Media Reform

Policy change begins with you!

"The problem we face with a hyper-commercial, profit-obsessed media system is that it does a lousy job of producing citizens in a democracy"-- Dr. Robert McChesney

•to accurately  and completely inform and educate the public

•to independently investigate claims made by biased sources, especially the government

The current US media system has several important responsibilities within a democratic

society:

The Bush administration has been promoting reform in the wrong direction, toward fewer, more consolidated ownerships.

Major Media

OwnersViacom

News Corporation

Bertelsmann AG Disney

AOL Time Warner

Vivendi Universal

CBS

GeneralElectric

2005 Revenues percentage of the largest Media Conglomerates

9.8 Billion, 3%

31.9 Billion, 10%

43.7 Billion, 14%

25.1 Billion, 8%

23.9 Billion, 8%

14.5 Billion, 5%

157.2 Billion, 52%

General Electric

Time Warner

Walt Disney

Vivendi

News Corp

CBS

Viacom

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

adopted by the United Nations in November

1989, spells out the basic human rights to

which children everywhere are entitled. It has

since been ratified by all governments except

the richest, the United States of America,

and one of the poorest, Somalia.

Article 12:

Article 12 refers to children's rights to express their own opinions and to have them taken into account in any matter affecting them.

Article 13:

Children's right to freedom of expression is defined in Article 13, which also says that they have a right to receive and disseminate information.

Article 17:

•Article 17 recognizes "the important function performed by

the mass media."

•Calls on those governments who have signed up to the

Convention to "ensure that the child has access to

information and material from a diversity of national and

international sources."

•Encourages the media "to disseminate information and

material of social and cultural benefit to the children."

• To recognize children as an investment rather than a cost, and

as potential rather than a burden, and to strive to integrate this

reality into media policy.

•To meet national obligations set out under the Convention on the

Rights of the Child and to report regularly to the Committee on the

Rights of the Child on policies and actions aimed at fulfilling

Articles 12, 13 and 17.

•To ensure that resources are provided so that children and young

people have access to information.

•To explore ways in which support can be given to media initiatives

aimed at providing greater access to children, serving their needs

and promoting their rights. (gov’t grants, funding, etc.)

•To recognize that independent media is fundamental to the pursuit

of democracy and freedom.

•Censorship and control have a negative effect to the best interests

of both children and adults.

•To create an effective and secure environment in which the media

can work professionally and independently of corporate business.

Models of how Countries have drafted new media policies under the guidance of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children.

These policies are designed so that the media works to protect, preserve and maintain the rights of children.

•The CPBF was established in 1979.

•It is the leading independent membership organization dealing

with questions of freedom, diversity and accountability in the UK

media.

•It is membership-based, drawing its support from individuals,

trade unions and community based organizations.

•Since it was established, it has consistently developed policies

designed to encourage a more pluralistic media in the UK and

has regularly intervened in the public and political debate over

the future of press regulation in the United Kingdom .

•The Oslo Challenge is a call to action. It goes out to everyone

engaged in exploring, developing, monitoring and participating in the

relationship between children and the media.

•It includes governments, organizations and individuals working for

children, media professionals at all levels and in all media, the private

sector including media owners, children and young people, parents,

teachers and researchers.

(The Oslo Challenge was created in response to the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Children, launched by the Norwegian Government)

•The Radio Manifesto began in 2001 with youth radio broadcasters at Bush Radio in Cape Town, South Africa.

•Since then, the World Radio Forum (WRF) has helped young broadcasters in other countries in Africa and the rest of the world to develop the text of their Radio Manifestos.

•Youth 8 to 18 years of age contributed from townships, remote villages, and the streets of capital cities, together with the new young citizens of emerging democracies.

•Their Manifesto proclaims strongly to radio authorities the rights, needs, and hopes of young people everywhere.

•Three years of discussions and workshops by children and youth around the world have resulted in this new international document.

•Children should have programs of high quality which are made specifically for them, and which do not exploit them.

•These programs, in addition to entertaining, should allow children to develop physically, mentally and socially to their fullest potential.

•Children should hear, see and express themselves, their culture, their languages and their life experiences, through television programs which affirm their sense of self, community and place.

The Children's Television CharterDrafted at the World Summit on Children and Television,Melbourne, March 1995Approved at the PRIX JEUNESSE Round TableMunich, May 1995

•Children's programs should promote an awareness and appreciation of other cultures in parallel with the child's own cultural background.

