Local TV Stations to “Share” video footage
On Tuesday, July 7 the Grand Rapids Press ran a story on page 7 with the headline “Competing stations to share some resources.” The story announced that the local CBS, ABC and NBC affiliates will begin sharing resources, mostly in the form of video footage from local events.
The article cites all three of the TV station managers who spoke favorably about the decision. The WOOD-TV8 station manager was quoted as saying, “With the Web site, we’re doubling our content in a way. We’re all looking for ways to be more efficient.”
Fortunately, the story also cites someone from the Poynter Institute who was critical of the idea that stations would be sharing video footage. “What you see is what you get through the lens. That’s not great journalism, that’s stenography.”
This observation from the Poynter Institute is similar to what we have documented over the past 10 years with local TV news coverage, where not only does the coverage fail to report on issues with any substance, but already tend to cover the same kinds of stories. Sharing video footage amongst the three stations will no doubt result in increasingly homogenous newscasts for the West Michigan community.
Media Bites – AXE
In this week’s Media Bites we look at an AXE commercial that is part of a series called the “Hair Crisis Relief Team.” This commercial uses a bachelor party setting to promote their product and since it is a typical bachelor party there is sexual exploitation. The women don’t end up doing what the men expect, but the commercial still normalizes the use of women’s bodies to sell the product. Some good resources of sexual exploitation in media are Media Watch and About Face.
Independent Media Now More Than Ever
Ok, so we are almost half way through the first year of the Obama administration and I think enough time has passed to be able to make some observations about what has happened so far just by looking at how the mainstream news media has reported on “Change We Can Believe.”
For the first 100 days of the new administration I was tracking the coverage in the Grand Rapids Press and I could see no fundamental differences in how the reporting was done from both the local and national reporters. Politics was still viewed through a bi-partisan lens with limited perspectives and almost no verification of the claims made by those in office.
One example is how the news reported on the recent health care proposal from the Obama administration. The coverage has presented the new Obama plan as a radical reform of the existing health care policy, when in fact it is only a mild adjustment of a system that is still dictated by HMOs, insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry. For great information and analysis on this issue go to the website of the Physicians for a National Health Program.
In mid-June Democratic lawmakers overwhelming voted for the $106 billion war-funding bill that passed in the House. In fact, on just about every major issue that people care about the new administration has demonstrated that it differs little from the Bush administration. For some excellent non-partisan analysis of the policy positions that the new administration has taken read Paul Street’s columns on ZNet and while you are at it, check out his excellent book that was published just months before the election entitled, “Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics.”
It is true that there are mild policy reforms with the new administration, but the only major difference is the style and rhetoric of the Obama administration. Of course, it is more pleasant to the ears to hear the President give speeches, but if we are serious about real change we cannot be content with having a president who just speaks in complete sentences.
One tool that we so desperately need if we are to avoid being seduced by the promises of “Change,” is a vibrant, investigative and independent news media. We need a news media that serves the public interest and holds power accountable and you will rarely find that in mainstream news. We have to stop believing that CNN and MSNBC are independent news entities just because they don’t sound as ridiculous as FOX News. The reality is that when it comes to investigating power and government policies the there is little difference. We need to seek out sources that are outside of the framework of “official news.”
So, here are some recommendations for news sources that I think would be useful to look at along side of the mainstream sources. Democracy Now! offers some of the best weekday news analysis within the US. There is also GRITtv with Laura Flanders if you are looking for a daily news show that is in a TV format. Other daily sources of online news and analysis are CounterPunch, ZNet, Dissident Voice, PR Watch, Open Secrets, Rebel Reports, Common Dreams, Black Commentator, Black Agenda Report and the Center for Public Integrity.
I also try to provide regular news analysis on this site but also look at commercial media in our weekly Media Bite segments. In addition, we need more people to make their own media, not only to provide more perspectives, but to provide a counter-narrative to the dominant messages that are so pervasive in the corporate media.
If you want to make media or participate in media analysis contact Jeff Smith at jsmith@griid.org.
Media Bites – Transformers 2 & GM
In this week’s Media Bites we take a look at a commercial for and clips from the new movie Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. In many ways the film is a 2-hour commercial for GM with numerous scenes that feature GM vehicles. This is quite ironic considering the current US Government/taxpayer bailout of the auto giant. We direct people looking for independent information on the GM bailout and resources on the use of Product Placement in films.
Media Bites – IBM
In this week’s addition of Media Bites we look at a recent commercial from IBM that promotes their “smart planet” image. IBM is trying to position themselves as the makers of life enhancing products. The reality is that IBM has a history of collaborating with the Nazis, polluting communities where they have factories and a major layoff of workers in recent months.
On Thursday, June 18 GRIID had the opportunity to interview Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence. Kathy recently returned from Pakistan where she spoke with refugees who have been displaced by the US bombing campaigns that are being conducted by US Predator Drones. We talked about what she learned for the refugees and what the implications of US policy are for this escalating war of the Obama administration. Click here to watch the interview.
