The Southerner Journal

Net Neutrality discussed in the Washington Post

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday, and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has spurned the public’s love in favor of the largest media companies. It’s time we won back his heart, according to FreePress.Net.

The group has created a 40-second Valentine’s Day video for Chairman Martin.

“Watch the video, sign the card to Martin, and tell your friends to do the same,” says Timothy Karr, Campaign Director for FreePress.Net. “Last year, Martin was caught in bed with corporate lobbyists. We need to woo him back to the people he’s really supposed to serve.”

This year is a pivotal year for the chairman. He will be making several decisions that will have a direct impact on the future of television, radio and the Internet.

Before he gets back in bed with corporate lobbyists, Martin needs to hear from the people.

The group urges people to sign the card and ask Chairman Martin to:

1. Stop Big Media from swallowing up even more local outlets.

2. Prevent big phone companies from destroying Net Neutrality.

3. Help foster more diverse voices and points of view.

“Take action today to demand a media system that puts our interests before those of the corporate media lobby. On this Valentine’s Day, let’s make sure the public can’t be ignored.”

To get involved in the fight for better media, visit FreePress.Net and the allied campaigns at SavetheInternet.Com and StopBigMedia.Com.

By Ronald Sitton

How do I? - John Gilchrist of Superspade.blogspot.com/ questions the panel on social networking and political change. Between the subject and the occasional bass from a session in an adjoining room, no one slept after lunch at this session.

MEMPHIS (Jan. 13) – The “Bubbling Up: MySpace, YouTube, Social Networking & Political Change” breakout session at the National Conference for Media Reform promised to cure the after-dinner sleepies by discussing the future of independent media and political activism through an examination of social media.

James Rucker, of ColorOfChange.org, helped the 2006 election coverage through Video the Vote, which recruited voting activists who had a camera or cell phone to document the disenfranchising of any voter.

“What you have with the Internet is a publishing platform that anyone can participate in,” he said. “As we heard problems developing, we’d deploy a volunteer who’d signed up online. They’d document the problem and upload it to our site.”

The site acted as a front end into the YouTube database, which Rucker said is hard to navigate due to its lack of consumable packaging. Video the Vote took the disparate videos and produced video essays, some of which were picked up by corporate media. Rucker plans to use the same idea for CopWatch, which will document police brutality.

“Everyone knows a story of police brutality,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing that’s very hard to get a feel for what’s happened when it’s in print. With cell phones, people capture things of cops being rough.”

Rucker said he believes in the power of citizen media and thinks it will change corporate media from the kind of force that it’s been. While at the moment many of the smaller players are not necessarily trusted nor do they carry the brand name, Rucker looks to bloggers as an example that the market place has been forced to acknowledge.

“I actually think corporate media will have a hard time competing with people producing citizen journalism,” he said.
Read the rest of this entry »