Nothing Funny About 24/7 Hate-Tainment

One thing (4.00 / 5)

we can do is to circulate lists of their sponsors and tie them to the hatred they are supporting.

The Color of Change was successful in doing this with Glenn Beck, but it seems he is now being subsidized by Murdoch anyway.

Still, they can't afford to do it for all of them, I don't think.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 06:47:56 AM CDT

two words (4.00 / 1)

Fairness Doctrine

Let's get these haters off the air and replace their rhetoric with facts, common sense, and basic decency.  You know, pretty much everything the GOP opposes.

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by: Timmy J @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 07:00:14 AM CDT

Economic pressure (0.00 / 0)

is the best answer, I don't think that this is something that you can legislate back into submission at this point.

The President has been on record in the past as opposing a return to the Fairness Doctrine, and since the FCC's ability to regulate that only extended to broadcast media (vs. cable, satellite radio, streaming audio/video, etc.) in the first place, it wouldn't have much of an effect. HannityBeckBaugh would just move onto non-broadcast outlets, and Murdoch would likely challenge it all anyway before a sympathetic SCOTUS, a huge waste of time and taxpayer resources.

Find those sponsors and let them know, as Jennifer says.

At the same time, these bozos need to be called out on every single lie at every turn and in every venue. This is tiresome, exhausting work, but all of this crap needs to be answered with cold hard facts (not spin).

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.

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by: GreyMike @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:10:24 AM CDT

I don't know (4.00 / 1)

that I think that blacklisting and boycotting the sponsors does any good. It hasn't worked yet.

The way to counter this to eliminate corporate personhood, bust up the corporate media monopolies, and establish actual independent media. Media that is focused on actual news, and engages in investigative journalism - not celebrity twaddle or endless beltway repetitive nonsense. Media that educates and informs, and challenges bad information - like death panels. This media needs to be easily accessible to everyone.

We need media that is the polar opposite of what happens on hateradio/tv.  

member of the professional left  

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by: susanthe @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:22:19 AM CDT

Seems so overwhelming. (4.00 / 1)

Although it's worth pointing out that things could be worse.  These folks could be the majority...involuntary shiver.

The haters are impressive, though, in their activity density in relation to their actual numbers.  As we know, this is difficult to sustain and I'm hopeful that the run is coming to a close.  On the other hand, the lesson for us is that we need to be better organized and more committed to supporting our people.  

The civil majority cannot sit this one out.

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world." A. Einstein

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by: StraffordDem @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:39:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ghandi (0.00 / 0)

be the change...

The #1 challenge to realizing an independent, accessible, responsible media comes down to economics. It costs money to do good journalism unless responsible journalists want to donate their time or live on subsistence wages (practically the case now). We certainly don't want a government-sponsored media; the closest thing we have to any of this is public radio and TV (only 15-20% Fed funded through CPB), but even this has been co-oped by corporate interests to an alarming degree in recent years.

Our current system of ad-based media, conglomeration and concentration of ownership naturally tends to push in the direction of partisanship, and the economic pressure to make hard news pay its way is enormous. Long gone are the days (and the rules) when news operations were considered good-will public interest cost centers, subsidized by other entertainment offerings that paid the bills. They now must be revenue centers, this unfortunate fact is being played out every day. As most of us are aware, we are in the midst of a major sea change with regard to what constitutes "professional journalism", and it is less clear than ever how or whether it can be sustained.

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.

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by: GreyMike @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:57:57 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Typo: co-opted vs. co-oped n/t (0.00 / 0)

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.

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by: GreyMike @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:59:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Corporations are People, Too! (0.00 / 0)

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by: NHFlatlander @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 16:10:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Support education (4.00 / 1)

I recently worked with a woman who did not know the name of the then Vice President (Cheney), thought taxes were a stupid idea (if the government needs money they can print more) and had never voted (maybe that's a good thing.) Ignorance rules. And as long as that is the case personalities on FOX News (sic) can tell lie after lie and no one calls them on it. And if the Texas School Board succeeds in altering our kids' history books  to reflect their right wing point of view we are, as former President GHW Bush said, in deep doo doo.  

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.

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by: rambler american @ Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 15:34:14 PM CDT