Monique Davis needs to resign from her seat in the Illinois State Senate.

Due to social journalism, the State Senator has been exposed as a rather outspoken bigot, who scorns religious minorities without pause or hesitation. When listening to testimony given to a committee upon which Davis sat, she erupted in an outburst directed upon Rob Sherman – an atheist who was testifying on matters relating to the separation of church and state – in which she screamed, “It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists,” among other things.

There are several extrapolations that can be drawn from such a bewildering statement. Most saliently, Davis has revealed that she believes free thought and expression to be dangerous and out of place in the various public spheres belonging to American civil society. She obviously thinks that some forms of speech – namely, those with which she fails to agree – should be curtailed, in order for such thoughts not to reach impressionable members of society.

There are, of course, other inferences to be drawn from Davis’ hate speech, but they all seem to reinforce a thematic congruency that can be reduced as follows: Monique Davis is not a good American.

In support this conclusion, consider the following: She is a bigot who wants to interfere with the religious practices that are predicated upon beliefs whose veracity she disputes. Further, since she obviously fails to possess the intellectual faculties necessary for her to produce arguments in opposition to a particular system of beliefs, she is reduced to cruelly shouting at those whose beliefs she denies, citing hysterically fabricated consequences that will ensue if her opponent’s abilities to publicize his or her arguments are not curtailed. Therefore, her only recourse is to fear monger in an attempt to illicit the censorship of her adversaries.

At the very least, Monique Davis must be censured by her legislative colleagues. The venomous hate that she spews must by rebuked, and she must face public humiliation. If there is anything dangerous to which children can be exposed, it is the bigotry and the hatred that Davis embodies. This does not indicate that we should curtail her ability to speak publicly. However, responsible members of the political body, in which she has procured a seat, need to clearly state that her speech – which is at odds with our most fundamental values as Americans – is not demonstrative of the guiding-principles that instruct the Illinois State Senate as it deliberates over public policy.

Russell Cole

Tags: atheism, freedom of religion, government, illinois, illinois legislature, journalism, monique davis, politics, religion, Russell Coles Blog
Categories: Commentary, Russell Cole's Blog, Politics, Religion, Atheism, journalism
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An Article by:
Steve Hammons
First Published on AmericanChronicle.com

The local newspaper reporter in Stephenville, Texas, who helped cover a UFO sighting case there is no longer working at the Stephenville Empire-Tribune newspaper, effective last Thursday, Feb. 7.

Journalist Angelia Joiner had been covering the UFO story which broke early in January and brought national and international news media representatives and researchers to Stephenville, other nearby small towns and the surrounding region.

Mainstream media such as the Associated Press, CNN and other major TV networks and newspapers covered the incident with great interest. The international press also paid special attention to the UFO sightings in Stephenville and towns in the area.

Media personalities such as CNN’s Larry King and NBC’s Today show host Matt Lauer explored the sightings on their shows.

In Stephenville, Joiner was a staff writer at the small-town newspaper there. She did an excellent job of researching and interviewing local residents who were surprised, curious and concerned about the very unusual objects they reportedly saw.

As national and international interest in the case grew in January, Joiner was contacted for information as the reporter on the scene with some of the best knowledge of the local community.

Her articles helped inform not only local residents who relied on professional reporting for their community, but also assisted other Americans and people internationally understand that Stephenville people and residents in the area were down-to-Earth, solid and of good character.

The factual and level-headed journalism Joiner provided helped the national news media understand and respect the citizens in these communities. This resulted in some of the most serious and credible reporting in the national media on such an incident in recent memory.

The AP article was carried in hundreds of papers and news outlets. People like Larry King and Matt Lauer talked about the subject with intelligence and open minds.

All these outcomes were related in part to the high level of credibility of local witnesses who were courageous enough to come forward and the professionalism of local reporter Joiner and her colleagues in the national and international news media.

However, some of these witnesses and Joiner seem to be paying a price for doing their civic duty and communicating about an incident that appeared to be very significant, and could even have affected the public safety of the communities in the area.

CENSORSHIP AND “NEED TO KNOW”

According to information obtained for this report, management at the Stephenville Empire-Tribune did not want further coverage in the paper of the sightings by local citizens of something that appeared to be highly unusual. Pressures may have been placed on newspaper management to discontinue articles on the subject.

According to the newspaper’s Web site, “The Stephenville Empire-Tribune is a mid-morning paper published six days a week by Erath Publishers, Inc., a Consolidated Southwest Media company which is owned by American Consolidated Media. The Empire-Tribune is a member of the Associated Press, Texas Press Association, West Texas Press Association and the Inland Press Association.”

