Category Archives: Media Issues

One Million Hits

Posted on by ninjanurse


Via Democratic Underground, 2/10…

Since yesterday, a group called 1 Million People Who Support Ellen for J.C. Penney has popped up, far surpassing the support of One Million Moms’ Facebook “Likes” (now 42,634). As of press time, 1 Million People has 80,244 members and gaining. According to founder Cathie Winter Miller, the group only had 38 “Likes” yesterday, and a recent check of the group’s page showed pages upon pages of Team Ellen comments in the last 20 minutes alone.

I didn’t know anyone was tracking the numbers, this is fun. I thought that One Million Moms would continue to inflate themselves, limited only by the number of moms on planet earth– at my rough estimate, 2 billion. Maybe this mighty horde of moms is about to rise up and march on J.C.Penney, or maybe those busy women have more important things to do.

You know, this is a classic case of mis-information corrected by more information. Groups like the American Family Association have put the ‘bully’ in the bully pulpit for decades, and have always inflated their power and influence. They may have passed their peak. The current Republican lineup, all competing for the Christian vote, are an embarrassment to many Christians–who do not march in lockstep and were not all born yesterday either.

[for AFA, I tried to link to the organization's 'about us' page, but when I did it grabbed onto my computer like a Jehovah's Witness who won't get off your porch, and I had to do a security update. Coincidence? I don't know, but I won't visit them again unless I have time to re-start Firefox.]

IN RELATED NEWS: Who can forget the time world-famous author Jincy Willett named her novel, ‘Winner of the National Book Award’? It’s a well-known fact that Ms.Willett wears a scarf and dark glasses whenever she goes out, and survives death-defying car chases with paparazzi seeking photos they can sell to the tabloids. Of course, I don’t have the numbers on that, but this is the internet, after all.

Joe Gordon–Wrath of the King

Posted on by ninjanurse

This story from the Toronto Star should alarm free speakers everywhere, especially those who publish books, blogs, tweets and various utterances that might displease the King. Joe Gordon, born Lerpong Wichaikhammat in Thailand, is doing time for offending His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej…

BANGKOK—An American who translated a banned biography of Thailand’s king and posted the content online while living in Colorado was sentenced to two and a half years in a Thai prison Thursday for defaming the country’s royal family.
…
Gordon posted links to the banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej several years ago while living in the U.S. state of Colorado, and his case has raised questions about the applicability of Thai law to acts committed by foreigners outside Thailand.

Speaking after the verdict, Gordon said, “I am an American citizen, and what happened was in America.”

The rise of the Internet in recent years has given Thai authorities many more targets to pursue. Last month, Information Minister Anudith Nakornthap said Facebook users who “share” or “like” content that insults the Thai monarchy are committing a crime. Anudith said Thai authorities asked Facebook to remove 86,000 pages between August and November because of alleged lese majeste content.

Gordon, a former car salesman, is accused of having translated excerpts from the unauthorized biography “The King Never Smiles,” published by Yale University Press, into the Thai language and publishing them in a blog. He also provided links to the translation to other two Web forums, prosecutors say.

In the banned book, author Paul M. Handley retraces the king’s life, alleging that he has been a major stumbling block to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over his long reign.

An American in prison in Thailand for publishing an internet translation of a Yale University Press book– you’d think that would get a rise out of the Free Internet people, but I had to go to the back pages of Google News to find more on this story– an indication that it’s not getting attention here. The following is from The Nation– not the venerable liberal magazine, but a Thai multimedia news site…

The Nation December 10, 2011 1:00 am
US Ambassador Kristie Kenney’s tweets are usually of a laid-back nature. But that wasn’t the case yesterday, when her special “chat” with tweeple landed her in the middle of Thailand’s hottest political topics.

She was asked about Thai-American lese majeste convict Joe Gordon, as well as about Article 112, Thaksin Shinawatra, and freedom of expression in Thailand in general. Credited with bringing a new approach to diplomacy, this time the ambassador had to rely on tried-and-trusted diplomatic answers to prevent the one-hour session from becoming too incendiary.

