Twittering Media

*** TOPICAL TWEETS ***

by @mediagonebad

Cable News

When I see military aficionado Wolf Blitzer on CNN, I turn to MSNBC.

When I see military aficionado Chris Matthews on MSNBC, I turn to Democracy Now!

O’Reilly and Limbaugh are toads. Ignore them. Let them be toads, hopping & eating bugs. Don’t pick them up and let them pee on your hand.

Dear Fox News: You think big national media ask the right questions? Really? They sure didn’t in lead-up to Iraq occupation.

Dear Fox News: Why do you hate anything that resembles democracy? Repeat after me: “Media diversity is a good thing.”

Dear Fox News: Big corporate media have failed us time and again. It is refreshing to see smaller, less self-serving media asking questions.

C’mon President Obama, stand up to the cronyism, to the good ‘ol boys (including Coultergeist) on Fox News. This is the change we need.

Ethics

Biggest problem is separating news from advertising and entertainment, for example ads with fake news anchors.

Note to Journalists: Be independent; be skeptical of what politicians, generals and analysts say; provide background, history and context.

Media ethics: be grounded, not star-struck or enthralled by savvy opinion-brokers; be independent and let the chips fall where they may.

Nothing wrong with having a point of view. We all have them. Personal bias finds its way into news.

Media & Public Relations

Public relations and news are so entwined that anyone who has the bucks can hire a PR firm and use the media to create a desired reality.

Remember the branding/selling of the Iraq war? Mushroom cloud. Chemical and biological weapons. Grave danger.

Remember the lead-up to Iraq war? PR “sold” the war through repetition by journalists.

Nothing wrong with citizen journalists, but fact-checking is a concern for all journalists.

Corporations enjoy a lofty position in the media. Citizens don’t. Citizen voices get drowned out by big-spending advertisers and agencies.

The airwaves belong to the public. Deny license renewals to broadcasters who act as shills for the military/industrial/media complex.

For open government 2.0, why not stream everything? Every panel, every House & Senate committee, every hearing. Get it all out there!

Branding

Financial crisis-speak. Nothing else like it. Where has the money gone? To the “war on terror,” to the corporate contractors in Iraq.

Toxic assets. We hear this term a lot lately. Is it something we are all supposed to know about? I must have missed this in economics class.

Branding the economic crisis: Blame it on AIG, on bonuses, on Obama. Just don’t blame it on the greedy Wall Street capitalists/gamblers.

Can PR change public opinion regarding A.I.G. ? PR campaign would try to shift blame for the payouts from execs to govt. officials.

Social Media

Analyzing both old and new media, trying to make TV - the most powerful educational force ever - more responsive to citizens.

Good writing is good writing, whether it is in a magazine or on Twitter.

10TV in Columbus, Ohio, is great example for SM communication between staff and the public.

Independent Journalism

The Free Radio Act, HR1147, would permit more licensing of low-power FM radio stations. LPFM will promote democracy & stimulate economy.

We have to get our news from a variety of sources. In the end, much political news writing IS opinion.

We need many voices in the chorus of democracy!

Democracy is a chorus of independent voices and an informed electorate.

National News Council

Do we need a national news council to point out where media fails and succeeds, where ethical standards are followed or ignored?

I think we start with a respected group like AEJMC and build from there, adding old & new media & ad reps. Incentive=recognition

Perhaps the organizing group - AEJMC or SPJ - could take apps from ppl interested in serving a year. Huge undertaking, yes.

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