Media

In the early otts I was involved in media activism after the 2000 stolen elections and the run up to the War in Iraq. The drums of the "war on terror" could be heard beating endlessly on tv and the radio on a 24/7 basis.

We came up with all sorts of creative ideas from printing out materials, posting on street lamp posts, to tucking hand outs in library periodicals, slipping them in books on the best sellars section in chain book stores etc.

Most importantly, we had a compilation of big media news rooms contact numbers, for each of the large cable news outlets as well as broadcasts alphabet news networks and affiliates, as well as email contact info.
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As an example of a call I made that I won't ever forget was to CNN news room to speak to Anderson Cooper's editors. Cooper didn't have his own show yet, but he was frequently contributing and "on the scene" coveings various stories. (who can forget Katrina?)

One day, CNN broke from a commercial to report on "Breaking News" story of a thwarted "Terroist Plot" to bomb Sears Tower in Chicago.

During Cooper's breathlessly delivered reporting of the 'thwarted' terrorist plot to bomb Sears Tower, it was revealed the plotters were homeless young men in Florida, living in some abandoned warehouse. one individual hair was in dreadlocks, the implication that of course this guy just fits the description of a terroist.

But wait, it turns out that it was plot cooked up, and paid for by an FBI undercover agent, which is exactly what I suspected as the twarted plot was being reported. There were other clues I no longer remembrer, but the point is, moments aftrer this Breaking News development was aired, I called CNNs news room, asked to speak to Coopers editor and let them know he got played and he should have known better given that he once worked as "undercover" intelligence agent a few years before hooking up with CNN.

The next time the story was covered was to reveal that it was wholly cooked up and materials provided by an FBI undercover agent.

A very small thing, but I do think it mattered in that one instance.

What I would suggest is to have pinned news rooms telephone numbers of all cable and broadcast networks, as well as NYT Wapo etc etc, at the top of this page. I recall how difficult it was to research those contact numbers. Thanks to an organization called Media Alliance, I was able to use their media list as a resource.

But I haven;t been involved for several years. I cut the cord from cable several years ago, with very little appetite to carry on, without a larger more effective ground swell of media activism to go on counter offensive against Big Media's influencing on every aspect of our socio-economic culture, geo-political matters and most egregiously our national political priorities.

Having said that, if there is a call to action, post it here with pertinent information and direct links to newsrooms I'll be happy to participate when needed.