Women's Institute for
Freedom of the Press
Communication News
Last Updated: March 20, 2008 Contents:
2. Links for Alternative Media and Media Democracy Concerns -- Organizations & Resources 3. Book Notes
Nepal gets its first all women private radio Kathmandu (PTI): A private FM radio fully operated by women has been established in the industrial town of Biratnagar in eastern Nepal. Purvanchal FM station is the first community-run radio in Nepal that has started broadcasting an eight-hour daily transmission with all women employees, officials said. UNESCO Women Make the News 2008 is a global action which promotes gender equality in the media. It is now in it's eight year. We wish to encourage all media organizations producing daily news to give editorial responsibility to women editors and journalists to direct the news on 8th March, the International Day of Women, as a step to promote gender equality in the media. Women Make the News 2008 is a unique and exciting opportunity for all those who are committed to the promotion of gender equality in newsrooms to challenge the media to fulfill their democratic responsibility to represent women and men in a fair and balanced way. For many women journalism profession continues to represent harsh realities in terms of job safety and job security, access to facilities, choice of assignments and discriminatory treatment. Progress of women journalists' careers is still hampered by lingering stereotypes and subtle discrimination. Women journalists continue to face substantial obstacles to full participation in the newsroom - particularly in terms of management opportunities. Women Make the News 2008 has two goals: to highlight the need to promote women journalists to decision-making positions throughout the world, and to promote gender equality in newsrooms. We wish to invite print and broadcast media to share with us features, articles, interviews and TV and radio programmes dedicated to this year's theme Women's Untold Stories to highlight women's multiple talents, achievements and contributions to their communities. We are therefore inviting you to submit to our website your stories for others to learn from them. The stories collected will provide practical examples that we believe will inspire others and raise the visibility of the role women play in the news as correspondents, as newsmakers and as valuable and authoritative sources of information.
Net Neutrality Advocates Hit Back at Comcast from Save The Internet (http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/) November 1, 2007 by tkarr Cable giant Comcast has become the poster child for Net Neutrality — with actions to block user traffic that make a clear-cut case for Internet protections. Today, SavetheInternet.com members and legal scholars took this case to the Federal Communications Commission. We filed an official action urging the agency to stop the cable giant from meddling with your ability to connect and share information. Act Now: Join Our Complaint Against Comcast The company recently gave us a glimpse of a world without Net Neutrality. In the “most drastic example yet of data discrimination,” the Associated Press exposed that Comcast was actively interfering with its users’ ability to access legal content and share it with one another. Despite mounting evidence that Comcast is crippling peer-to-peer communication, the company’s spokespeople have thumbed their noses at the public and the press — refusing to admit that the blocking of connections is underhanded or in any way threatens the free flow of information that’s become the hallmark of an open Internet. The High Price of Violating a Neutral Net Comcast’s defense is flimsy. The company’s blatant and deceptive blocking is exactly the type of problem Net Neutrality supporters warned would occur without proper open Internet protections. It’s now time for the FCC to do something about it. In the complaint, Free Press and Public Knowledge are asking the FCC to fine Comcast $195,000 for every affected subscriber. Comcast is the nation’s largest cable company and second-largest Internet service provider, with 12.9 million subscribers. If the FCC honors the complaint, the size of the fine for violating Net Neutrality could be astronomical. The action puts the FCC on notice. The agency has policies that partially defend against discrimination but these have yet to be tested against a real violation such as what Comcast is doing. It’s About Video The not-so-hidden secret behind all of this is video. Network owners are waging a quiet campaign to control how video gets distributed via the Web. In their view, the Internet should only be used for e-mail and surfing. Internet video should be distributed via ISPs. It’s a model that treats the Internet like cable TV — where companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon get to pick the channels you get to see. The popular trend in video, however, is streaming in the opposite direction. More and more people are becoming their own creators and distributors of homespun video content. For proof that people like to watch videos created by others, go no further than YouTube, which boasts more than 100 million downloads each day. YouTube is just the beginning of this revolution. Peer-to-peer traffic is spreading via popular technologies like Bit Torrent and Gnutella, which allow users to upload and share videos, music and other rich media without a middleman. It’s follows a non-discriminatory Web model that encourages innovation without permission. The phone and cable companies are desperate to shut this down. In the case of Comcast, they’re doing it by spying on traffic and stifling the free exchange of ideas that will continue to make the Internet so remarkable. Comcast: A Problem Found Phone and cable lobbyists have called Net Neutrality “a solution in search of a problem.” Well, here’s the problem. In the past three months, incidents of censorship and blocking by Verizon, AT&T and now Comcast have made headlines around the world. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The FCC should immediately declare that Comcast is violating the FCC’s policy. The Commission now faces a clear choice. It can either side with the interests of consumers and for an Internet unfettered by corporate gatekeepers, or it can let companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T erect “walled gardens” and destroy the most democratic communications tool in history. You can help convince the agency to do the right thing. Save The Internet (http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/)