On Gordon, she said the US Embassy would continue to assist him in every possible way, including continually raising his case with Thai authorities. Asked for her opinions on Article 112, she replied that she had high respect for the Thai monarchy, but was “troubled by prosecutions inconsistent with international standards”. Thaksin’s future, she said, was up to Thailand to decide.

Well, that’s why they call them diplomats. Some among the Thai people are courageously taking a public stand for free speech. More from The Nation…

About 100 opponents of the lese-majeste law donned black clothes and held a vigil in front of the Criminal Court yesterday to demand the abolition of the law and freedom for prisoners of conscience, including 61-year-old Amphon Tangnoppakul, better known as Akong, the subject of a recent high-profile prosecution.

Protesters wore paper masks of Akong and many held torches, symbolising the death of justice in cases of freedom of expression regarding the institution of the monarchy.

Kwanravee Wangudom, coordinator of a campaign to raise awareness about Article 112 of the penal code, which concerns lese-majeste offences, said that from January to October this year, 122 lese-majeste cases came before the Court of First Instance, with eight pending in the Appeals Court and three with the Supreme Court.

Kwanravee was among the protesters who stood vigil for 112 minutes. She said the lese-majeste law blurred the line between defamation and honest criticism of the institution of the monarchy.

One striking difference in the political landscape of today is the presence of instant communication. Censors are fighting a losing battle when everyone with a cell phone may be the media, in color and in real time. Kings and Presidents take notice– the whole world is watching.

Murdoch’s WSJ Games the System

Posted on by ninjanurse

Ever read the New York Times book review and notice a little dagger symbol next to some titles on the ‘best seller’ list? That means bulk orders have been recorded. Perhaps some of that bulk is used as doorstops, or given away at seminars and written off as a tax loss by a corporation. The tricks of marketing are usually so convoluted that we peasants glaze over trying to follow the trail.

This latest is different, even I can follow this scheme that worked brilliantly until it was found out…

One of Rupert Murdoch’s most senior European executives has resigned following Guardian inquiries about a circulation scam at News Corporation’s flagship newspaper, the Wall Street Journal.

The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had been channeling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal’s true circulation.

The bizarre scheme included a formal, written contract in which the Journal persuaded one company to co-operate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper’s management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardising its treasured reputation for editorial quality.

Internal emails and documents suggest the scam was promoted by Andrew Langhoff, the European managing director of the Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones and Co, which was bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in July 2007. Langhoff resigned on Tuesday.

The Guardian goes on to outline a deal that sounds like the European edition became a kind of ad sheet for a corporation that then bought copies of the WSJ for pennies and distributed them for free. This didn’t bring in money, but boosted circulation figures. A whistle-blower was told to hush up, before being ‘made redundant’ [British for 'canned'].

It’s probably for the best that WordPress doesn’t count my own visits to Kmareka, or our stats would be much higher. But that would be cheating, wouldn’t it?

Murdoch’s Australian Media Empire

Posted on by ninjanurse

That power corrupts is old news. A big public show with some bad apples in jail, followed by business as usual is the easiest way out. News Corp shares are up, so stockholders must feel reassured that nothing will really change.

Murdoch got his start in Australia, and some politicians there are asking the important question. From Voice of America news…

The scandal has prompted a broader debate here about media ownership and regulation.

The Australian Greens are questioning News Limited’s domination of the domestic newspaper industry and want an official investigation into its operations. The party’s leader Senator Bob Brown says too much power lies in too few hands.

“We have the most concentrated newspaper ownership of any similar democracy and that means that two thirds of the metropolitan newspapers [and] two thirds of the suburban newspapers are owned by the Murdoch Empire,” said Brown. ” And it does not allow for the plurality of views that is healthy for a modern democracy.

These are the questions we should be asking here. Does a democracy need an emperor? Can a free press thrive when a monopoly increases its control year by year?