Publisher Rochelle Stidham and Managing Editor Sara Vanden Berge were contacted for their comments for this report but did not immediately respond.

Did the paper’s management face pressures to end coverage of the UFO sighting by a local peace officer, respected businessman and pilot and reportedly dozens of other local citizens? Did they back away from accounts of local citizens who said they were apparently being threatened for talking about what they saw?

Is this a case of media censorship or self-censorship and political correctness? Is it about professional courage and moral integrity? And, can the newspaper now be trusted by the community to cover important aspects of public health and safety, local political activities and other sometimes sensitive topics?

These seem to be questions for the citizens who read and subscribe to the paper and advertisers who use that newspaper.

The corporate owners of the Empire-Tribune (Consolidated Southwest Media, American Consolidated Media) and the professional news and journalism organizations with which the paper is affiliated (Associated Press, Texas Press Association, West Texas Press Association, Inland Press Association) might also want to review developments there.

As for the former reporter Joiner who had covered the concerns and accounts of local citizens so professionally, life goes on.

She appears to be confident that she did the best job she could have for her community as a responsible local journalist who realized something important had happened to her fellow citizens, neighbors and friends.

“I appreciate the opportunity I have had at the newspaper,” Joiner said. “A story of this magnitude drained the limited resources a small newspaper has. I performed my other duties to the best of my ability.”

Even as the national and international media interest calmed down somewhat, other ominous developments were occurring in the Stephenville area.

A local resident stated he had been received threatening phone calls and threats of implied bodily harm or death for talking publicly about what he saw.

An intruder had also appeared on his rural property at 1 a.m., causing the resident to be concerned about the safety of his family.

See my Feb. 7 article: “Texas UFO witnesses threatened for talking to media?”

As Joiner was covering this more serious aspect of the UFO sighting case (in articles published Feb. 3 and Feb. 4) which appeared to be a law enforcement and criminal matter affecting public safety, she was reportedly told by newspaper management to back off.

“My directions were to move on to something else,” Joiner said.

The reason given to Joiner for this was, “because our readership had grown tired of the UFO stories.”

However, Joiner was still a contact person and resource for community residents, researchers, news media representatives and others.

While trying to obey management’s directives to cover topics other than the UFO sightings and related developments, Joiner said, “It was a difficult task to achieve. I was still receiving a surprising number of e-mails and phone calls on the subject.”

“I tried to direct those calls and interviews to after hours or during lunch hours. And I forwarded e-mails to my home so that I would not be giving newspaper time to the subject. I honestly tried to do as they had asked.”

The apparent irregularities and journalistic priorities of what was starting to emerge at the Empire-Tribune probably also started to dawn on Joiner as she realized things were not going in a good direction at the paper.

She gave her two-week notice, then was told to leave immediately.

“I had given notice when I realized my boss was unhappy with my performance, but was unexpectedly asked to pack my things and leave Thursday,” she said.

Joiner apparently felt that people in her community had “a need to know” about what was going on when respectable citizens came forward with their accounts and subsequent serious incidents reportedly involved the safety of and threats to a local family.

GOING FORWARD

The Stephenville UFO sighting incident is not the first and will not be the last. The responses by local and regional public safety officials to such incidents have also occurred before, and will again. Local, national and international news media professionals are also part of the picture, past, present and future.

Americans wearing the military uniform of our country and our intelligence professionals are certainly also parts of the puzzle involving UFOs and how our society deals with an apparently sensitive and complex situation. Their respect and support for good American citizens will remain crucial in the days ahead.

Many of the residents of the Stephenville region are just such good Americans. Reporter Joiner knew this because she knows the people of her community.

Local journalists typically work on topics involving all kinds of community activities: the local schools and hospitals, area peace officers and public safety personnel, businesses and employers, civic groups and organizations. And when they do, reporters often feel a sense of responsibility to do their best for their neighbors and their communities.

This works in reverse too, at the local and national levels. Our newspapers, TV and radio media, Web-based news and other similar information platforms are sometimes only as good as the standards we expect of them, and the support we give to honorable and ethical journalists.

Like the old saying, “In a democracy, citizens get the government they deserve,” the same can be said about our news media. We get the newspapers and news media we demand, deserve and support.

If we continue along a path of the “dumbing down” of Americans, as many have alleged, the fabric of our communities and our nation may deteriorate.

If we search for truth, integrity and honor within ourselves, our media and our government officials, we may just find that too.

The citizens of the Stephenville region, and all the rest of us, must decide about the directions we want to take. Do we want to continue being dumbed down? Do we want to stick our head in the sand and close our eyes?