The Relationship Between Women and the Media in Ghana by Erin Conroy, WIFP It is vital that women’s voices are heard around the globe, and both their struggles and triumphs documented by an unbiased and free media. With greater access to education, technology, and subsequent opportunities for employment, women are more likely to express themselves independent of the frameworks, institutions, and sources which attempt to stifle their concerns and neglect the pertinent issues affecting their lives. When many Americans envision Africa, they most often conjure up an image of extreme destitution, violence or disease – rarely considering the status of the media and its impact on the women in the 53 countries which comprise the continent. Though our own media may only depict a limited reality of the great diversity that spans Africa, it is vital to examine the progress that activists, journalists and leaders in many African countries are making from all different levels of society. It is also necessary to realize the extent to which gender, power, and status are all interwoven to influence the media – and the toll this takes on women in African countries. I recently returned from Ghana where I volunteered as a teacher’s assistant in a local public school in the city of Kumasi. Throughout my trip, I continuously viewed my experiences through the lens of gender, noting the stark differences between the roles of men and women in everyday life. It was evident that gender played a substantial role in all facets of Ghanaian livelihood, as women grossly outnumbered men in the informal sector jobs such as selling fruits and vegetables in the marketplace. I will never forget the images of strong women carrying huge baskets atop their heads – majestically gliding the hazy streets as though they were transporting nothing at all. Though men did partake in some forms of marketplace activity, it was predominately a female domain. I also will never forget the first time I learned that girls in Ghana are much more likely to drop out of school than are boys, and, consequently, that girls’ educations are more often sacrificed if families are unable to educate both sexes. According to the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana, a “political document” outlining the issues most adversely affecting women in Ghana while simultaneously endorsing policy level solutions, 44% of Ghanaian women receive no formal education, compared to only 21.1% of men. In addition, there are many traditions within certain Ghanaian cultures which view women as naturally inferior to men and deserving of different treatment within society. These factors which marginalize women and relegate them to lower positions in society also increase the risk of women becoming dependent on unsafe counterparts, living in poverty, and contracting diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, which more commonly plagues women). More importantly, women are denied the necessary freedom of expression which depends on access of media and technological resources (http://www.abantu-rowa.org/docs/WM%20for%20Ghana.pdf). For women in Ghana, having their voices heard is a continuous struggle due to the small number whom occupy high ranking positions, both within the government and media institutions. According to the report, Ghana NGO Alternative Report For Bejing + 10, assembled by the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana in 2004, only 5.7% of women held formal sector jobs, compared to 15.8% of men. In addition, women held less than 10% of public positions: only 2 women held cabinet seats, and women comprised just 7% of the assembly members, 16% of the Council of State positions and 9% of the parliament seats (that is only 19 women out of the 200 person parliament). More recent figures from 2006 cite the number of women in parliament still around 10% (http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/percent.htm). However, despite the disparity of men and women in decision making positions, it is very important to credit the many women’s rights organizations which have gained leverage over the years and have succeeded in advancing women’s representation throughout the country. With the adoption of Ghana’s Constitution in 1992, Article 17 mandates the equal rights of men and women. Article 17 also criminalizes gender discrimination on all grounds. Since the Constitution’s implementation, there has been more focus on gender equity, though many argue that a national gender policy has yet to be created and made a priority. Regardless, it is encouraging that so many women leaders and activists collaborated to outline their concerns in the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana, and there is ample evidence that women will continue to fight for greater representation throughout all aspects of Ghanaian society. For the country as a whole, the liberalization of media has been an important topic in Ghana’s post colonial trajectory, which officially began in 1957 when Ghana became the first African country to gain independence from the British. Many organizations are actively involved in improving media institutions within Ghana, such as the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), a nonprofit which is “committed to the concepts and basic values of social justice, political participation and the labour movement.” FES has paired with the National Media Commission (NMC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), and the School of Communication Studies (SCS), to ensure that the media continues to operate free from government intervention and regulation by providing mass communication to citizens (http://ghana.fes-international.de/index.htm). Women