a generation. There was a mix of all kinds of people representing all kinds of life and values in our country. The one unifying belief for all these people however was the public stand in defiance against our selected president, George W. Bush.
How could such a massive protest at such a relevant time in our nations history be omitted from so many different news organizations simultaneously? You would first have to define what a news organization is. There were groups of photographers and people writing about the events, but none of them had a corporate news logo on their person or their equipment. From early in the morning to the late afternoon, I marched from one end of the city to the other and listened to many great speakers at the downtown government center. In all that time and distance, I saw only one corporate minivan. That was it. I’ve seen more news coverage given to the weather than what I observed at this major U.S. anti-war rally.
Could it be possible that corporate controlled news is shaping people’s opinions by choosing what they do or do not show to the public whose daily lives are affected by such news? For those reading who already know that the answer to that question is yes, you were probably either at one of the events or wished you could have been there. For the others, my question to you is how much longer are you willing to allow corporate controlled news to survive and shape the information you see and hear? Shouldn’t you be at least allowed to know the news, or are you content with being told what news is best for you as though you were a child?
You life and your friends and family’s lives can be dramatically changed by the decisions being made in D.C. at this moment. Controlling the availability and structuring the format of the news information is not beneficial to a free society. It leads to censorship and a virtual state sponsored news agenda that could be equated to a form of propaganda.
Tens of thousands of Americans publicly protesting in two major cities of the country for one loud and clear reason is newsworthy. Not only should it have been covered adequately, but actual reporting where a viewer might actually learn why those protests occurred should also have followed it.
Those of us who were there already fully understand from experience that corporate owned media in the U.S.A is full of bull and financed by other corporations who together have one underlying agenda and their agenda is to make a profit.
Corporations controlling the news for profit are not welcome in my home. I stopped watching TV over four years ago. Yes, I miss the Simpsons, but I actually participate more in my own life now. Luckily, there are plenty of independent and alternative sources of information easily available and so I am also much more informed today than when I trusted the Tom Brokavs and other propagandists of the airwaves. I am not sure why people put so much of their trust into corporate news. It is ridiculous if you think about it; that a for-profit company controlling information that directly affects what happens to your life can just change and mold news into something more pleasing to the directions and agenda of politicians in Washington.
But that is life in America today under a virtual corporate dictatorship. While America goes about their lives unaware of the demonstrations, I’ll take some personal comfort in knowing that my news sources come from more grass root organizations that actually care about important issues in my life, and does not come from a monopolized and controlled corporation. Corporate news feels like an elite version of a used car salesman selling lies for the advancement of the corrupt criminals in Washington. Choose your news well America, because the news that is being omitted from you is being done so for a reason and it would be childish to think that it is for your own good. In the words of Gil Scott-Heron, “The revolution will not be televised”.
---------
Sean Bell is a former US Marine and served during the Persian Gulf War.
He can be reached via his website http://www.anti-sheep.com
By Sean Bell
On Oct. 26, 2002, something undeniably revealing occurred in America. Did you notice? If you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t worry because you are not alone. Over 100,000 people in Washington D.C. and over 80,000 people in San Francisco marched and protested against “president” Bush. Not only that, but solidarity marches of the same happened in major cities around the world. Unfortunately, many people in America took no notice of the event, let alone the importance of why such an event even occurred.
The American news agencies in amazing unison virtually blacked out the protests. By nationwide omission, an agenda that many do not agree with will continue to advance. War is the agenda from Washington and the illusion that America is united is what the policy makers want the whole world to believe.
I was a participant in the S.F. protest, which was said to be the largest in that city for over a generation. There was a mix of all kinds of people representing all kinds of life and values in our country. The one unifying belief for all these people however was the public stand in defiance against our selected president, George W. Bush.
How could such a massive protest at such a relevant time in our nations history be omitted from so many different news organizations simultaneously? You would first have to define what a news organization is. There were groups of photographers and people writing about the events, but none of them had a corporate news logo on their person or their equipment. From early in the morning to the late afternoon, I marched from one end of the city to the other and listened to many great speakers at the downtown government center. In all that time and distance, I saw only one corporate minivan. That was it. I’ve seen more news coverage given to the weather than what I observed at this major U.S. anti-war rally.
Could it be possible that corporate controlled news is shaping people’s opinions by choosing what they do or do not show to the public whose daily lives are affected by such news? For those reading who already know that the answer to that question is yes, you were probably either at one of the events or wished you could have been there. For the others, my question to you is how much longer are you willing to allow corporate controlled news to survive and shape the information you see and hear? Shouldn’t you be at least allowed to know the news, or are you content with being told what news is best for you as though you were a child?