REPLY: Over at Buzzflash, CwV had this to say-

#1 We are not, technically, as concentrated as Australia, mediawise. There are seven corporations that account for something like 85% of American Media. That figure is a little misleading because in great expanses of this country, your media choices are limited so that sometimes, you can’t even find all seven Majors, and there’s nothing else in between, try to find local radio on a road trip anywhere between the Smokies and the Rockies.
Seven companies sounds like it should be a competitive environment, no monopoly here, right? Wrong. The Corporate line that all these media giants toe is so strict and so similar, it might as well be coming from one office. And it’s so far Right that Keith Olbermann is too radically Leftist for the “Liberal” MSNBC.
What’s needed (and I hope this will be the outcome of the collapse of FUX) is that 1) News Bureaus should be sheered off of the corporations that currently own them, 2)the rule about owning multiple media outlets in any given market must be reapplied and strengthened and 3) a preference for local ownership/programming should be built into the license process to encourage local media companies growth, limiting the dominance of the BigFoots.
The Supremes ruled that “News” media can lie without punishment and they have indicated that an attempt to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine will not fly. It’s clear that regulating the content of Media is not a viable (or desirable) path. It makes more sense, tactically, to go after the corporate structure that concentrates that power in too few hands, regardless of their political bent.

Thanks CwV, I especially like #3 on your list. Rhode Island has some great local programming, from all sides of the issues. Long may it wave.

Brooks’ Hair Sends Tangled Message

Posted on by ninjanurse

I bust my brain writing insightful and original commentary, and except for you few loyal readers I get hardly any hits– until this week. I wrote that Rebekah Brooks has really good hair and I’m off the charts (compared to my average, that is.)

I take hair very seriously, so I noticed right away that Brooks has hair any sane woman would envy. I hope she gets to style it in jail with a cheap plastic comb for the next several years but that’s unlikely.

Robin Givhan at the Daily Beast decodes the secret subliminal message in Rebekah Brooks’ unrestrained flaming red locks.

Defiance, and a refusal to go corporate. Good camouflage for the ultimate corporate tool.

Another timely distract was a pie-throwing fool, slapped down by Rupert Murdoch’s wife, Wendi Deng– AKA Tiger Wife. Check out Wendi Deng on Wikipedia. She had a history of hostile takeover of a long-term marriage before supplanting Murdoch’s second wife of thirty-two years. Ain’t love grand.

I don’t think the pie incident was orchestrated. If I saw someone throw something at an old guy, I’d smack them too. Murdoch’s still evil. And stupid, malicious stunts like that only gain him sympathy.

The whole performance has been good for business…

Shares in News Corporation have recovered ground after Rupert and James Murdoch’s appearance in front of a committee of British MPs.

News Corp shares closed up 5.5% in New York and rose 5.1% in Sydney.

They seem confident that the public will have forgotten in fifteen minutes, and that’s probably a safe assumption.

The deeper question is not whether a family or corporation will engage in corruption. The answer is always, ‘yes’. Entropy is a law of nature.

The deeper question is whether a free press can survive in political systems that allow a ‘media empire’ such as News Corp to dominate, acquire and brand all the diverse news outlets. The collaboration between News Corp and politicians, the reciprocity and tinkering with the law are the scandal behind the scandal. But it’s hard, and also depressing to untangle the lies and manipulations. Easier to understand and be outraged by the phone hacking of a murdered child. A flaming red distraction from the greater harm.

Murdoch Lawyers-Up in the USA

Posted on by ninjanurse

News Corp is getting ready for a powerful defense in the US…

Rupert Murdoch is assembling a team of US lawyers with expertise in fighting large federal criminal cases, suggesting he is readying himself for a bitter legal battle in America as a result of the phone-hacking scandal.

At the centre of the team is Brendan Sullivan, one of America’s most experienced lawyers, who over 40 years in litigation has acquired a reputation for taking on difficult and sensitive cases. He represented Oliver North, the US marine corps officer, in congressional hearings over the Iran-Contra affair.

