The Press and Freedom: Some disturbing trends by Bob Edwards, NPR
(Adapted from the annual Joe Creason Lecture at the University of Kentucky.)

It’s kind of a cruel, ironic joke. The rise of cable TV and the Internet were supposed to democratize the media and give us many voices and numerous points of view. Instead, market forces and deregulation have clobbered diversity. The networks and cable channels have the same owners — Hollywood studios, mainly — and the most popular Web sites for news are those of news organizations firmly established before the Web was spun.

We are currently a nation at war and the free flow of information and ideas is never more important than it is at times like these. But monopolies choke that flow, allowing only the information and ideas that facilitate that other flow — the flow of dollars into their pockets. …

A Cleveland company called McVay Media describes itself as the largest radio consulting firm in the world. McVay developed a memo to its client stations advising them on how to use the war to their best business advantage. Called a ”War Manual,” the memo says the stations should ”Get the following production pieces into the studio NOW . . . patriotic music that makes you cry, salute, get cold chills! Go for the emotion. . . . Air the National Anthem at a specified time each day as long as the U.S.A. is at war.” The article also quotes Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers,a journal for the radio talk business. Harrison says, ”It’s counterintuitive for hosts and program directors to pay too much attention to the antiwar movement right now.”

Some months after this speech, Bob Edwards was ”promoted” out of his job on Morning Edition, a few months before his 25th anniversary (thoughtful act). Bob Edwards’ last day on the job was also the day that a media conglomerate that donates to Bush refused to broadcast on all of their stations a news report they felt was anti-war. These bums are shameless. Time to muck out the stables. mjh