in particular continue to be the special focus of these organizations with the realization that they are under-represented due to the male domination of media enterprises. It is widely known that women in Ghana continue to face adversity while striving to get jobs in mass communications and journalism, making it difficult to bring their concerns to the public. Issues such as domestic violence against women remain extremely taboo, and will continue in this manner until women gain leverage in the field of media. Currently, negative stereotypes and images of women as inferior permeate the media, and further the opinions that women are less adequate, less capable, and less entitled to the same respect as men. Progressive organizations are cognizant of such challenges affecting Ghanaian women and continue in leading the battle to enable women to break the constrictive barriers denying them their constitutional right to freedom of expression and equal access to utilize the media in improving their unfavorable conditions (http://www.abantu-rowa.org/docs/WM%20for%20Ghana.pdf). As Ghana gets closer to closing the gap between men and women in terms of gender equity, more women will continue to enter media related professions. In time, they will also have the socioeconomic means to aspire to higher level positions and hold greater political clout amongst the majority of male leaders. Though the standards outlined in the Constitution call for equal opportunity among men and women, there remain many challenges which currently are being tackled by a variety of organizations, political officials and activists seeking greater status for women, particularly in the media. Accurate and equal representation for women in Ghana is a necessity for living a safe and prosperous life – a goal to which all great nations aspire. Women are an integral part of Ghana’s future, as they have been in the past. Let us lend support for their voices to be heard.
Media Literacy by Christian Barclay, WIFP In a burgeoning world of media outlets it is often hard to escape the constant onslaught of numerous television shows, magazines, newspapers, movies, and advertisements. These various forms of media are meant to influence how we feel, what we buy, where we go, how we do things, and perhaps most importantly, how we think. Nowhere is this influence more apparent or detrimental than in the impressionable minds of young children and teenagers. As we cannot depend on the media to take the responsibility that comes with its position of power, we must take matters into our own hands and make sure that we equip our young people with the tools that are necessary to see through the mass media message to the real message. In essence, we must teach them fact from fiction and the many manipulative ways in which the media try to blur that line, or in most cases, disregard it entirely. Media literacy is a rapidly growing field that examines the role media potentially, and actually, plays in our lives, ideas, and actions. It teaches people to analyze messages conveyed by the media, taking into account the commercial or political purpose of the image or message, who is responsible for it, and other ideas that it implies. It also aims to provide accurate and timely statistics on the culture of media. According to the Center for Media Literacy, there are five core concepts of media literacy:
In addition, they list the five questions, that if pondered, can lead to a more media literate attitude and perception**:
To some, these considerations and questions seem elementary and almost second-nature, but to a child, such questions are irrelevant. Without knowledge of the way the media works, a child can develop not only a distorted view of themselves, but a distorted view of the world around them. In a study concerning gender and racial disparity in childrens’ television conducted by See Jane, it was found that 3/4 of all single speaking characters are white. And only 35% of characters in animated television were female (http://www.seejane.org). Such statistics are slightly alarming considering the fact that these shows can be crucial in a child’s developmental task of integrating the differences between genders and races and how each one is represented in society. Television commercials and magazine ads are another hotbed of racial and gender stereotypes. A recent ad for EasyJet airline featured a woman’s breast along with the words ‘Weapons of mass distraction’. What exactly does a woman’s breast have to do with air travel? Nothing. But the goal of the advertisement is to grab your attention and by using such an image, there is a guarantee that it will. One of the best skills that the media possess is an innate ability to identify their target audience and tailor their advertisements exclusively to this group. They specialize in calculated allure, drawing on cultural stereotypes and prescribed gender roles. Along with the controversy that this has created in regards to tailored cigarette ads to teenagers, a recent Georgetown University Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth found that African American teenagers saw 77% more alcohol, specifically distilled liquors, advertising in African-American magazines (ie., Ebony, Source, Jet) last year than their non-black peers (http://www.reclaimyourculture.com). Another issue that further clouds media intentions is the fact that most media outlets are owned by for-profit organizations and conglomerates and are supported by corporate advertisers. These associations foster a compromised journalism industry, in both print and broadcast. This results in newspapers and journals that claim to be objective but are, in fact, controlled by an ‘unofficial’ partisan agenda. Such an agenda can lead to the sensationalism of news stories. With each media outlet fighting for its share of the ratings, the tendency to exaggerate stories and attack other points of view becomes a natural part of the news process. Big business sponsorship also carries over to colleges and universities, with monetary support being given in exchange for widespread advertisement around the campus. Channel One, which provides