Or, do we want greater respect as American citizens and intelligent human beings who have the ability to understand sensitive, complex and, yes, even highly unusual and unexpected situations?

When events occur that affect public health and safety, public information, our rights and responsibilities as citizens, what are our roles and those of our institutions such as local and national government and the news media?

These are questions that, it appears, must be faced and dealt with if our communities, our society and our nation will continue to thrive.

NOTE TO READERS: Hammons is a former reporter for newspapers in the San Diego area. He covered public health and safety, the “police beat,” U.S. Navy and Marine Corps topics, Pacific Ocean and beach area stories and other subjects. He studied communications and journalism at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, home of the prestigious Scripps College of Communications and E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, recognized as two of the top such programs in the United States. Hammons is also author of two novels – MISSION INTO LIGHT and the sequel LIGHT’S HAND.

Tags: democracy, establishment, flying, government, journalism, Steve Hammons
Categories: Commentary, Democracy, government, journalism
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An Article by:

Russell Cole

David Shuster was recently placed on indefinite suspension by MSNBC, following remarks that were made by Shuster during an episode of Countdown, where he was substituting as the host for Kieth Olbermann. When discussing Chelsey Clinton’s participation in her mom’s campaign for the Democratic Primary, Shuster questioned whether Chelsy was being “Pimped out in some weird sort of way,” by her parents. The remark made by Shuster was in reference to the use of Chelsey by the Clinton Campaign as an agent who was charged with the task of campaign calling celebrities, on occasions, and, sometimes, to contact members belonging to the extra-democratic council of elders; otherwise referred to as Super-delegates.

I had actually watched the show in question, and – although I had, in fact, observed the statements made by Shuster – the incident failed to registered as anything apart from the ordinary and unremarkable. However, apparently, Shuster’s remarks incited furry on the part of the Clintons and the Clintonian Political Machine. Hillary Clinton refused to participate in a debate that is to be hosted by NBC if Shuster is ever to return to his employment at MSNBC. Accordingly, the executives at NBC capitulated and placed Shuster on indefinite suspension.

The problems exemplified by this course of events that involved Shuster; his employer, MSNBC; and the Clintonian Political Machine are more than apparent. Corporate journalism has capitulated to the pressures placed upon it by an agent that would, otherwise, constitute an object of its journalistic coverage, in order for the journalism syndicate not to lose access to its subject, who, also, sometimes, serves as a source. For a journalism syndicate to obey the commands placed upon it by those who are powerful in society tarnishes any claim by the journalism organization to be providing unfettered and unbiased reports of those who have acquired positions of significance whereby their actions can have an impact upon many others.

For this reason alone, MSNBC should rehire Shuster. In fact, it was later revealed that Chelsey was assigned to a Super-delegate – where she met with him in person during the course of a private breakfast – who happened to be close in age to the former First Daughter. However, rather than addressing the Clintonian use of Chelsey in this instance, and the implications it can have, lending itself for the comparison - not in all respects, but, at least, to some - with other more unsavory forms of exploitation, it is more important to point out that Shuster should be returned to his position because he is simply one of the best in the profession.

Of all of the relentless and self-assured chatter emanating from the Washington Press Core, David Shuster has provided an unique and refreshing voice, offering empirically based descriptions and evidentially supported adduction that contribute to a stream of informative journalism that certainly marks a high peak in the profession, protruding from a backdrop of low valleys that represent the utterly unprofessional and informatively valueless work generated by his counterparts. For the majority of instances, Schuster appears to actually conduct investigatory research; thus, adding to the empirically derived body of knowledge pertaining to American political affairs while failing to merely reiterate and help propagate the popular narration of events constructed by the group-think of Washington press correspondents.

The value of Shuster’s work should not be understated, considering the alternative options one has when searching for credible sources of cable journalism. Simply from observing the cable news analyses provided upon the Primaries, it is evident that the punditry is merely engaged in speculative indulgences; always insisting upon explaining processes – such as the deliberations of African American women, who, according to the quasi-journalistic expository prose, must make the difficult chose between two competing social identities – a black man and a white women; both with whom an African American women can identify. Are these conclusions offered by the chattering heads supported by research in political psychology or sociology? Sadly, and fairly amazingly, they are not.

With absolutely no support for their conclusions other than their own intuitions and looking-glass-selves, they, nevertheless, articulate their narratives as if such explanations should be considered more credible than an description that I, myself, could provide, taking into consideration that I have no resources or even contacts. Since these accounts proffered to us by the corporate press exist in some state of Limbo between reality and fiction, it is difficult to know what exactly to make out the quasi-journalism manufactured by the chattering class occupying the chairs in cable news. At best, I would describe it as a theoretically vacant and methodologically nonexistent form of armchair political-sociology.