You life and your friends and family’s lives can be dramatically changed by the decisions being made in D.C. at this moment. Controlling the availability and structuring the format of the news information is not beneficial to a free society. It leads to censorship and a virtual state sponsored news agenda that could be equated to a form of propaganda.
Tens of thousands of Americans publicly protesting in two major cities of the country for one loud and clear reason is newsworthy. Not only should it have been covered adequately, but actual reporting where a viewer might actually learn why those protests occurred should also have followed it.
Those of us who were there already fully understand from experience that corporate owned media in the U.S.A is full of bull and financed by other corporations who together have one underlying agenda and their agenda is to make a profit.
Corporations controlling the news for profit are not welcome in my home. I stopped watching TV over four years ago. Yes, I miss the Simpsons, but I actually participate more in my own life now. Luckily, there are plenty of independent and alternative sources of information easily available and so I am also much more informed today than when I trusted the Tom Brokavs and other propagandists of the airwaves. I am not sure why people put so much of their trust into corporate news. It is ridiculous if you think about it; that a for-profit company controlling information that directly affects what happens to your life can just change and mold news into something more pleasing to the directions and agenda of politicians in Washington.
But that is life in America today under a virtual corporate dictatorship. While America goes about their lives unaware of the demonstrations, I’ll take some personal comfort in knowing that my news sources come from more grass root organizations that actually care about important issues in my life, and does not come from a monopolized and controlled corporation. Corporate news feels like an elite version of a used car salesman selling lies for the advancement of the corrupt criminals in Washington. Choose your news well America, because the news that is being omitted from you is being done so for a reason and it would be childish to think that it is for your own good. In the words of Gil Scott-Heron, “The revolution will not be televised”.
---------
Sean Bell is a former US Marine and served during the Persian Gulf War.
He can be reached via his website http://www.anti-sheep.com
For more information:
http://www.anti-sheep.com
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I was unable to attend the SF peace march on October 26th however I did watch the news coverage on TV closely that night. I was sorely disappointed in the coverage by every major Bay Area news channel. To be fair the news DID provide some coverage of the SF march being that it was local news. I did not time the coverage but I estimate that each station gave about 45 seconds to 1.5 minutes to the coverage of the march. The independently owned KRON actually covered less of the march then CBS or ABC affiliate news, unless I missed KRON 4's coverage given it does a show at 9pm as well as 11pm. In the recent past, KRON 4 has been the best at covering the peace movement in my opinion. The local SF Bay Area news stations probably could give the excuse that the Giants World Series Game 6 on Saturday was more important, got better ratings, etc. than the peace march. That was the lead story and I estimate every news station spent about 10 to 15 minutes covering the baseball game. Too bad the Giants lost. After all the news is after ratings and money, right, so who can blame them? However, I find it very, very disturbing that the local Bay Area news could barely speak two sentences on the other world peace marches especially the 100,000 plus person march in Washington DC. After all it is news in the US so why couldn't they have at least shown some pictures and speakers, at least give the DC march 20-30 seconds of video coverage.? Did they not have any news video feeds from their corporate masters to run locally? Perhaps.
All in all the local news coverage of the SF march and the world marches was blatantly undercovered and I am sure Mr. Bush is very happy for that. It is pretty scary when the news is so tightly controlled and only war propaganda is given full coverage. As we all know the news channels give plenty of coverage daily, hourly to the war movement. I guess we aren't a democracy but more like a capitalist plutocracy.
All in all the local news coverage of the SF march and the world marches was blatantly undercovered and I am sure Mr. Bush is very happy for that. It is pretty scary when the news is so tightly controlled and only war propaganda is given full coverage. As we all know the news channels give plenty of coverage daily, hourly to the war movement. I guess we aren't a democracy but more like a capitalist plutocracy.
It's not "corporate controlled news it's "Jew controlled news!
http://jewishtribalreview.org/moguls.htm
http://jewishtribalreview.org/moguls.htm
This agonizing over the media not providing the coverage you believe these protests should have received is non-productive. I believe the coverage was more than adequate. But the bottom line is that the responsibility of getting out your message is yours, not that of the media. Time and time again you complain that the media is marginalizing you, and time and time again you believe it happens, and time and time again you continue to complain. If that's what you believe, why do you continually express your surprise? Do you think it will be different next time? Do you think at all?