•Children's programs should be wide-ranging in genre and content, but should not include gratuitous scenes of violence and sex.

•Children's programs should be aired in regular slots at times when children are available to view, and/or distributed via other widely accessible media or technologies.

-Rapid changes in media have created some amount of confusion.

-Government and Non-Government organizations must invest in the development of responsible and responsive media.

-Customers must become media-savvy and able to discern information which has been manipulated for political or commercial benefits.

The Baltic States have followed media conventions they have adopted from other countries.

-Protect the rights of young people in media coverage

-To ensure young people's access to diverse and high-quality information

-To help young people have a voice in the mass media, as specified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Baltic States have followed media conventions they have adopted from other countries.

•Sufficient funds must be made available to support various

media literacy programs which reflect, educate, protect,

involve and empower youth.

•Governments production, distribution and funding of

organizations which recognize both the importance and

vulnerability of indigenous children's television, and take

steps to support and protect it.

Rep. Edward J. Markey(D) Massachusetts District 7

• Chairman for the House subcommittee on Telecommunication and the Internet

• Keeping the Internet public and Neutral

• Working to advance media reform as a bi-partisan issue

Rep. Edward J. Markey(D) Massachusetts District 7

Middlesex County:

Arlington, Belmont, Everett, Framingham, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Stoneham, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Precinct 2

Suffolk County:

Revere, Winthrop

“The communications revolution has the potential to change

our society. Unless we continue to revere localism and diversity

we risk encouraging a new round of “communications

cannibalism” in mass media properties on both the national and

local levels that would put real progress in bolstering minority

ownership of media even further away.”

Ed Markey’s Reason for keeping the Media Neutral

Edward Markey: Media Reform

*Apply existing antimonopoly laws to the media.

*Expand the reach of those laws which restrict ownership of radio

stations to one or two per owner.

*Consider steps to address monopolization of TV-station

ownership and move to break the lock of newspaper chains on

entire regions.

Ultimately, we believe, the movement's legislative agenda must include proposals to:

* Initiate formal, federally funded studies and hearings to identify

reasonable media ownership regulations across all sectors.

* Establish a full tier of low-power, noncommercial radio and

television stations across the nation.

* Revamp and invest in public broadcasting to eliminate

commercial pressures, reduce immediate political pressures and

serve communities without significant disposable incomes.

Ultimately, we believe, the movement's legislative agenda must include proposals to:

(cont.)

The End

~ during times of popular political resurgence throughout the twentieth century, media activism surfaced as a significant force.

~ In the 1930s a heterogeneous movement arose to battle commercial broadcasting, and an outraged consumer movement organized to limit advertising in our society.

~In the 1960s and '70s the underground press provided vital underpinning for the civil rights, antiwar and feminist movements.

History tells us that the possibility for reform is real!

Sufficient funds must be made available to make these programs to the highest possible standards.

Governments, production, distribution and funding organizations should recognize both the importance and vulnerability of indigenous children's television, and take steps to support and protect it.

In the US, we need to follow this model and demand funding from our government and media organizations (example: demand funding from COMCAST in Springfield for media literacy programs and other such programs)

Demands that Need to be Made

•Apply anti-monopoly laws to TV stations

•Major Media conglomerates need to be broken up

•Establish a full tier of low-power, noncommercial radio and television stations across the nation.

•Revamp and invest in public broadcasting to eliminate commercial pressures, reduce immediate political pressures and serve communities without significant disposable incomes

•Owning too many media outlets allows corporations to control culture

• Local and locally originated programming must be preserved

•Youth issues in media are often limited to sex, drugs, and crime. More relevant issues such as welfare benefits, employment rights, and most importantly education issues must be addressed.

Media Reform that’s going on today!

Community action, legislative action (statewide, nationally)Advocacy groups (what they’ve done, are doing)

•What media reform means (generally)

•Critical media literacy, development of political reform groups, community media arts centers

•Media literacy (reading critically, reproducing)

•National networking groups

•Ways media reform is going on (criticism of current media structure)

Reasons Media Reform is Important

• Large media conglomerates construct popular media based on marketing strategies.

• They do not account for or take responsibility for the effect media’s content has on society

• Youth especially are highly targeted by media, but under-represented in the decision making process or what is in the media

• Youth make up a large portion of the nations purchasing power, but are not reimbursed by the companies which they support

Stop Big Media

• Media monopolies such as Comcast do not protect local media.