As Jon Stewart has pointed out, the steady stream of empirically unestablished expositions distributed through the cable news medium can be tellingly referred to as newsac. Like musac, it provides an unobtrusive background to spaces that might be otherwise uncomfortable if left in silence. The pacifying character of newsac, however, only persists for as long as one neglects to make it the object of his or her attention, because, as soon as it is scrutinized, its blandish and hollow composition comes to the fore, and, subsequently, incites a vexing realization that what one is hearing qualifies as a commodity that is significantly less than news.

Nothing was more troubling than listening to the chattering heads describe how they were misled by their polling in the days leading up to New Hampshire. These people know nothing about the inferential statistics that go into extrapolating the frequencies of attitudes belonging to an entire population about whom such attributes are inferred. The majority of the buffoons we watch on cable news do not even understand the significance of the margin of error in statistical sampling, let alone the actual operations comprising the methodology of sampling. Therefore, to listen to them joke about the precariousness of their forecasting – a disposition of reticence garnered by their debacle in New Hampshire – smacks of incredulity, because, quite simply, they had nothing to do with the polling; and, their forecasting, rather, reflected merely reading the polls and making predictions based upon the level of support achieved by the various candidates. Therefore, they are giving themselves too much credit. Their contribution to this false prediction is better compared to a high school student who uses the Wikipedia as her or her sole reference when writing a report; never considering that the renderings contained in the Wikipedia might be derived from processes that are not entirely reliable.

Shuster’s work in journalism, however, is markedly different from the preponderance of chatter heard through media transmitting cable news. When covering the Libby Trial for Hardball, Shuster reported voluminous facts belonging to the reality of the unfolding drama. In fact, Shuster’s coverage of the spectacle achieved a degree of precision that was not even remotely attained by his journalistic peers. If one wanted to understand the actualities of the case – and assuming that cable news was one’s only recourse – he or she had no where else to turn other than Shuster. Popularized myths – such as the assertion that Plaine was never undercover – often made by conservative politicos and, then, distributed by journalists who were all too willing to package such manipulative attempts at public relations as actual news was routinely dispelled by Shuster, who, as a contrarian, would point to factual information: statements made by the judge and the prosecutor that indicated that Plaine was in an undercover capacity; telling utterances contradicting the claims dissembled by Administration apologists.

Quite simply, for those of us desperate for legitimate reporting, Shuster’s loss is a devastating blow. Furthermore, when journalism becomes subservient to the agencies of power it should be examining critically, there is certainly something amiss that is in need of correction.

For shame MSNBC. I would iterate the same to the Clintons; however, it has long been apparent that they have no shame.

Russell Cole

Tags: cable news, clintons, david shuster, hillary clinton, journalism, msnbc
Categories: Commentary, journalism, cable news, clintons
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I have been a member of an organization for several months now, which operates on a national basis and performs the task of assessing the accuracy of journalistic content delivered over sources of mass media, such as newspapers, television, and radio, called Media Matters, which can be found at the following URI:

http://mediamatters.org/

I suppose this organization does a valuable service by rendering those who distort information accountable for their dissimulations. However, more fundamentally, I wonder: Does traditionally mass media matter, in the sense that it is something that should be the target of activist resources implemented for the purpose of making these corporate institutions who monopolize, currently, sources of mass communications and the discourse they distribute more accurate and non-partisan?

As empirical research repeatedly demonstrates, the content distributed through mass media that pertains to sectors of American society is - more often than not - supportive of conservative views. This, of course, is at odds with the political ideologies possessed with the majority of journalists who - according to the survey research that is conducted - possess leftist political leanings. Nevertheless, the actual products of their work, that make it through the corporate establishments responsible for rendering the news, are often endorsements of conservative policies; especially with respect to the economy and the proffered descriptions concerning the health of the economy; reports of which often only integrate into the analyses indexes that reflect the state of the economy for investors while neglecting to include aspects of the economy relevant to laborers, such as wage growth; or, contrarily, wage stagnation, which happened to be an aspect of the economy stretching back to the 1990’s that was, more times than not, omitted from reports and analyses introduced by sources of journalism.

Conservative elements in society have for quite some time complained that journalism in this country was liberally biased. In their self proclaimed effort to counteract this ideological slant, they have created institutions serving as media outlets, which are decidedly conservative, despite their professed devotion to the dissemination of journalism that is, ‘fair and balanced.’ In fact, for many of us, who suffered through the prelude to the war with Iraq, the conservative slant to journalism prevalent in mass media has become a matter that is increasingly noticeable and, even, vexing to the point of agitation.