At the time of the hearings in 1987, Sullivan was described by the Washington Post as “the legal equivalent of nuclear war”. A fellow lawyer said: “He asks no quarter and gives no quarter.”

Sullivan describes himself as a specialist in “high-profile criminal litigation”, whose typical clients include major companies involved in “criminal investigations, litigation or government regulatory matters”. He is the author of Techniques for Dealing with Pending Criminal Charges or Criminal Investigations.

Reuters says the 9/11 phone hacking allegations are not based on much, and News Corp insiders say nothing was happening here that compares to the scandal in Great Britain.

Is ‘high-profile criminal litigation’ likely some time in the future?

One of the most damaging aspects of the case in Britain is the incestuous relationship between Murdoch’s media and British government. Two high ranking officers at Scotland Yard have already resigned and Parliament is holding a special session. No one questions that Fox News has a bias, and Fox is a major venue for Republican presidential hopefuls. Have they gone beyond reporting the news to manipulating the news? Is that what News Corp expects to defend?

A point of mild local pride, Brendan Sullivan was born in Providence.

Murdoch Whistleblower Found Dead

Posted on by ninjanurse

Not suspicious. Sean Hoare was known to be a drug user. But there is a back story…

As a showbusiness reporter, he had lived what he was happy to call a privileged life. But the reality had ruined his physical health: “I was paid to go out and take drugs with rock stars – get drunk with them, take pills with them, take cocaine with them. It was so competitive. You are going to go beyond the call of duty. You are going to do things that no sane man would do. You’re in a machine.”

While it was happening, he loved it. He came from a working-class background of solid Arsenal supporters, always voted Labour, defined himself specifically as a “clause IV” socialist who still believed in public ownership of the means of production. But, working as a reporter, he suddenly found himself up to his elbows in drugs and delirium.

Reporter and whistleblower in life, now he is the story. What next?

Already major political players are being put to shame by their reciprocal relationships with their yellow press. John Yates is the second high- ranking officer in Scotland Yard to resign over the scandal. Read it here. It’s so intertwined that you need graphics to track the connections between the Murdoch media corps, the British police and the British government.

The Plot Thickens

Posted on by ninjanurse

Today’s New York Times reports that Murdoch News of the World lieutenant Rebekah Brooks has been arrested.

A police statement did not identify her by name but said a 43-year-old woman had been detained for questioning by officers investigating both the phone-hacking scandal and payments made to corrupt police officers. A News International official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Ms. Brooks had been arrested.

Britain’s Press Association news agency said she was arrested by appointment at a London police station at approximately midday and remains in custody.

Hacking, bribery and maybe some blackmail? The Darth Vader of Murdoch’s Media Empire might have to defend her paper’s tactics in getting the story cheap and dirty.

I don’t think a corporation is a person, or a conglomeration is a family– though they like to describe themselves that way. Fox News is showing a kind of family loyalty by soft-peddling this story. If they share the corporate culture of News of the World then Fox deserves a closer look.

UPDATE: The London Chief of Police has resigned for doing nothing wrong except hiring a former executive from News of the World to guard the henhouse do publicity for the force..

Murdoch Culture of Fear

Posted on by ninjanurse

The News is now the story. Today’s Reuters has a special report on the cynical, money-grubbing burn-out work culture at News of the World. Rebekah Brooks created a macho organization where reporters competed for the sleaziest sources…

“We used to talk to career criminals all the time. They were our sources,” says another former reporter from the paper who also worked for Murdoch’s daily tabloid, the Sun. “It was a macho thing: ‘My contact is scummier than your contact.’ It was a case of: ‘Mine’s a murderer!’ On the plus side, we always had a resident pet nutter around in case anything went wrong.”

And does this sound like extortion?

“It was a ridiculously cynical approach to news,” says Peter Burden, author of the 2008 book “News of the World? Fake Sheikhs & Royal Trappings.” “They just thought: here are these endless people that Joe Public are interested in because of ‘Big Brother’, and they thought they could do what the hell they liked with them and they raided them rotten, them and their families.”