• As a result localism is lost and diversity is stifled.

• Forces out competition.

• Comcast provides 78% of cable to Holyoke and 73% of cable to Springfield.

Average Disposable Income

Percentage of Youth within the Population

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

14.00%

16.00%

18.00%

20.00%

Under 5 5 to 17 18 to 20 21 to 24

Age of Youth

Per

cen

tag

e

N.E

Mass.

N.E Youth Population

5.60%16.20%

3.60%

4.40%

70.20%

Under 5

5 to 17

18 to 20

21 to 24

Over 24

Urban communities?

Youth purchasing power?

MTV group

Population of Youth in Massachusetts

6%17%

4%5%

68%

Under 5

5 to 17

18 to 20

21 to 24

Over 24

•Bullet issues he has been advocating: agenda (net neutrality, etc.)

Types of media reform that is occurring now (grassroots, political legislation, etc.) this is what’s happening, what would you do?

Rep. Markey’s Recent Action Towards Media Reform and Internet Neutrality

Jan. 9, 2007

Markey chairs the House subcommittee on telecom and the internet

Jan. 13, 2007Markey address net neutrality and media ownership

Feb. 9, 2007Markey addresses e-rate and other top technology issues for new congress

Feb. 13, 2007Markey address the Association of Public Television Stations

March 1, 2007Chairman Markey holds first hearing in series on the digital future of the world wide web

Reporters Without Borders in 2006

Press Freedom Rankings:

New Zealand: 19th

United Kingdom: 27th

Australia: 35th

United States: 53rd

There were no internet sources for media reform in New Zealand. However, there were increasingly more sites for the countries which have higher rankings.

Australia’s Media Reform

“The Australian Government will comprehensively reform the media industry in Australia to create a competitive framework that will deliver consumer choice and a competitive industry in the digital media age.”

“By allowing new entrants into the Australian media industry, the Government will encourage increased diversity and new sources of information and entertainment.”

Existing license and reach limits, which provide that a person may control only one commercial television license or two commercial radio licenses in any license area, and that a person may not control commercial television licenses reaching an audience of more than 75 per cent of Australian population, will be retained.

Senator The Hon Helen Coonan Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the ArtsDeputy leader of the Government in the Senate

Media Release 13 July 2006

Bullet what’s going on Australia, UK, etc. that we need to know about

Legislation of public media access to mainstream media!!!

Government support of youth and public production (grants, etc.)

2 ways to look at it, media reform within a corporate framework and within a public

KQED in Northern CaliforniaMission Statement:

KQED provides the people of Northern California with consistently high-quality, noncommercial media that inform, educate and entertain. Through the creation and acquisition of programs, the leveraging of our multiple media assets, and strategic partnerships, KQED delivers television, radio and Internet content that makes people think, feel and explore new ideas. Our programming and services reflect the value that we place on human dignity, lifelong learning, the power of ideas, and the importance of community service and civic participation.

Developed Youth Media Corps

•Work to change the media representation of youth

•Rallying to gain support for the purpose of improving entertainment and education, not purely revenue maximization

Colorado Media Reform

"OUR MISSION is to build bridges for Colorado communities to teach media literacy and advocate for and provide access to the widest range of voices, thereby creating a culture of empowered citizens."

•Support community media through grassroots radio, television, independent newspapers

•Form alliances with other grassroots media reform groups in order to weave a network of support across the country

•Allied with FreePress

www.ColoradoMediaReform.org

The Louisville Media Reform Community

Our Mission:The Louisville Media Reform Community is a local, nonpartisan network of people working to open the print and broadcast media establishment to citizen participation in order to ensure that diverse voices are heard and the public interest is served.

Goals

•Monitor the media for fairness and openness

•Working for more voices and viewpoints in the media

•Make sure public broadcasting remains public

•Supply locally originated programming

•Third World Majority (TWM) is a new media training and production resource center run by a collective of young women of color

•Dedicated to developing new media practices that affect global justice and social change through grassroots political organizing.

•Our principal organizing focus is the community digital storytelling workshop. This three-day workshop is a unique training approach that integrates aspects of popular education, creative writing, oral history, facilitative filmmaking, and digital media manipulation to assist people in telling their stories as three-to-five minute digital videos based on the found materials in their lives (like photographs, personal drawings and letters, newspaper clippings, etc.).