In my report on the 2005 National Conference for Media Reform for rabble.ca, I noted that media reformers were preparing for what they called “the perfect storm.” By “the perfect storm” they were referring to the impending future when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress make crucial decisions about the future of the media, specifically in relation to the internet.
It was expected that the huge telecommunications lobby would aggressively push to sway these decisions to their favour, whilst the public (rallied by media reform groups and independent media) would be evermore informed and engaged in media issues. This amounts to what Robert McChesney called, “a moment of danger and a moment of spectacular opportunity.”
The perfect storm is now upon us and it was evident with the explosive atmosphere of the 2007 National Conference for Media Reform that took place in Memphis, Tennessee, January 12-14. Media activists, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens from many countries, and nearly every state in the U.S. attended the National Conference for Media Reform, an event that aimed to move media issues to the forefront of public discourse in the United States.
Extensive growth and celebration
Conference organizers estimate that 3,500 citizens attended the conference this year, up from 2,500 in 2005 and 1,700 in 2003. It is also estimated that as many as 3,000 more people watched the major speakers at the conference through real time online streaming video, and many thousands more watched video coverage uploaded to Youtube.
No doubt the numbers can partly be attributed to the impressive line up of speakers including: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Moyers, Phil Donahue, Amy Goodman, Danny Glover, John Stauber, Helen Thomas, Geena Davis, Jane Fonda, Robert W. McChesney and many more.
The media reform movement was recently further popularized by the fashionable issue of net neutrality where telecommunications companies sought to change the internet into a tiered system allowing certain well-financed websites to receive preferential treatment over others. This galvanized many citizens who had previously not been involved in media issues, creating one of the most successful grassroots campaigns in recent U.S. history.
Many conference speakers celebrated the recent success in securing net neutrality for two years, while encouraging reformers to stay vigilant on the issue. As Bill Moyers of PBS put it, (with sound) “What happened to radio, happened to television, and then it happened to cable. If we are not diligent, then it will happen to the internet, [creating] a media plantation for the 21st century dominated by the same corporate and ideological forces that have controlled the media for the last 50 years. This is the great gift of the digital revolution, and you must never let them take it away from you.”
Moyers also took the opportunity to put his detractors on notices, announcing that he would be hosting a new show on PBS in the coming months.
Further celebration surrounded the growth of key independent media outlets such as LinkTV, DemocracyNow, and the up and coming TheREALnews. Touted as the “largest public media collaboration in the U.S.,” DemocracyNow broadcasts on 500 stations including Pacifica, NPR, community and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television and online. The combination of outlets that air DemocracyNow easily surpasses the audience of many of the so called “mainstream media.” TheREALnews is a new independent video news organization that is expected to start airing regular newscasts this March.
Countering these success stories was the acknowledgment of the demise of the Independent Press Association (IPA), which advocated, provided resources for and distributed independent magazines. IPA’s failure has hurt many independent magazines and is a leading reason why some magazines have shut down recently, including, most significantly, Clamour magazine.
Moving forward with a positive agenda
One of the major themes of the conference was that the media reform movement must, and will move away from defending against media deregulation, towards articulating and advocating for policy that will advance media democracy. In the words of Robert McChesney, president and co-founder of Free Press, “After years of fighting to prevent further consolidation of media ownership and the dumbing down of our airwaves, the movement is ready to pursue reforms that will transform American media.”
At a celebration on Thursday night, the SavetheInternet.com Coalition (Founded by FreePress; the conference organizer) unveiled the “Internet Freedom Declaration of 2007” which sets forth its plan not just for winning net neutrality in the next Congress, but establishing faster, universal and affordable broadband for everyone. The declaration calls for “World Class Quality through Competition,” “An Open and Neutral Network,” and “Universal Affordable Access.”
The declaration is a big step in media reform, changing the terms of debate from defending against further media deregulation, to demanding a truly public media infrastructure.
Even before the declaration, on January 8, Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-S.D.) and Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) sponsored the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007, which would protect net neutrality. This is the type of legislation FreePress has and continues to lobby for.
Reformers energized
In addition to recent media reform success and the burgeoning positive agenda, conference attendees were also energized by continued dismal behaviour of the corporate media in recent years. Robert McChesney summarized the situation well in his address:
We need to battle the ever-increasing commercialization of our media. We need to fight thinly disguised payola fuelling homogenized corporate music that leaves no room for local and independent artists; we need to fight video news releases masquerading as news, with PR agents pushing agendas that squeeze out real news coverage and local community concerns; we need to fight product placements turning news and entertainment shows alike into undisclosed commercials; and we need to fight rapacious advertisers preying on the unsuspecting minds of our young children.
Put more concisely by DemocracyNow host Amy Goodman, we have to stop a media system that produces “the lies that cost lives.”
As the final day of the conference closed one thing is for certain: attendees remain engaged and energized in the struggle for a democratic media system.
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