Control Congress is a multi-partisan, issue-oriented political forum that brings together the Left, Right, and everyone in between.

Dan Rather Slams Press Coverage Of War And Corporate News

Have big corporations taking over the media?

HP-Dan Rather addressed the 2008 National Conference On Media Reform in Minneapolis on Saturday, where he warned of the dangers of corporate media ownership. Rather told the crowd:

Now, I have spent my entire life in for-profit news, and I happen to think that it does not have to be this way. I have worked for news owners who, while they may have regarded their news divisions as an occasional irritant, chose to turn that irritant into a pearl of public trust. But today, sadly, it seems that the conglomerates that have control over some of the biggest pieces of this public trust would just as soon spit that irritant out.

So what does this mean for us tonight, and what is to be done?

It means that we need to be on the alert for where, when, and how our news media bows to undue government influence. And you need to let news organizations know, in no uncertain terms, that you won’t stand for it…that you, as news consumers, are capable of exerting pressure of your own.

It means that we need to continue to let our government know that, when it comes to media consolidation, enough is enough. Too few voices are dominating, homogenizing, and marginalizing the news. We need to demand that the American people get something in exchange for the use of airwaves that belong, after all, to the people.

It means that we need to ensure that the Internet, where free speech reigns and where journalism does not have to pass through a corporate filter… remains free.

We need to say, loud and clear, that we don’t want big corporations enjoying preferred access to – or government acting as the gatekeeper for – this unique platform for independent journalism.

Posted by JohnKonop on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 2:24 am | under Uncategorized | |RSS 2.0 feed | Comments and pings closed. |

6 Responses to “Dan Rather Slams Press Coverage Of War And Corporate News”

  1. JohnKonop says:
    June 9, 2008 at 6:47 am

    Rasmussen: No one trusts the media’s election coverage

    HOTAIR-The question wasn’t whether the end product is biased (say, unconsciously), it was whether the media’s even trying to be objective. Answering no: 68% overall, including 56% of Democrats and 50% of liberals. Our nutroots betters assure us that the press is thoroughly right-wing, so it must be McCain whom people believe is getting a free ride, yes? Not so much:

    Voters have little doubt as to who is benefitting from the media coverage this year—Barack Obama. Fifty-four percent (54%) say Obama has gotten the best coverage so far. Twenty-two percent (22%) say McCain has received the most favorable coverage while 14% say that Hillary got the best treatment…

    Looking ahead to the fall campaign, 44% believe most reporters will try to help Obama while only 13% believe that most will try to help McCain. Twenty-four percent (24%) are optimistic enough to believe that most reporters will try to offer unbiased coverage.

    Even Democrats tend to believe their candidate will receive better treatment—27% of those in Obama’s party believe most reporters will try to help him win while only 16% believe they will help McCain. A plurality of Democrats—34%–believe most reporters will be unbiased.

    Among unaffiliated voters, 44% believe reporters will try to help Obama and 14% believe they will try to help McCain.

    Doubtless most of the lefties claiming the media’s in the tank for Obama are Hillary diehards (43% overall say she’s gotten the rawest deal among the three, compared to 27% saying McCain and 15% saying Obama). Exit question: It’s too much to expect most of her supporters to either stay home or vote McCain in the fall, but is it too much to expect them to be more sensitive to the media’s Obama shilling going forward? Not that they’re going to pound the table about it on McCain’s behalf, but I keep thinking back to Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft calling Olbermann “the most shameless ridiculous hack on TV.” Quite so, and once that lesson’s been learned, it can’t really be unlearned. Or can it?

  2. GA Patriot says:
    June 10, 2008 at 6:58 am

    Dan Rather is the pot calling the kettle biased – remember the 60 Minutes report fabricated on GWB’s military service? So now he wants objectivity now that he was fired? Olbermann is entertainment, not reporting.

  3. bb says:
    June 10, 2008 at 9:38 am

    Wow, we agree GaP. Rather is about as credible as an Iraqi shiite legislator.

  4. GA Patriot says:
    June 10, 2008 at 10:50 am

    bb,

    I USED to be more like you than you will ever realize – I have seen the light. Now I hate both parties. Can’t find a substitute though.

  5. Bill says:
    June 10, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    GA Patriot
    Dan Rather got axed because he went against the grain some feel. And although the presence of a fake document is interesting nobody in the MSM really dug deep to find out about “George Bush the missing years” which seems like the real story.

  6. JohnKonop says:
    June 10, 2008 at 6:06 pm

    Bart

    Are you saying Iraq did not have a real election?

|