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Wednesday, December 31
Happy New Year/President-elect Barack Obama at Grant Park Nov. 4 2008
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 31 Dec 2008 07:29 PM AKST
Gullible Media Necessary for Clean Coal PR Campaign
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 31 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Gullible Media Necessary For Clean Coal PR Campaign
 Center for Media and DemocracyPR Watch.org by Sheldon Rampton The coal industry's campaign to "make coal sexy again" has included every trick in the book - even a music video ad featuring supermodels dressed up as coal miners. [BFIA followed the Slate link to the GE site to view the ad but it appears to have been taken down. You can see it here and on YouTube. You may also want to catch the Clean Coal Carolers singing "Clean Coal Night" to the tune of "Silent Night", and "O Technology" (sung to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"). David Roberts, an environmental writer for Grist.org, has written a great critique of the coal industry's "clean coal" campaign, pointing out that "it's an obvious scam - easily exposed, easily debunked. Just because it's obvious, though, doesn't mean the media won't fall for it. Indeed, the entire 'clean coal' propaganda push is premised on the media's gullibility." The concept of "clean coal" was invented to answer concerns about global warming, and its advocates play a rhetorical game of bait-and-switch on precisely this topic. When pressed about how coal can be clean, Roberts observes, "they revert to the other definition of 'clean' - the notion that coal plants have reduced their emissions of traditional air pollutants like particulates and mercury (as opposed to greenhouse gases)." To see how this flimflam works on a gullible media, Roberts points to the example of Politico's Erica Lovley, whom he dubs "2008's presumptive frontrunner for Most Gullible Journalist." (Perhaps we'll have to add that category to next year's Falsies Awards.) He provides an example showing how Lovley allowed a coal industry spokesman to use the bait-and-switch trick to "dispute" the [Center for American Progress] CAP report by changing the subject rather than actually addressing the facts. (Click here to read the entire article) You can follow and support the outstanding work of our neighbors at the Center for Media and Democracy, 520 University Avenue, Suite 227, Madison, Wisconsin 53703 Tuesday, December 30
Barack, the Magic Negro
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 30 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Barack, the Magic Negro
 by Linda ThiemanI’m sure by now you’ve heard the tale of the parody entitled “Barack, the Magic Negro” – sung to the tune of “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” The supposedly-funny racial slur satire received little attention when it first aired several times on Rush Limbaugh’s increasingly irrelevant radio talk show in 2007. But then, thanks to one of the good ol’ boys of the Grand Old Party—Chip Saltsman, who is/was? running for head of the RNC—the “magic” hit the fan when he distributed a “Christmas” collection of supposedly satirical songs by Limbaugh contributor, Paul Shanklin, which included “Barack, the Magic Negro.” It’s not hard to choose exactly which part of this parody is most offensive, as it is easy to see that there are some deep-seated racial stereotypes being called on. The one I am primarily referring to is the question of Obama’s “authenticity” as a black man. For one thing, Shanklin uses a pseudo-Al Sharpton to accuse Obama of not being an authentic black man because he’s not from “the ‘hood,” which would seem to indicate that only a portion of African-Americans could be considered “authentic,” as if Shanklin were implying that to be born into a well-educated or a well-off middle- or upper-class African-American family makes you less black and less real. Another questionable line has whites voting for Obama because they feel guilty and voting for Obama makes them feel good. And this idea was supposedly taken from a March, 2007, opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times. In effect, the parody is saying that it’s all about race. It’s not that we vote for Obama because we agree with his policies or because we believe that he can do the job better than any other candidate. It’s because he is a non-threatening, non-buffoonish black man who helps us alleviate “white guilt.” But, really, I should think that being non-threatening and non-buffoonish would be a prerequisite for any candidate to be elected to the office of POTUS. However, these qualties would not preclude a person from stealing the office, however, as we have daily proof. But I digress.... It is disturbing that some in the GOP can see nothing wrong with the lyrics, claiming instead that there is a “hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race.” Or maybe the insensitive members of the GOP are just shocked that suddenly someone is making a big to-do about something that no one noticed for over a year. Well, I suppose we expect this kind of low behavior from Limbaugh, but we may actually hold the leaders of the GOP to a higher standard. This whole thing reminds me of something drunk men would do at an office Christmas party--it's ill-advised, ill-considered, and accompanied by a doozy of a headache in the morning. If you haven’t yet taken the time to listen to the so-called parody, you can listen to it here. Read the lyrics here. Monday, December 29