K-12 schools with a daily 12 minute television news program, gives schools free video equipment in exchange for a mandatory showing of their program each morning. While many schools have made the Channel One program a staple of their school day, there has been a sizeable backlash. The Channel One program includes over two minutes of commercials and a number of parents and teachers are upset by this blatant attempt to advertise to their children, in the least of all places, the classroom. Outside of the United States, media literacy education has gradually become the norm in K-12 schools. Canada, in particular Ontario, seems to be at the forefront of the media literacy education movement. In 1987, it became a mandatory part of the education curriculum. Media Communication Skills is a requisite part of the English curriculum for grades 1-8 and Media Studies is one of four mandatory strands of the English program for grades 9-12 (http://www.fepproject.org). Both programs list detailed requirements in media analysis and production-oriented programs. Ontario’s program remains to be the most developed and concrete media literacy programs in the world. England is in many ways the birthplace of media literacy education. As early as 1929, the London Board of Education's Handbook of Suggestions for Teachers urged teachers to give children specific training in evaluating (and resisting) what it considered “the low standards of early movies” (http://www.fepproject.org). In France, media education is overseen by a subsidiary agency of the Ministry of Education, the Center for Liason Between Teaching and Information Studies. Western Australia, for over a decade, has required that a quarter of its English curriculum for grades 1-12 be dedicated to media education. And in South Africa, which has required media literacy education since 1995, the government’s Film and Publishing Board began a National Media Education Initiative in 2003 empowering youth to be proficient and discerning users of the media. Since there has been no significant allocation of funding for media literacy programs in the United States by any federal agency, most of the initiative lies in the hands of school districts, states, and non-governmental organizations. And while there has been a significant push for media education in the recent years, progress has been slow due to the grassroots nature of its support base and the lack of government support that is necessary to implement a country-wide program. In 2001, university-based and scholar led groups such as the Center for Media Studies at Rutgers University and the New Mexico Media Literacy Project united to form the Alliance for Media Literate America, stating that its goal was to "bring media literacy education to all 60 million students in the United States, their parents, their teachers, and others who care about youth” (http://www.fepproject.org). State-level progress has been the most effective. Maryland was one of the first states to create a comprehensive media literacy curriculum in its public schools, although it is not officially mandated. Massachusetts has had a media strand of its English program in implementation since 1994 and is divided into two units: media analysis and media production. Yet there is still a difficulty that most states face in incorporating media literacy education into the classrooms. In order for it to be mandatory within the state, there needs to be an agreed upon standard of requirements and expectations in regards to its teaching. Most states neither have the funding or the wherewithal to fully develop this new branch of curriculum and it is therefore left to the individual school districts and teachers to develop their own ways of teaching the subject. California remains the only state to have officially mandated a set of requirements and programs for the teaching of media literacy. In grade 4 Language Arts, students learn to "evaluate the role of media in focusing attention on events and in forming opinions on issues." By grades 11-12, the curriculum must cover the "strategies used by media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture," including "perpetuation of stereotypes." Secondary school social studies curriculum must address inaccuracies and biases in political advertising, radio, and film. And health courses require student essays evaluating family dynamics in a selected TV program, collages showing how advertisements convey messages about body image, and classroom discussions on "influences and pressures to become sexually active” (http://www.fepproject.org). Media literacy education is not only important, it is imperative. The power and influence of media is strengthening every day. And while we cannot always expect the media to act responsibly when it is not in their best financial interest to do so, we can take the initiative to educate ourselves, thereby instilling in the younger generations an inquisitive and critical eye. As media literacy advocate Ernest L. Boyer says: "It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliché, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter and important news from coverage." (http://www.edtech.sandi.net)
Migrant Women Domestic Laborers: The Media’s Responsibility By Nina Shah, WIFP “I never went outside, not even to dump the garbage. I was always inside, I didn’t even go to the market. I felt like I was in jail…. I was not allowed to turn on the radio either…. I could only see the outside world when I hung clothes to dry…. My employer said, “Don’t speak to anyone. Don’t speak to friends or to the neighbors.” I wasn’t allowed to contact my relatives. I worked for three years. I had nobody to talk to. I asked my employers if I could return to Indonesia, and they said no. They said, “You have to make sure you finish your contract before you go back.”