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NEWS FOR THE MEDIA SAVVY
Friday, August 27, 2004
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MEDIA FOR DEMOCRACY 2004
Coming to a Convention Near You: Scary Anarchists II
The Village Voice
Is it just us, or are these scary stories about anarchists plotting mayhem at the Republican convention starting to read like a preemptive hit? This kind of coverage sets the stage for brutal treatment of even peaceful activists.
Media Corps. Give Millions, Receive Billions
CorpWatch
So far this election season broadcasters have donated
$3,592,069 in hard money contributions to candidates. Over the past three years the big five Media companies, Disney (ABC), News Corp (Fox) GE (NBC & Telemundo), Viacom (ABC), Time Warner (CNN & WB) plus the National Association of Broadcasters have spent over $79,740,000 on lobbying.
Gop Itchin' for a Mike Fight
The New York Daily News
'Fahrenheit 9/11" director Michael Moore has been hired by USA Today to write four opinion columns during the Republican Convention. But is Moore ready to rumble? Says one delegate: "I'm from South Alabama, and we're used to dealing with jackasses, and so I look forward to making his acquaintance."
Can TV Cover Protests without 'Losing Control'?
PressThink
For TV news organizations, the concern is not how to cover all the possible protests around town. It's "inciting disruptive behavior by showing up with cameras." And it's losing control of the convention telecast to events outside. There are jittery people in the networks, trying not to be the cause of anything.
Pretty Please, Just Once?
CampaignDesk
It's no shocker when a Rush Limbaugh makes light of Kerry's "four months" in Vietnam..But surely, one thinks, someone among the non-carnival press must have taken the simple step of fact-checking the actual length of Kerry's Vietnam service -- against, you know, official records or something? -- and reported back to readers and viewers. One, alas, would be wrong.
Media Poverty Pimps
Tech Central Station
After the Democratic Convention, Kerry should have dropped 'Nam and talked economics, "confident that his message would be sonic-boomed by pressy afterburners," writes columnist James Pinkerton, who presents coverage of a recent Census Bureau document on poverty as a case study. "To put it mildly, reporters were all over it, like ants on apple pie."
Planning to Protest
NPR - Talk of the Nation
Protesters at the coming Republican National Convention in New York City plan to get creative -- a re-enactment of Paul Revere's ride, a giant breadline, even a parade of coffins. But with all the heavy security surrounding the convention, will they be heard?
A Far Cry from Smoke-Filled Reporters' Havens of Past
The Boston Globe
Barneys New York, the struggling, upscale department store favored by the "Sex and the City" women, plans to pamper the throngs of media members covering the Republican National Convention in a special lounge. "We call it an oasis where the press can come in, relax, and enjoy the city," said Taylor Piedra, manager of concierge services at Barneys.
Celebs Pin Their Hopes on Bush
Newsday
Though urban Democratic consultants like to joke that "the only talent the GOP can lasso is Wayne Newton and Bo Derek," it couldn't be further from the truth. While the RNC entertainment next week may lean country, President Bush still has fans in actors Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle, Kelsey Grammer, Britney Spears, and Aerosmith's Steve Tyler, to name a few.
 For related resources, visit Media for Democracy Monitor. Or, sign up for a non-partisan campaign to monitor the media's election coverage at Media for Democracy 2004.
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WAR & PEACE MEDIA MONITOR
Killing of Italian Journalist Condemned as 'Barbaric'
The Guardian
International press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders today expressed revulsion at the "barbaric" death of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni and said it had heightened fears for the safety of other missing reporters in the area.
Iraq Police Terrorize Press, Protestors in Najaf
InfoShop News
Media organizations are preparing a formal protest to the Iraqi authorities after dozens of journalists in Najaf, including the entire BBC team, were forced from their hotel at gunpoint and detained by local police, who delivered what one correspondent described as an "unexpected press conference at gunpoint."
Philippines: Dangers of Journalism
ZNet
Testing the limits of press freedom is a perilous venture in the Philippines. With six journalists dead so far this year, killings of journalists in the country have surpassed any nation in the world except Iraq.
Review resources relating to media and conflict in the War & Peace Monitor.
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OWNERSHIP MONITOR
Now for a Word from Our Sponsors
The Christian Science Monitor
In a recent "20/20" news-magazine segment on King Arthur, the producer of this summer's Walt Disney Company film "King Arthur," was prominently featured alongside historians. If the weakness of the producer's grasp of Arthurian lore was obvious, the connection between his movie and ABC television wasn't. Only at the end of the segment did the reporter mention that Disney owns ABC.
Another TV Dynasty
The New York Post
ABC News is quietly gunning to launch what would be the newest kind of cable channel on the block - a heavy blend of local and national news. It comes in the form of ABC News Now, which first appeared on digital cable tiers across the U.S. last month as a part of a test to showcase ABC's gavel-to-gavel coverage of the political conventions.
Mixed Signals from XM and Sirius
Business Week Online
Satellite radio is growing, and each of the industry's players has its good points, but for now, XM is top of the dial.
Switching Over to a Meaner, Leaner BBC
The Financial Times
A big restructuring is in the works at the world's largest publicly-funded broadcaster. A new management team plans an overhaul involving cost-cutting, tighter editorial controls, new corporate governance rules, as well as reviews on program spending, commercial activities, online operations and public service output.
Review related media ownership resources in the Ownership Monitor.
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THE NEWS DISSECTOR
Convention COnverging and Diverging
Look for regular updated reports from the Dissector throughout the convention. Why don't you share your media experience of this orchestrated event with me as well? What are you watching? How is the media coverage where you live?
Read more of Danny's dissections in the News Dissector Archive.
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AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE MEDIA.
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