Editors would then often use damaging stories as bargaining chips, trading them for future access to public figures or to build relationships with stars. Often, the paper would drop the story they had altogether and publish something more sympathetic.

“It would be things like: ‘We know you were sleeping with your secretary but we’ll keep it out of the paper if you give us the story about how you were given away as a child,” said the long-term freelancer.

“They used to call stories ‘levers’,” said the general news reporter.

If the News approach was applied to politicians, and if this culture extended to the US holdings that include Fox News, things are going to get really interesting on this side. Already Les Hinton, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, has had to resign. What next?

WHAT’S NEXT: A look at Murdoch’s political money trail. With the Citizens United decision clearing the way for more corporate money in politics, this deserves investigation.

Rebekah Brooks– Good Hair, Thin and Greasy Ethics

Posted on by ninjanurse

Lots of nobodies have been fired with the closing of News of the World, and seven people are facing criminal charges in England. The Rupert Murdoch hacking scandal is even moving up the ranks. Rebekah Brooks has resigned…

LONDON (AP) — Rebekah Brooks, a loyal lieutenant of Rupert Murdoch, resigned Friday as chief executive of his embattled British newspapers, becoming the biggest casualty so far in the phone hacking scandal at a now-defunct Sunday tabloid.

Murdoch had defended Brooks in the face of demands from politicians that she step down, and had previously refused to accept her resignation. He made an abrupt switch, however, as his News Corp. company struggled to contain a U.K. crisis that is threatening his entire global media empire.

The Atlantic compares the American Murdoch property, Fox News, coverage of the scandal to Pravda covering Chernobyl.

Forbes has more on the political sway of the Fox network…

But Judd Legum, who has researched Murdoch as vice president for communications at the liberal Center for American Politics, says Murdoch’s impact on the U.S. political conversation – primarily through Fox News – sets him apart from other media moguls.

“I wouldn’t say it’s as great as it is in Britain. But to have that kind of relationship with all the most influential Republican players is pretty unprecedented,” Legum said, noting that many GOP presidential candidates and potential contenders have been paid Fox contributors, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008; and Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential contender and a former governor of Alaska.

If this episode does not lead us to question the concept of ‘media monopolies’ vs a free press then we will have missed what might be one of our last opportunities to keep our press free.

It’s not just about Fox News. If that network closed tomorrow some weasel would take its place. Allowing one corporation to own too big a part of our information source invites abuse.

And let me say what no one else has yet dared to. Rebekah Brooks has really awesome hair.

UPDATE: Today’s news from Reuters– former employees spill on how Brooks pushed a ruthless, bullying work culture…

Journalists who worked there in that period describe an industrialized operation of dubious information-gathering, reporters under intense pressure attempting to land exclusive stories by whatever means necessary, and a culture of fear, cynicism, gallows humor and fierce internal competition.

“We used to talk to career criminals all the time. They were our sources,” says another former reporter from the paper who also worked for Murdoch’s daily tabloid, the Sun. “It was a macho thing: ‘My contact is scummier than your contact.’ It was a case of: ‘Mine’s a murderer!’ On the plus side, we always had a resident pet nutter around in case anything went wrong.”

Read the article for descriptions of what sounds like extortion of British celebs– this is getting bigger and weirder.

UPDATE TUESDAY: I listened to some of the News of the World hearing on BBC. It reminded me of the Watergate hearings. It’s amazing what smart people can’t remember. ‘Collective amnesia’ was the assessment. It’s amazing too that such humble and decent men were taken in by their evil minions. Arrest those minions now, for causing all this trouble to such a nice family.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY: Robin Givhams at the Daily Beast has a decoding of the subliminal message entwined in Rebekah Brooks’ unrestrained flowing locks at the hearing yesterday. PR experts might have preferred she wrap her signature look in a rubber band and some bobby pins, but defiance was her strategy. Tell it to the judge.