… Even if I needed a panty liner, one of the children would be sent down to buy it for me.” [Human Rights Watch, Swept Under the Rug: Abuses against Domestic Workers Around the World, Vol. 18, No. 7 (C), July 2006] Meet Sri Mulyani. Such is a glimpse, a peek, into her life of forced confinement, hardship and injustice after she migrated from Indonesia to Singapore to work as a live-in domestic worker. While women and girls such as Sri Mulyani migrate from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka to the Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to work as domestic helpers in the universal human quest for a better life, they are indiscriminately viewed and treated by society solely as objects, goods to be purchased rather than as human beings. There are many detractors who would contend that migrant domestic labor is a boon not just for the employees of such labor, but arguably even more so for the migrant laborers themselves. Migrant domestic labor provides economic opportunities for low-skilled women from developing countries and such opportunities can help bolster the economy and living standards in the migrants’ home country. While there is indeed potential for migrant domestic labor to provide financial stability and opportunity for low-skilled women, this potential has not come to fruition in most cases because of the unregulated and black market nature of migrant domestic labor. By drawing public and government attention to the conditions suffered by migrant domestic laborers, the media is uniquely positioned to take the first step towards restoring the dignity of and economic opportunity for domestic migrant laborers around the world. As it is structured today, overseas employment is a risky undertaking. Workers face adjustment challenges in the new social, economic and political framework of the foreign country, in addition to apprehension about the contractual nature of their overseas employment. These problems are only exacerbated when these migrants are females, particularly domestic workers who, by residing with their employer and family, live and work in highly vulnerable environments, completely dependent on the employer for the most basic needs such as food and shelter. While there are undeniably some migrant domestic workers who have enjoyed positive experiences, many more suffer physical, psychological, and sexual abuses from their employers and labor agents. In fact, according to a 2006 Human Rights Watch report on child labor, “domestic workers, who often make extraordinary sacrifices to support their families, are among the most exploited and abused workers in the world.” [Human Rights Watch, Child Labor, 2006 http://hrw.org/children/labor.htm] As Sri Mulyani described, as live-in domestic workers, these women are kept prisoners within the walls of their employers’ homes, slaves to the whims of their employers. Living in such forced confinement and working in an unregulated, isolated environment makes it virtually impossible to escape abusive situations or to seek outside help. In this way, serious exploitation of young migrants, taking place in the privacy of employer homes, is hidden from the public eye. Much of this abuse also occurs because the governments of most labor-importing countries do not even consider these migrant domestics to be real workers and exclude them from labor protection laws [Human Rights Watch, Swept Under the Rug: Abuses against Domestic Workers Around the World, Vol. 18, No. 7 (C), July 2006]. Unprotected by legislation and working in unregulated conditions, domestic workers are invisible for all intents and purposes, and vulnerable targets for exploitation. To further exacerbate their situation, exorbitant labor agency fees leave migrant domestic workers heavily indebted and increase their vulnerability to exploitation. Employers and labor agents subject women migrant domestic workers to deplorable working conditions replete with intimidation, violence, sexual abuse, restrictions on the freedom of movement, non-payment of wages, excruciatingly long working hours with no rest days, among other egregious abuses to their human rights that have transformed their humble dreams of earning enough money to support their families into nightmares. [Human Rights Watch, Swept Under the Rug: Abuses against Domestic Workers Around the World, Vol. 18, No. 7 (C), July 2006] In all, their gender, isolation, lack of legal protection, indebtedness, and education levels render migrant women domestic workers particularly vulnerable to maltreatment [American Civil Liberties Union: Trafficking and Exploitation of Migrant Domestic Workers by Diplomats and Staff of International Organizations in the United States, January 2007]. Furthermore, the public is largely ignorant about the atrocities committed against these domestic migrants, allowing governments to sit idle. This is where the media must intervene, for it uniquely can raise the issue to an important place in the public consciousness such that governments and the public will be spurred to act to alleviate the conditions that migrant domestic workers face. The media must take advantage of its unique power and position to raise awareness and facilitate informed public dialogue on the rights and working conditions of migrant domestic workers. With this in mind, the media should undertake awareness campaigns to expose the public on issues related to the human rights and labor rights of domestic workers. While labor agencies must reform the unfair recruitment fees and associated salary deductions, and while governments and legislation must amend and extend key labor protections to domestic workers, the international and regional press also has a responsibility to raise popular attention to the atrocities that many migrants suffer. An informed and outraged public can provide the needed stimulus to international organizations and governments. By no means should domestic service, or migrating for domestic work, come to an end. In fact, migration is an important way for many women to earn money to support their families, not to mention the benefits migrant labor provides to both labor-importing and exporting countries. However, action must be taken to ensure that women migrant domestic workers’ rights are respected. To this end, the media is pivotal in efforts to stop the mistreatment of migrant domestic workers and to ensure that they may all enjoy successful and safe experiences working abroad.