If you want to get your messaage out you got to market it. Buy up space in the newspapers and print an open letter, buy radio spots, buy TV time, print up and mail flyers bulk rate. If you got the numbers you claim and everybody pitches in, these types of media could be used to your advantage. I'll be looking in the papers, watching TV, listening to the radio, and checking my mailbox to see if those who are committed are making an effort.
If you want to get your messaage out you got to market it. Buy up space in the newspapers and print an open letter, buy radio spots, buy TV time, print up and mail flyers bulk rate. If you got the numbers you claim and everybody pitches in, these types of media could be used to your advantage. I'll be looking in the papers, watching TV, listening to the radio, and checking my mailbox to see if those who are committed are making an effort.
since you have no qualms with the fact that the capitalist press gives inaccurate and lying coverage of the demonstrations, presumably you'd have no problem with a "market solution" that does the same in reverse.
why don't we forget collective action altogether and simply buy slots on the boob tube that make whatever claims we deem beneficial to the cause?
would that be to your liking, cretin au market?
why don't we forget collective action altogether and simply buy slots on the boob tube that make whatever claims we deem beneficial to the cause?
would that be to your liking, cretin au market?
The article was written to express what most already know, that the corporate media is basically no better than state sponsored media.
Your comments about marketing, buying radio spots, etc. sadly reinforces the obvious state of the situation in America today. The airwaves are public, yet a small number of wealthy corporations own and control them. Colin Powell's kid sits on the board of the FCC. The general public has no means other than grass roots organizing to make their points even heard.
The same group of society that finds no problem with purchasing politicians also benefits from the public resources that are then sold to them from this corruption of the democratic ideals. The only "americans" that would support such things are usually people connected to business interests who don't care at all about America other than being able to make profits from it.
Although you are content with such blatant control of the media, the rest of us who do not have the money to buy our own printing press or news stations find your support too closely connected to the ideals that would have been welcomed in Nazi Germany.
Your comments about marketing, buying radio spots, etc. sadly reinforces the obvious state of the situation in America today. The airwaves are public, yet a small number of wealthy corporations own and control them. Colin Powell's kid sits on the board of the FCC. The general public has no means other than grass roots organizing to make their points even heard.
The same group of society that finds no problem with purchasing politicians also benefits from the public resources that are then sold to them from this corruption of the democratic ideals. The only "americans" that would support such things are usually people connected to business interests who don't care at all about America other than being able to make profits from it.
Although you are content with such blatant control of the media, the rest of us who do not have the money to buy our own printing press or news stations find your support too closely connected to the ideals that would have been welcomed in Nazi Germany.
To abandon grass roots methods altogether was never a point I made. No reason to run where I didn't go.
We've all seen to many organization who have purchased a whole page in the newspaper for an "open letter" to address their concerns. So what's the big objection to anti-war groups doing the same? Or purchasing bulk mail postcards explaining your case? These would be fairly inexpensive endeavors and would reinforce and enhance your grassroots activity. It's the same reason you put flyers in people hands as they walk by a demonstration. Out of sight, out of mind. Ahhhh, but give them something to read later and it stays with them longer. Maybe they even do something about it.
Now if avoiding anything having to do with capitalism is your pet peeve, then your missing out on a golden opportunity to use capitalism against itself.
We've all seen to many organization who have purchased a whole page in the newspaper for an "open letter" to address their concerns. So what's the big objection to anti-war groups doing the same? Or purchasing bulk mail postcards explaining your case? These would be fairly inexpensive endeavors and would reinforce and enhance your grassroots activity. It's the same reason you put flyers in people hands as they walk by a demonstration. Out of sight, out of mind. Ahhhh, but give them something to read later and it stays with them longer. Maybe they even do something about it.
Now if avoiding anything having to do with capitalism is your pet peeve, then your missing out on a golden opportunity to use capitalism against itself.
>>> I did not time the coverage but I estimate that each station gave about 45 seconds to 1.5 minutes to the coverage of the march. <<<
1-2 minutes is the typical length of a news story. A half hour newscast has 22 minutes or program content. 2 minutes is about 10 percent of the program. It's not much time, but that's how the medium of television works. For more in depth coverage you have to go to print media and/or the web.
1-2 minutes is the typical length of a news story. A half hour newscast has 22 minutes or program content. 2 minutes is about 10 percent of the program. It's not much time, but that's how the medium of television works. For more in depth coverage you have to go to print media and/or the web.
Nuff said!
Nuff said!
Nuff said!
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