Consequently, advocates for more responsible journalism - which fails to bow down to those in power; or ceases to understand itself, and operate accordingly, in a modality that reflects a particular sociopolitical ideology’s interests by reverberating talking points and other forms of communications that qualify as propaganda; certainly not journalism. Subsequently, major national affiliations, such as Media Matters, have been created by the Left in opposition to the present state of journalism, which seems to be increasingly the conduits for press releases by conservative institutions in society.

However, returning to the question originally posed in this brief essay - does media matter? - I have to question whether these types of strategies oriented toward affecting the corporate institutions responsible for the dissimulation of conservatively slanted journalism - in some instances, blatant propaganda - is the best use of resources. We, here, at the Populist Party of America have taken a different route toward publicizing our cause - differing from other groups that attempt to reform and penetrate through corporate mass media - that effectively bypasses the traditional institutions that serve as clearing houses for descriptions of sociopolitical reality permitted to be distributed through devices of mass communications. In fact, we have been doing it to some degree of success, as our Internet based forms of content distribution are growing rapidly and now bordering upon the quantity of audience members and contributors - a role that we attempt to encourage among all of our audience members in a strategy that has embraced Web 2.0 and social media - that rivals more mainstream sources of information and editorial.

Therefore, reflecting upon the success that has been garnered by Populist America’s refusal to submit to the authority of the traditional brokers of media space - spaces which would never have offered any coverage for our political sentiments with which to begin - we have cultivated an audience, whom we hope to make contributors, through opportunities to publish and distribute their thoughts concerning social and political events and issues; (after all, in a democracy we should all see our selves as participants, not merely consumers).

So, I suppose, in response to the question; does media matter? the following answer is best suited: It only assumes significance if you make it matter by continuing to treat it as though it has legitimacy and supremacy over all other forms of communications. However, if you attempt to make your own media matter, then - in this age of limitless potential for publicity, ushered in by the expansion of the Internet - you can acquire an audience despite your refusal to submit to the old guard of communicative forms that are quickly becoming obsolescent, anyway.

Russell Cole [send him email]

Tags: communications, Internet, journalism, mainstream media, media, media matters, Net Neutrality, politics, populist party, power, Russell Coles Blog, Social Change, society, web 2.0
Categories: Commentary, Society, Populist Party, Russell Cole's Blog, Web 2.0, Power, Politics, Net Neutrality, Social Change, Media, journalism
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We, The Midwest Alliance, have ostentatiously proclaimed that the collective representation of social and political reality, which predominately defines the most basic elements of the world-views of the majority of American subjects, is a false ideology; an illusory perception propagated by the “Manufactured Consent” engendered by a media that parades itself as news, but in actuality lacks any journalistic component.  The mass media is simply a means through which the managers of public relations disseminate their press releases.  There is no criticality involved in the reporting.

The pseudo-journalists, whose physically attractive appearances hold our attentions captive, are not investigating a story.  Rather, they are involved in a system of reciprocity with their sources, who offer them contents for their reports.  This amounts to a situation where the correspondent is obliged to frame a message that projects the image that the source is involved in crafting, in order to maintain the relationship.  It is embedded reporting in two senses of the word:  It is dependent upon the subjects of its coverage for access to their carefully planned dramaturgical performances, and, furthermore, it is prisoner to the corporate interests that have consolidated mass media sources in America.  These corporations depend upon politicians and people of power for the de-regulation of the media industry, which creates a conflict of interests that undoubtedly tarnishes any attempt at the production of authentic journalism by these profit driven entities.

Therefore, if we are two extrapolate from these two preceding propositions, we can conclude that the media has little or no independence from the elites who dominate American society.    Additionally, it is our position that this representation - the conventional political wisdom of American subjects shaped by the flow of discourse emanating from these media sources - is not an effective conceptualization of America and its system of polity, at all.  America is not a democracy, or even a Liberal democracy; it is Empire, which maintains a vestige of a dilute republicanism.  This is not hyperbole.  The rest of the world acknowledges that America is a facade of the edifice that it attempts to project as the care-keeper of the values associated with the Enlightenment.  We, as Americans, are alone in our oftentimes intransigent belief that we are the messengers of freedom in the world.  America implants within the Trojan Horse of “making the world safe for democracy,” a form of cultural and economic imperialism.  America is Empire.

Tags: democracy, empire, journalism, media, midwest populist party, populist, populist party
Categories: Commentary, Midwest, Society, Populist Party, Democracy, Empire, Media
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