A Commentary by Desiré Vincent, WIFP And even as a result of this, some focus of sub-genres of hip hop music has turned from criticizing and exposing the ills of urban America to defending their art and taking the focus away from the people who are the fans and followers and making it an intra-group conflict. Thankfully, consumer choice in this case still exists to some degree, but there is a distinct divide within the community of artist, that I feel is important to be bonded in order to effect real change in the community of black America, regardless of socio-economic status. Made popular by its use in Hip Hop music, The “N” now is used as a colloquial term among Black Americans and even non-blacks. I’ve heard it argued that the black race is taking the word back by appropriating it and by doing this the word loses its harsh value. The “N” word can never be appropriated. Although racism stills exists today, we are not the generation that was called “N” while we were persecuted and lynched and when we were being publicly harassed, mistreated and beaten. As the parents and children in this hip hop generation I believe we do ourselves an injustice by not respecting our history, and at best when we can, letting it be just that....history; using those times of struggle for the race as fuel to continue to fight today. In the genre of hip hop music with much to be said about the language, I think it is especially important to acknowledge the lack of respect given to women through the use of “girl,” “bitch,” “w(ho)re, and any other name that they are called out of their own. To make progress, the damage of this is especially imperative to recognize when dealing with young women. Among its many purposes music serves a transmission of culture and as a form of media where people see and hear about themselves. Since hip hop music is most closely connected to today’s generations of young black America its important for the language to be changed when dealing with women to promote empowerment amongst the young women so they know they will not always be a girl, and they are not bitches, etc. We could say consumers should be educated enough to understand hip hop music as entertainment value , we could say the hip hop artists and the parties involved should not be viewed as leaders, we could say the artist should strongly consider the impact on the audience digesting the content of their music. We could say all of that, but on conscious and subconscious levels music is more than entertainment, artists are viewed as leaders, and some artists will just make what sells regardless of the content (or lack of) they’re feeding. And this will continue, because someone benefits from all of it. If that was not the case then it would persists as it does today. So, who is responsible? It would be unfair to place the blame on one party, since there are multiple parties involved. There is the FCC, record companies, artists, and consumers. I think change would have to occur by each actor in order for there to be any real change in the music that is made and distributed, and thus changing the effects on communities and people. What can I do? First, know yourself and the music you enjoy. Listen to the lyrics, and challenge some of the ideas presented by thinking about them, ask questions. Ask yourself why you hold the beliefs that you hold and how does your music help or harm them. Then, utilize your own form of media keeping in mind that its important to challenge the ideas presented, not the people. Write letters to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), express your concerns to the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, and write letters to the record companies, artist, representatives and senators. Say how the music affects you, whether it is positive or negative and what change you would like to see. And lastly, take pride in knowing that you have the right to voice your concerns.