'Shock Jocks' on the Radio Airwaves in Iowa
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 29 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
'Shock Jocks' on the Radio Airwaves in Iowa
 by Trish NelsonAs you know, if you have been following this blog lately, BFIA has a renewed focus on (1) Progressive Action; and (2) Media Reform. The over-saturation of conservative talk (shock jocks, hate speech, etc.) on the radio airwaves is a problem that needs our urgent attention. In our research we have been stunned to discover the prevalence of hate speech readily available in Iowa, broadcast over our airwaves daily, under the misnomer of “conservative talk” radio. In the interest of civility, BFIA will also adopt the term conservative talk radio to discuss this strange and disturbing phenomenon. In our Dec. 27 post, we listed ten stations in Iowa that carry Rush Limbaugh. Today the BFIA spotlight is on Glenn Beck who, according to his website, is “known for his quick wit, candid opinions and engaging personality.” You can get Glenn and a full slate of his conservative colleagues on the following radio stations in Iowa: Burlington KCPS-AM 1150 (locally owned) Des Moines KWQW-FM 98.3 (Citadel) Sioux City KSCJ-1360AM (locally owned) Waterloo KXEL-AM 1540 (locally owned) If you listen for a couple of minutes, you will probably experience an overwhelming urge to call the local station to ask why they are broadcasting such things over the publicly owned airwaves with no opposing point of view. When that happens, click on the links above which will take you directly to the station's website for contact information, or click on the link for the Citadel station. In the event that you do not turn on your radio right now or start your online streaming of Glenn's show, I would like to post just one of Glenn's ideas here so you'll understand what we're talking about. Then, it is very important that we all figure out a way to take action. From the May 17 [2005] broadcast of The Glenn Beck Program: BECK: Hang on, let me just tell you what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out - is this wrong? I stopped wearing my What Would Jesus - band - Do, and I've lost all sense of right and wrong now. I used to be able to say, "Yeah, I'd kill Michael Moore," and then I'd see the little band: What Would Jesus Do? And then I'd realize, "Oh, you wouldn't kill Michael Moore. Or at least you wouldn't choke him to death." And you know, well, I'm not sure. Beck's program is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks (owned by Clear Channel) on more than 160 radio stations across the country to an estimated audience of 6 million listeners. How many are in Iowa? If you are of the attitude that conservative talk is harmless entertainment and nobody really pays attention, you may want to check out the work of Bill Moyers, Rage on the Radio. You can also go to Talkers Magazine, "the bible of talk radio and the new talk media" for a good scare. In addition, we bet you could come up with several people you know personally who listen to these shows and take them seriously. We know we can. The point is, if the publicly owned airwaves are going to be saturated with nothing but one point of view, what happens to the public interest? What about the stations' responsibility to be fair and balanced? There is essentially no progressive talk radio on the air in Iowa. Frequently, conservatives point to NPR, as a liberal institution, but NPR is mainstream, not progressive or liberal. Therefore, we would argue that NPR alone does not correct the imbalance. We have found only one station in Iowa , KBIZ 1240 AM, Ottumwa, that broadcasts a bona fide, syndicated, progressive talk show - Alan Colmes' aptly titled Liberaland, 9-midnight, M-F! Woo! Go Ottumwa! Go KBIZ! If you live in Ottumwa, call KBIZ and let them know you're listening. Station owners use the public airwaves free of charge. At very least, our communities deserve more than just one point of view. And that is the BFIA rant for the day on the subject of conservative talk radio in Iowa. Unfortunately, there is more...much, much more... Stay tuned and take action! Media Reform Now! Sunday, December 28
Bush and Cheney's Scandal List: 314 and Counting...
