This video is published on Why Tuesday? as well as OffTheBus.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- Greetings from the CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico Democratic debate here. I just spoke to Stevie Wonder, Diane Keaton and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa about the role the media plays in increasing or decreasing voter participation. This is a subject which nonpartisan research groups throughout the country have focused long and hard on.
A recent Pew Center on the States study noted that "about eight-in-ten Americans say they want more coverage of the candidates' stances on issues, and majorities want more on the record and personal background, and backing of the candidates, more about lesser-known candidates and more about debates."
Watch the video to see what Hollywood has to say about the horse race.
Why Tuesday? is an effort to make America's democracy stronger through increased voter participation; we work to make election reform an issue that our politicians cannot afford to avoid. Read more campaign coverage from OffTheBus by clicking here.
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Unfortunately the news is owned by 6 mega-corporations. They control (manipulate) the flow of information. They own all venues of information: literature, movies, magazines, newspapers, radio stations, television, music, et al...
Since the corporate-owned news is profit-driven info-tainment is the name of the game. And because the media is beholding to government, it has simply become an extension of government. Reporters are stenographers selling mostly propaganda. They decide what we can or cannot know.
If you are interested in reading journalist's personal story about censorship after 911 see here: It is well worth the read.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/31/6762/
The powers-that-be want worker-bees, too busy to notice what is going on. As long as the people keep buying goods and borrowing money all is fine with the world. Dumbing-down the public with mindless noise lulls the people into an almost catatonic state of mind.
Profit-driven news sources adjudicated their responsibility to the public. Investigative reporters are an endangered breed today. Cut-backs and downsizing for higher returns stifle our democracy and freedom.
Reporting a horse-race is more exciting and sexier than educating the people about current events or where the presidential candidates stand on the issues.
Absent information people cannot make educated decisions. Apparently that seems to be the purpose.
All of the candidates are going to spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars on their hope of getting elected ... and the lion's share of all that money is going to go to ...
... the media.
People and Time magazine (which are also owned by Time Warner) will now be publishing "in-depth" stories on Hillary, Obama, which celebs were best dressed, and more. Nobody will ask anything about Iraq, universal health care. Or why Kucinich was crushed by the MSM. And any celebs who did dare to publically dissent would naturally be censored becuase Time Warner management won't tolerate that crap.
So what the hell was the point of all this?
I think all those who use their celebrity for the causes they believe in are to be commended, not just Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Norris, Thompson and Stallone.
I'd rather have their "hollywood values" than all the love of the fetus and hatred of gays pronounced by hypocrites from a bathroom stall.
What Stevie says sounds like he thinks they should only broadcast good news.
The real problem is all these early primaries. JFK didn't announce until Jan 1960, and was elected that November. It should be like that.
Wonder's influence is wide and will make a difference, especially when he chooses to unite those same forces he mobilized to press for a King holiday. There are celebrities, and then there are those who really make a real difference that goes beyond their artistic talents to transform the landscape, Wonder is one of those folks.
Just remember that People magazine has bigger circultaion that Time and Newsweek combined, and the Academy Awards has the largest audience in the world. Politics, schmolitics -- it's all show biz, baby!
I'd prefer knowing what someone who has cancer and can't afford health care thinks.
I'd prefer knowing what someone facing foreclosure thinks.
I'd prefer knowing what someone still living in a trailer 2 years after katrina thinks.
etc.etc.etc.etc.