by Christian Barclay, WIFP Too often do we receive our news from stiff talking heads or short distorted scrolls at the bottom of a television screen. Or perhaps we are lucky enough to read an article in one of our illustriously touted newspapers about an economic disaster in Mongolia, which is surely informative and important, but rarely written by a Mongolian themselves, or anyone living in the midst of such a matter. What can be said for the current state of major news media organizations is that there is often a sense of detachment and the stories being covered, for many reasons, are either biased or uninformed, clearly clashing with the stated ‘objectivity’ of most national news sources. NowPublic.com employs such conditions as a call-to-arms of sorts, encouraging the common civilian to reclaim the news, as it is ‘now public’. The Vancouver-based web company was created in February 2005 by Michael Tippett, a prominent Canadian Internet and technological entrepreneur, and describes itself as ‘a participatory news network which mobilizes an army of reporters to cover the events that define our world’. (www.NowPublic.com) The website allows registered members to post their news stories, comments, blogs, videos, and photos on its pages. Areas of coverage include local, politics, people, weather, culture, and places. Members are encouraged to report on any and all news that they find interesting or relevant. A browse through the site finds articles on Australian elections, ethnic tensions in Lebanon, a LA bus crash, an invasion of cicadas in Chicago, and the commencement of Fleet Week in New Yorky City. The pictures and videos range from artistic to informative. In a news media society where international relations and big money politics are often the headliners, NowPublic allows citizens to read and write about stories and events that are usually not recognized by the big names in news. It makes no qualms about front-page relevancy and with the speed and scope of the Internet, events can be reported on as soon as they happen. For example, during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, NowPublic had more reporters on the scene than most American news organizations have on their entire staff. A fascinating and extremely useful part of the website is the recent addition of the highlight tool. This tool enables users to highlight any other news headlines and excerpts and use them as a jumping-off point for their own story. But no fear, the highlighting tool immediately encloses the quote in a shaded box and sources it automatically at the bottom or top of your article. And while NowPublic is a site that exists on very few rules and regulations, it does include a Code of Conduct. Citizen journalists are advised to avoid plagiarizing and writing stories that deliberately obscure their vested interests. If you have a specific viewpoint on an issue, let it be clearly stated in your article, rather than hidden behind false reports. Citizens are also encouraged to be accountable for their writing, creating a follow-up when they feel it necessary, and to write with the idea of promoting interactivity and dialogue. On Febrary 9, 2007 NowPublic joined with the Associated Press in a partnership that will see both companies working together to bring NowPublic’s network of news contributors in collaboration with Associated Press’s breaking news coverage stories. A first of its kind, this partnership offers unparalled distribution opportunities for citizen created content. For a web company that is only two years old, NowPublic is well on it’s way to changing the face of news.
Links for
Alternative Media and Media Democracy Concerns -- (be sure to return to the WIFP website!) MediaWatch, challenging racism, sexism and violence in the media through education and activism, P.O. Box 618, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0618. (831) 423-6355. Email: mwatch@cruzio.com The outstanding newsletter is available by subscription for $20 ($10 low income). Center for Media Justice The Center for Media Justice is a member-driven media strategy and action center dedicated to creating a collaborative movement for racial justice and youth rights. Together with our participants, members, partners, and allies—the Center for Media Justice builds the power of grassroots movements and disenfranchised communities to transform public debate and win media accountability in the service of justice. Progressive Communicators Network The Progressive Communicators Network exists to strengthen and amplify the power, voices, and vision of grassroots movements that are working for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. Network members use communication strategy, framing and messaging, and media tools to: 1) enhance the influence of social change movements on public policy and opinion; and 2) realize a world without poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression. The Network is a project of Spirit in Action, a movement-building support organization located in western Massachusetts. Media and Democracy Coalition The Media and Democracy Coalition is an unincorporated affiliation of national, state and local consumer, public interest, organized labor and media reform organizations representing tens of millions of Americans. The coalition is governed by a steering committee and an executive committee of coalition members. Save the Internet is a coalition working together to keep the internet open and free. Feisty Aphrodite was conceived of by two frustrated women fed-up with the corporate media’s lack of responsibility to educate its people. "We are now a resource focused on bringing the many feminine perspectives to the world through information, activism and independent media. Please peruse our site, where we offer our guests the opportunity to voice their perspectives via blogging, podcasts and the gallery." Center for International Media Action CIMA seeks to advance media access and representation and to support diverse voices and actors in media reform, media production and media accountability. Reclaim the Media is a coalition of independent journalists, media activists and
community organizers in the Pacific Northwest, promoting press
freedom and community media access as prerequisites for a functioning
democracy. Media Access Project is a non-profit, public interest law firm which promotes the public's
First Amendment right to hear and be heard on the electronic media
of today and tomorrow.