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Bush and Cheney's Scandal List: 314 and Counting...
 scandalist.infoLest we forget, it's probably a good idea to bookmark this compilation of 314 Bush scandals (including links) and save it for future reference. (The most recent scandal on the list took place in July of 2008. I would add to the list the medical 'conscience rule.') Space limitations prevent us from posting the scandal list in its entirety, but here are the first ten, so you can take a quick glance at the dark past of the Bush years without dwelling too long on the trauma. And, don't forget to say to yourself, as you walk through the horrors of stolen elections, Gitmo, the Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping, Diebold, Enron, WMDs, Katherine Harris, free speech zones, etc., it's all over.... you never have to go back there again. Hopefully. Twenty-three days left. Go to: Bush and Cheney's Scandal List for all 341 scandals (so far) and links. 1 - 2000 Election Fraud (FL & other states, Diebold & More) 2 - 2004Election Fraud (Documented Suppression of Minority Vote in OH & other states) 3 - Paid Armstrong Williams to Promote Education Reform Without Citing Admin Funding 4 - Cheney's Energy Task Force (Released Documents, WaPo Article & Now Food Riots As Result) 5 - Jeff Gannon Journalist Mole/Closet-Gay Playmate (NSFW) 6 - Jack Abramoff (White House Ties, Modern Day Slavery & More) 7 - Katrina Response (Bush Debriefed on Conditions, Video & Timeline) 8 - Veto Stem Cell Research (First Use of Veto in 5 ½ years) 9 - Federal Funding for Churches to Distribute Community Based Services 10-White House Rejects Most Foreign Aid for Katrina Saturday, December 27
Conservative Talk Radio in Iowa - How Much is Too Much?
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Conservative Talk Radio in Iowa - How Much is Too Much?
Yesterday, Blog for Iowa posted an article about the future of conservative talk radio and suggested an action to go with it (scroll down). After doing a little research, we found out that there are ten radio stations in Iowa that carry Rush Limbaugh. All but two of these stations carry at least one other conservative talk show, and five stations carry multiple conservative talkers. Since we've no doubt your first order of business after the holidays will be to contact your local radio station to inquire as to why they are broadcasting only the conservative point of view on the publicly owned airwaves, and no opposing point of view, and also to make some suggestions about more fair and balanced programming they might air, we have compiled a list of the Limbaugh et. al. -carrying stations including contact information, and posted it below. We were astonished to learn that on some of these stations, virtually the entire day (and evening) of programming is devoted to conservative talk. Only one station as far as could be determined, broadcasts anything remotely resembling the opposing point of view, the Mason City station, KGLO, which runs a radio replay of Face the Nation once a week. As if five days a week is not enough conservative talk, several stations run "best ofs" on the weekends (Best of Sean Hannity, for example). BFIA would also like to correct our Dec. 17 post, Our Second Priority: Media Reform, which erroneously claimed that WHO-Radio in Des Moines, a 50,000 watt station, broadcasts eight and one-half hours per day of conservative talk, 5 days a week. The correct number is thirteen and a half hours per day. See the program schedule below. We regret the error. ACTION: If you happen to live in any of these ten broadcast areas, please consider calling or e-mailing your local station. BFIA will be very interested in hearing what you find out. Burlington Talk Radio KCPS KCPS 1150 205 S. Gear Avenue W. Burlington, Iowa 52655 Phone (319) 754-6698 E-mail kcps@aol.com Glenn Beck, 9-11a; Limbaugh 11a-2p;Dennis Miller 2-5p; O'reilly 5-6p; Michael Savage 7-9p; Cedar Rapids WMT 600 600 Old Marion Road Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Phone: 319-365-0600 Toll free: 800-332-5401 *600 on your US Cellular Phone johnlaton@clearchannel.com Limbaugh 1p-4p; Jim Bohannon 9p-12a KXIC Iowa City 800 AM (319) 354-9500 /866-609-TALK (8-2-5-5)/news@kxic.com Hannity, Dennis Miller, WOC Quad Cities 1420 AM 563-344-7025 news@woc1420.com Limbaugh 11a-2p; Hannity 6-9p;Dennis Miller 9-12a; Des Moines WHO Radio 1040 AM 2141 Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50312 Phone: 515-245-8900 vanharden@clearchannel.com, Program Director joelmccrea@clearchannel.com, General Manager Jan Mickelson,9a-11:30;Limbaugh 1-4p;Steve Deace 4-7p;Michael Medved 9-10p;Michael Reagan 10p-1a; Jim Bohannon 4-5a. Dubuque WDBQ(no website) 1490 AM 5490 Saratoga Road Dubuque Phone: (563) 557-1040 Limbaugh 11a-2p Estherville KILR 1070 AM (no website) Phone: 712-362-2644 Limbaugh 11a-2p Mason City KGLO AM 1300 341 S Yorktown Pike Mason City, IA 50401 (641) 423-1300 Tim Fleming, tfleming@kglo.threeeagles.com Brian Fancher, bfancher@kglo.threeeagles.com Limbaugh 1p-4p M-F Sheldon KIWA (has advertiser list on website!) 1550 AM 411 9th Street Sheldon, IA 51201 Phone: 712-324-5377 E-mail: Walt Pruiksma, Station Mgr., at walt@kiwaradio.com (good luck...there is a picture on the website of Walt with Bush) E-mail: Wayne Barahona, Program Director, at wayne@kiwaradio.com Limbaugh 11a-2p; Hannity 2-5p; L & H Saturdays also Sioux City KSCJ 1360 2000 Indian Hills Dr Sioux City, IA 51104 (712) 239-2100 sarthur@powelliowa.com Limbaugh, 11a-2p; Hannity, O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Dennis Miller, Bohannon Waterloo KXEL AM 1540 514 Jefferson Street Waterloo, IA 50701 General Manager: Tim Mathews tim@radiogroup.net Phone: 319-234-2200 or 800-584-7024 Coverage Area: Waterloo-Cedar Falls-Cedar Rapids-Iowa City 5-6a Jim Bohannon; 8-11a Glenn Beck; 11a-2p Limbaugh; 2-5p Hannity Friday, December 26
Future of Conservative Talk Radio
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 26 Dec 2008 09:04 PM CST
Future of Conservative Talk Radio
NYTimes.comJust because we won the election and President-elect Obama would like us all to just get along, doesn't mean the fight is over. Conservative talk radio appears to be alive and well and planning to stick around. This strange phenomenon is quite possibly responsible for a lot of the weird anecdotes you hear out there - like people you know personally or friends of friends who say they believe Obama is a Muslim terrorist anti-christ who wants a new flag, etc. - these odd ideas probably originate on conservative talk radio (okay and FOX News and Drudge). Perplexed progressives continually scratch their heads over this: Where do people get these ideas? Amid all the pressures on the radio industry, news-talk stations see an opportunity — and his name is Barack Obama. After eight years of playing defense for President Bush, the conservatives who dominate talk radio are back on offense. Hours after Mr. Obama’s election, the country’s most popular radio host, Rush Limbaugh, was talking about the “rebirth of principled opposition.” Sean Hannity, the second highest-rated host, quickly cast his afternoon show as the home of “conservatism in exile.” Radio, at least for now, still acts as a national megaphone for influential voices. This year, news talk ranked as the most popular radio format in the United States, surpassing country music for the first time ever. Forty stations have added news talk in the last year, for a total of 2,064 that use the format, up from about 1,500 a decade ago, according to the trade publication M Street. That means 2,064 stations need 24 hours of programming every day. Stations with tight budgets increasingly rely on programs from Premiere Radio Networks, ABC Radio Networks and other syndication companies. Five of the most popular syndicated names in news-talk radio — Mr. Limbaugh, Mr. Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage and Laura Ingraham — signed new contracts in the last 12 months, all but guaranteeing that they will be rallying listeners for the duration of Mr. Obama’s four-year term. Mr. Limbaugh’s landmark contract, announced in July, promised a total of $400 million through 2016. One television talker, Joe Scarborough, is starting a radio show.... Mr. Scarborough expects his program to provide more political balance than some others. “We have been in an era where....a lot of conservative talk show hosts decided that if they just read Republican talking points, they’d get a big audience. I think that world is coming to an end. You’re going to have to be entertaining like Limbaugh, but also allow people of all political stripes on the show.” (Click here to read the entire article). What You Can Do: Take action. If you have a spare minute or two, you can contact your local Limbaugh-carrying station (they're everywhere - you have one...) and ask them what other political talk programming they are airing for the purpose of balance and fairness. If they are stumped, you have an opening to suggest DemocracyNow! or the Stephanie Miller Show or Air America Radio or something else. This is a simple, effective grassroots media reform action that we all can do. Wednesday, December 24
Dear Santa: The Last Eight Years
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 24 Dec 2008 05:00 AM CST
Dear Santa: The Last Eight Years
The following letter to Santa is posted with permission from the author. TO: sclause@northpole.com SUBJECT: All I Want For Christmas Cc: blog3@democracyforiowa.com, comments@whitehouse.gov Dear Santa, I’ve never written to you before. I guess that’s because I’ve never wanted anything as much as I would really like to have the last eight years of my life back. You see, when George W. Bush seized the presidency in 2000, I was only 46 years old. I'm 54 now and I can feel the loss of good years, and the debris of W's past two terms polluting my sense of well-being about the future. I slog around from computer to computer posting blog items, getting out action alerts, and keeping myself informed, so my hyper-vigilant mind is not so shocked each time the Bush administration does something that inevitably causes me to utter, "They… Are… So.... Un…. Be…. Lie…. Va…. Ble!” Santa, I don't mean to complain. Many others have it way worse than I do - like the Iraqis who have had their country literally demolished, (whereas ours is merely figuratively demolished) and everyone who has lost jobs, sons and daughters and faith. Like I said, I don't mean to complain, but I am just so tired of saying, "I can't believe they are getting away with it," and “they are so pathetic” that I'm not sure I can hold up until January 20th. I have spent countless hours over the past eight years trying to do my part to minimize the damage. I haul my laptop everywhere I go, because you just never know when they're going to try something that calls for an immediate response from the resistance. I go to meetings after work when I am too tired to go out. I take vacation time to work on democracy-saving projects and campaigns. I walk in parades and carry signs. I write letters to my local paper. I volunteer to do things I don’t have time to do. Not just me. Most of my friends live this way, too. Don't get me wrong - it's a good life and I'm happy to do my share, but I wouldn't mind having a little time to watch American Idol or [the fictional version of] Crime Story, or some other mindless TV show, like any other ordinary American. Last week, I went to a UI basketball game for the first time in eight years. Ashton Kucher and Demi Moore were there. I swear, I didn’t know they were married! How sad is that? Well, Santa, maybe this is starting to sound like just another bailout request… I guess I know deep down you can't really give me my eight years back. And I've probably learned some valuable lessons...that our democracy is worth working for and we have to guard it with our very lives. And perhaps I and my friends did save the democracy, with a little help from our fearless leader, Howard Dean. We’ve sure tried, anyway. I guess that remains to be seen. Now Barack Obama is about to become the new president, and there is real hope that the polar bears and auto industry can be saved! So, never mind, Santa. Please disregard this letter and concentrate on someone who needs your help more. I know I'll never get these eight years back, and that’s okay, because they are starting to look like a pretty good investment. Merry Christmas and have a safe trip! Anonymous Whatever your religion, faith, or spirituality, Blog for Iowa wishes you peace, progress and hope. We’ll be back Friday. |
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