Kathy also spoke to about 40 people at Trinity United Methodist Church that evening. The event was hosted by the Brunch & Revolution, which is organizing around the US wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If you want to become involved you can contact them at brunchandrevolution@gmail.com.<
War Funding Coverage Full of Omissions
(Editor’s Note: This is the first is a series of news analysis pieces that will look at the Grand Rapids Press coverage of the US occupation/war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This new GRIID study began on May 26 and will continue through the end of August. This article begins with analysis of the GR Press story and then includes the article at the bottom. Note that the text that is bold is the portion of the original story that was omitted in the GR Press version.)
This Associated Press story ran on page 2 of the GR Press on Wednesday, June 17. The headline points readers to the Senate vote, even though the story is about the House vote on a $106 billion piece of legislation that is primarily for the funding of the US occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At one point the article reads, “Democratic leaders pushing the bill on behalf of the Obama administration had to overcome an unusual alliance.” This is an inaccurate statement, since there was no alliance between anti-war Democrats and the Republicans who voted against it. The Democrats who voted against the bill did so because they were opposed to the continual funding of the US occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but most Republicans voted against it for very different reasons, as was noted by independent journalist Jeremy Scahill is a recent article.
The article also states, “President Obama has argued that it is crucial to winding down operations in Iraq while boosting personnel and fighting power in Afghanistan.” While it is true that the US has increased troop strength in Afghanistan, the idea that the US is “winding down operations in Iraq” is still very debatable.
In a recent interview, author and writer Anthony Arnove said, “although Barack Obama promised he would have all troops out by 2012, the ground is being laid for troops to stay in Iraq for years and years to come. The army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, said that the Pentagon was making preparations to keep troops in Iraq until the year 2019.”
Also, it should noted that the only Congress person cited in the original story was omitted from the Press version as well as the comment about the Obama administration’s removal of a provision in an earlier draft of the bill which would have allowed for the release of torture photos.
Lastly, it should be mentioned that there are no independent voices in this story, none from anti-war sectors, military families, Iraqis, nor Afghanis, all of which will be directly impacted by the increase of war funding for US operations in both countries.
GR Press article – Senators to tackle war funding bill
War-funding legislation survived a fierce partisan battle in the House on Tuesday, a major step in providing commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan the money they would need for military operations in the coming months.
The $106 billion measure, in addition to about $80 billion for military operations, provides for an array of other spending priorities, including $7.7 billion to respond to the flu pandemic and more than $10 billion in development and security aid for Pakistan and Iraq, as well as countries such as Mexico and the nation of Georgia.
Democratic leaders pushing the bill on behalf of the Obama administration had to overcome an unusual alliance. Anti-war Democrats opposed continued war spending and Republicans condemned $5 billion in the measure to secure a $108 billion U.S. line of credit to the International Monetary Fund for loans to poor countries.
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, contended that Democrats were endangering troops by shifting money to create room for a “global bailout loan program.”
The vote was 226-202, with five Republicans voting for the bill and 32 Democrats against it.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., unsuccessfully appealed to Republicans for support, saying 80 percent of the package still went to the troops. “Stand up for them,” he said.
The Senate could move as early as this week on the legislation, which includes $1 billion to fund government rebates for consumers who trade in their old vehicles for more fuel-efficient models.
The Pentagon has said that without the bill, the Army could start running out of war funds as early as July. President Obama has argued that it is crucial to winding down operations in Iraq while boosting personnel and fighting power in Afghanistan.
Republicans also objected to a decision by House-Senate negotiators to remove a provision prohibiting the release of photos depicting U.S. troops abusing detainees. It was taken out, “at the demands of the fringe left,” said House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Obama, in negotiating the removal of the provision, guaranteed that he would stop the release of such photos.
Media Bites – Toyota Prius
In this week’s Media Bites we look at a new Toyota commercial featuring their hybrid car, the Prius. The commercial is a highly stylized form of greenwashing, since the commercial makes the claim that the car is in harmony with man and nature. We deconstruct this ad and direct people to a recent report from the National Labor Committee that looks at how workers are treated in Toyota factories in several countries.
When Journalism Becomes Advertising
On Tuesday, June 9 the Grand Rapids Press ran a story on the front page of the “Your Life” section of the paper that was essentially a promotional piece for the new Sonic restaurant.
The story, entitled “Trendy & Tasty,” was written as a set of talking points about why eating at Sonic is such a good choice. The article tells you how to request music from the Sonic radio system, why it is fun to watch the servers on roller-skates, the best times to go there, and the fact that the shakes use real bananas. That the Press writer included the comment about real bananas being used was no doubt supposed to impress readers, even though it is really an indictment of the commercial food system, which is dominated by artificial foods.
It is not surprising that the GR Press chose to promote a chain restaurant in one of their news columns, but it is unacceptable that this passes as journalism. It would be a useful exercise to write the editors of the “Your Life” section of the Press and ask them how they can justify running such a story. The e-mail address is yourlife@grpress.com.
Media Bites – Juicy Drop Pop
In this week’s Media Bites we look at a new commercial from the candy company Topps. This ad uses “extreme” language about using the product, but says nothing about its lack of any nutritional content. The commercial also excludes adults, a common technique in children’s advertising.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 