 Citizens Communication Center and Minority Media and Telecommunications
Council Among those working on Broadcast Ownership Rules: David Honig, Executive Director, at Minority
Media and Telecommunications Council (202-332-0500 or 332-7005). Virtual Alternative Media Project An impressive resource that will lead you to new places. Be sure to bookmark the site because you'll want to go back for more. Women's Radio Fund "Our mission is to build a support network for women radio producers and broadcasters worldwide." Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting (CIPB), Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting, 901 Old Hickory Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15243. Telephone: 412-341-1967 E-mail: jmstarr@adelphia.net
National Federation of Community Broadcasters The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is a national membership organization of community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations. Large and small, rural and urban, eclectic or targeted toward specific communities, the member stations are distinguished by their commitment to localism and community participation and support. Free Press "If we want a media system that serves democratic and cultural values, we must address the root causes of the problem - media ownership, management, regulation, and subsidy. We must open up and democratize media policy debates, and craft a media system that reduces the power held by the enormous corporations and advertisers that today dominate the media culture. "Free Press is a new national media reform organization working to open up and ignite policy debates, reinforce outreach efforts in Washington and across the nation, strengthen the media reform network, and - using seasoned organizers and cutting-edge communications strategies - make media a bona fide issue in America."
The Girls, Women
+ Media Project The
Girls, Women + Media Project is a national non-profit advocacy
initiative and network, working to promote fairer, healthier,
more positive images of girls and women in the media through awareness
and concerted action. Media Tank "The vision for Media Tank began when local activists came together to organize independent media resources for the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. That effort led to the establishment of the Independent Media Center of Philadelphia (IMC-Philly), which provided ground-breaking coverage of the Convention week, and remains a media collective that provides alternative coverage of local events. The original founders of IMC-Philly, acting on the needs for more basic awareness-building and media education resources, have gone on to set up Media Tank, a non-profit community media resource center working to broaden the debate on important issues of media democracy."
Action Coalition
for Media Education (ACME) October 18-20,
2002 marked the founding summit of the Action Coalition for Media
Education (ACME), at the beautiful campus of the Albuquerque Academy
in New Mexico. ACME, free of corporate media funding, is a strategic
network linking media educators, health advocates, media reformers,
independent media makers, community organizers and others. ACME
will: http://adbusters.org/metas/psycho/mediacarta/ " When will we reach the breaking point? Our minds have become a virtual dumping ground of pollutants — manipulative ads, distorted news, untold violence, spin and hype. We can cope with the media onslaught to a degree. But all signs suggest that the cumulative effects of this toxic culture — on our stress levels, our moods, our relationships, our worldviews, even our mental health — could become one the most pressing issues of our generation. This online activist network — 25,000-strong — is working to rethink our broken media system. We invite you to join by signing the Media Carta manifesto. Media activism is still in its infancy and is currently fragmented into dozens of different agendas. Over the coming months and years, we'll be exploring ways to pull together these disparate threads. We consider Media Democracy, Media Justice and especially Mental Environmentalism to be groundbreaking narratives that could gel our activism into a full-fledged movement -- a movement on par with feminism, civil rights and environmentalism. We hope you'll join us in changing the way information flows and how meaning is produced in our Information Age." Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) "FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information. Uniquely, FAIR works with both activists and journalists." Media Matters for America "Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Launched in May 2004, Media Matters for America put in place, for the first time, the means to systematically monitor a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets for conservative misinformation — news or commentary that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda — every day, in real time." http://www.apcwomen.org/"We are a global network of women who support women networking for social change and women's empowerment, through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). We promote gender equality in the design, development, implementation, access to and use of ICTs and in the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate them." Alliance for Community MediaThe Alliance for Community Media is committed to assuring everyone’s access to electronic media. The Alliance advances this goal through public education, a progressive legislative and regulatory agenda, coalition building and grassroots organizing. A nonprofit, national membership organization founded in 1976, the Alliance represents over 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access organizations and community media centers throughout the country. It also represents the interests of millions of people who, through their local religious, community and charitable groups, use PEG access to communicate with their memberships and the community as a whole.
More Media Links
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Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press 1940 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-1502 phone: 202-265-6707 email: media democracy [at] wifp.org www.wifp.org |